Infants and Toddlers

Critical Years for Learning

• High quality care of infants and toddlers
has become increasingly important,
along with the increase in dual income
families (i.e., families where both
mothers and fathers work). The periods
of infancy and toddlerhood are critical
for learning, and we now understand
that children at these ages are quite
capable. This chapter focuses on the
characteristics of infants and toddlers
and the type of environments that
support their learning and
development. Upon completion of this
chapter, you will be able to discuss the
importance of developmentally
appropriate practices and learning
environments for the infant and
toddler.
 Language and mobility leads to toddler independence
and desire for autonomy.

Teachers and caregivers must respond to infant and

Infant and toddler developmental changes in ways that support
their growth and development.
Toddler
Development Normal growth and development have been
established, based on the mythical average child.
Children will grow and develop at different rates.

Teachers and caregivers should take into consideration

children’s culture and family background when
determining what is normal for the individual child.
Nature and Nurture
 Brain
Development

• Brain research points to:

• the importance of early
experiences;
• benefits of early intervention.

Brain research provides

information about stimulation,
and development of specific
areas of the brain.
 Brain
• The child’s brain is
anatomically like the adults'
brain, except that the adult’s
brain weighs 3 pounds while
the child’s brain is as follows:
• At birth – 14 ounces
• Six months– 1.31 pounds
• Three years – 2.4 pounds
• Ten years – 3 pounds
• Neurons are nerve cells which
form synapses or connections
through a process called
synaptogenesis. Synaptogenesis
continues until age 10.
• Brain connections are made when
caretakers interact or play with
and respond and talk to young
children.
• Connections that are used
repeatedly become permanent.
Neural shearing takes place when
brain connections wither away
due to lack of use.
Influences on Development and Learning
Psychosocial
Development
• Infants and toddlers
fall within the trust vs.
mistrust stage of
Erickson’s theory of
psychosocial
development.
 Infants use social behaviors to
begin and maintain
relationships.
Social
Behavior Crying

s Infants interact socially with

others by
Imitating and
mimicking observed
behaviors
 Bonding and Attachments
Social and emotional relationships are influenced by
bonding and attachments

Bonding Attachment
• enduring emotional tie between
takes place between infant and parent infant and parent
• children engage attachment
behaviors (e.g., crying, sucking,
begins at birth
babbling, etc.) to get and
maintain proximity
serves as the basis for mutual attachment
• adults also engage in
attachment behaviors (e.g.,
kissing, touching, embracing,
etc.) to establish attachments
 Attachments
Young children can develop
multiple attachments at the
same time—although they
may show a preference for
the primary caregivers.
The quality of parent-child
High quality childcare
attachments can be measured
programs seek out ways to
by the Strange Situation. This
ensure that mothers maintain
observational tool assesses
primary attachments with
whether an infant is securely
their infants.
attached to a caregiver.
Temperament • A child’s temperament is represented by his/her
collective behavioral characteristics. A child’s
and temperament helps to determine their
Personality personality.
Principles of Motor Motor development is
sequential. Growth precedes
Development from:
Cognitive Development
• Infants are toddler fit within Piaget’s sensorimotor stage, which
is the first stage of cognitive development. Highlights of this
stage include:
• initial learning through reflexive motor action;
• development of object permanence where the infant
understands that objects they cannot see still exist;
• toddlers’ experimentation with objects to solve problems;
• thinking using mental images and memory;
• symbolic play where an unrelated object is used to represent
another object (e.g., a stick is used to represent an airplane).
Theories of Language Development
Language Development Vocabulary development ( 50 words by age 2)
 Additional important points about language development. .

Motherese – the way mothers and caregivers adapt their speech

Language when talking to young children.
Development
Language patterns – children develop and master most language
pattern by the end of preschool. The early years represent the
sensitive period for learning language.

Baby signing – infants as young as five months can learn signals that
stand for something else. A growing movement suggests children
should be taught to communicate using signs before they are able to
talk.
Developmentally Appropriate Programs

• Developmentally appropriate programs consider:

• what is known about child development and
learning;
• what is known about the strengths, interest, and
needs of the individual child so that the program
can adapt and be responsive to those interests and
needs;
• the social and cultural context in which the child
lives so that learning experiences can be
meaningful, relevant, and respectful to children and
their families.
 Developmentally
Appropriate Programs
• Infants and toddlers are different and will
require different programming and activities.
• Care must also be taken when matching
teachers and childcare providers with
children of different ages.
• Certain teachers/childcare providers will
be more emotionally and professionally
suited for certain ages of children.
 Environments to Support Infant and
Toddler Development
• Environments that support healthier, happy and achievement oriented
children are:
• Inviting
• Comfortable
• Healthy
• Safe
• Supportive
• Challenging
• Respectful
 • Teachers and childcare providers
can organize environments that
Environments provide for:
• Health and safety
to Support
• Support development of basic
Infant and trust and autonomy
Toddler • Space and materials that
Development encourage active involvement
 Infant and Toddler Curriculum
The curriculum should
provide for the child’s
physical, social, emotional,
cognitive, and linguistic
development.
The curriculum should be
based on responsive
relationships which means
that it will respond to the
needs and interests of the
infant or toddler.
The curriculum should
include a daily routine
encourage language development
promote social development and
interactions
include engaging and challenging
activities
 Infant • Infant mental health refers to
the overall health and well-
and being of young children in
their family, community, and
Toddler school relationships. Threats
to children such as abuse,
Mental neglect, poverty, malnutrition,
and the lack of loving
Health relationships result in poor
mental health.
• Poor mental health leads to negative outcomes such as:
• impaired mental functioning
• poor school achievement
• poor physical health
• substance abuse
• Delinquency
• loss of human potential
• Relations are important to mental health. Listed
below are relational guidelines.
• individualize attention to the needs of both
infants/toddlers and their parents.
• emphasis on the strengths of infants and toddlers.
• provide continuous and stable caregiving.
• be accessible to infants/toddlers and their parents.
• be culturally responsive by recognizing the values,
beliefs, and practices of diverse cultures
 Diverse Learners
Children today come
from diverse family
backgrounds.
 Resources
• https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/why-the-
first-5-years-of-child-development-are-so-
important/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most
%20critical,their%20lives%20in%20various
%20ways.
• http://www.educationalneuroscience.org.uk/
resources/neuromyth-or-neurofact/most-
learning-happens-in-the-first-3-years/
• https://slideplayer.com/slide/4266789/
• https://www.slideshare.net/rjanubas/cognitive-
development-of-infants-and-toddlers
• https://slideplayer.com/slide/12956911/