CHD106: Understanding and Promoting Infant Development

Handout

Welcome to CHD106

Early childhood is the most active stage of human development, and more growth occurs in the first year of life than in any other period. Caregivers who understand the progression of development are more prepared to respond to needs and create appropriate learning environments. In this course, caregivers will discover the characteristics of infant development. In addition, the course provides strategies caregivers can use to promote growth and learning across all areas of development.

Objectives:

By taking notes on the handout and successfully answering assessment questions, participants will meet the following objectives as a result of taking this course:

Define early childhood development

Identify the major factors that affect development

Identify signs that an infant is over-stimulated or under-stimulated

Identify common signs of teething

Identify developmental milestones for infants from birth to one year of age

Recognize appropriate learning activities that promote development

References:

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, & National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. (2019). Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 4th edition. Retrieved from https://nrckids.org/files/CFOC4%20pdf-%20FINAL.pdf

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html

3. Lockman, J. & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (2020). The Cambridge Handbook of Infant Development: Brain, Behavior, and Cultural Context. Cambridge University Press.

4. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2021). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8,

4th edition. Washington, DC: NAEYC. 5. Stanford Children’s Health. (2021). “Newborn Reflexes.” Retrieved from

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newborn-reflexes-90-P02630

6. Zero to Three. (2016). “3-6 Months: Your Baby's Development.” Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/81-3-6-months-your-baby-s-development

7. Zero to Three. (2016). “Birth to 3 Months: Your Baby's Development.” Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/80-birth-to-3-months-your-baby-s-development

8. Zero to Three. (2016). “Making Good Decisions about Television and Screen Time for Young Children.” Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/318-making-good-decisions-about-television-and-screen-time-for-young-children

Additional Resources

1. Leiderman, R. & Masi, W. (2012). Let’s Play and Learn Together: Fill Your Baby’s Day with Creative Activities that are Super Fun and Enhance Development. Fair Winds Press.

2. Sciarrino, C. (2009). Reaching & Relating. HighReach Learning.

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3. Woolfson, R. (2009). Bright Start: Understand and Stimulate Your Child's Development From Birth to 5 Years. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Early Childhood Development: An Overview

Important Fact

Early childhood development refers to

Important Fact

Children develop at ___________________________________.

Infant Development

Important Fact

Infancy refers to

The factors that influence infant development are:

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The final two factors, and the ones that are directly affected by a caregiver, are:

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Notes about Proper nutrition

Environmental stimulation is:

Signs that an infant may be under-stimulated:

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Signs that an infant may be over-stimulated:

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Questions to ask yourself about safety:

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Developmental appropriateness considerations:

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Areas of Development

Developmental areas of infants:

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Physical Growth

Facts about Newborns

Important Fact

What is a soft spot?

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Additional Information about Infants:

Infants are generally ready for solid food if they:

Common signs of teething include:

There are ways to soothe and comfort teething infants:

Important Fact

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Growth Statistics after One Year

Most twelve-month-old infants:

Movement

Important Fact

What are reflexes?

The sucking reflex occurs

The rooting reflex occurs

The grasping reflex occurs

Gross motor skills involve

Learning to Crawl

By 6 months:

By 9 months:

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Learning to Walk

By 7 months:

Important Fact

An infant walker is considered:

By 12 months:

Safety Considerations

Remember, as infants become more mobile and interested in everything around them, it is important to double-check the environment to make sure everything is childproof.

Check to be sure that:

Hand-eye Coordination

Important Fact

Describe tracking:

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Fine motor skills for infants are:

At first:

By 2 months:

By 3 months:

By 4 months:

Between 6 & 12 months:

By 6 months:

By 12 months:

Important Fact

Depth perception:

At 10 months:

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Cognitive Development

Important Fact

Cognitive development is:

Infants absorb new information at a rapid pace using _____________________________.

An infant′s long-term memory develops

After about 2 months:

During the 3rd month:

At 5 months:

At 6 months:

Important Fact

Object permanence is:

For the seven- or eight-month-old:

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Near the twelve-month mark, an infant’s attention span:

Nine to twelve-month-olds:

Communication

Important Fact

Crying is

How should you respond to a crying infant? Start by assessing the situation. Ask yourself the following questions:

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If the infant’s basic needs have been met but the crying continues, try the following strategies:

Verbal Communication:

Nonverbal Communication:

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Model different types of nonverbal communication for the infant and talk about the gestures and expressions you observe:

Three to six-month-olds:

Important Fact

Jargon:

Infants and TV

Read, read, read!

Two types of language become apparent as the first year progresses:

______________________ - speaking or using verbal and nonverbal skills to communicate

______________________ - understanding verbal and nonverbal communication

Expressive Language

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Receptive Language

Social-Emotional Development

Newborns:

By 2 months:

By 3 months:

By 6 months:

Attachment

What is Attachment?

Social Interactions with Others

Around 5 months:

Six- to twelve-month-old infants experience:

From age six to twelve months:

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Important Fact

What is separation anxiety?

At this age:

Six-month-olds can:

Between the ages of six and twelve months, most infants can:

Mobile infants have:

When a caregiver observes an infant climbing onto a shelf, a few appropriate responses would include:

Caregivers should provide infants with simple instructions about what they want them to do. They don’t have the ability to understand that “stop pulling” means “let go”.

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If an infant is dumping items that should not be dumped:

Remember that infants do not have very long memories.

At 12 months:

One-year-olds will:

Infants at this age imitate adult actions and behaviors.

Knowing that little eyes are on you should make you more conscious of everything you do during the day.

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Try This!

Pedaling

Lay the infant on their back on the floor.

Place one foot in each of your hands and slowly "pedal" the infant′s legs, like pedaling a bike.

Allow the infant to apply pressure to your hands. Pay attention to this sensation and be responsive to it.

Perform this activity for short periods, as the infant’s muscles will tire quickly.

Note: gently "pedaling" an infant′s legs can also stimulate a bowel movement and is one way to help relieve an infant who may be slightly constipated.

Try This!

Floor Time

Place the infant on a mat or blanket on the floor, either on the tummy or back.

Position safe objects of different colors and textures on the floor slightly out of the infant′s

reach.

Attract the infant′s interest by shaking or moving the item and calling the child’s name.

See if the infant reaches for the object.

If the infant is unable to reach the object after trying, move the object closer.

This activity promotes muscle development in the neck, chest, and back. It promotes gross motor skills such as reaching, grasping, rolling, scooting, and eventually crawling.

Many babies do not enjoy tummy time at first, so gradually increase the time as the infant tolerates it.

Try This!

Balancing

Help infants find their balance and increase upper body strength.

Lay an infant on the stomach lengthwise on top of a rolled-up towel or bolster pillow.

Hold the infant with both hands and roll them gently from side-to-side on the pillow.

Notice whether the infant makes movements to rebalance their body.

Keep the time spent doing this activity short.

Discontinue the activity if the baby seems uncomfortable.

Try This!

Tummy Time Interactions

This is one way to promote the infant′s upper body strength:

Lie down in front of an infant who is engaged in tummy time.

Prop your head, shoulders, and chest up with your arms.

Encourage the infant to imitate you through funny facial expressions, songs, and conversation.

The infant will need to use upper body muscles to look at you and play along.

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Try This!

Crawling Challenge

As infants begin to master their crawling techniques, caregivers can:

Create an obstacle course by stacking soft objects on the floor so that infants have to crawl over them.

Create tunnels for infants to crawl through.

Challenge infants to crawl zigzag, straight, in circles, slowly, quickly, forward, and backward.

Try This!

Walking Practice

It takes lots of practice to build the strength, coordination, and confidence to be an independent walker. Look for signs that infants are ready to attempt some of the following tasks:

When putting an infant down, position them in a standing position, rather than a seated position. Notice how long they remain standing. Perhaps place them a few inches away from a

piece of furniture that they could attempt to walk toward for support.

Place support items close enough together to encourage infants to let go of one support item and step toward the next.

Encourage infants to take steps toward a favorite toy or caregiver. Expand the distance as

success is achieved.

Use positive praise after all attempts. Avoid reacting in a scared or sad manner when children fall. This may scare or discourage them. Cheer all attempts, even unsuccessful ones.

Try This!

Rocking and Riding Toys

As balance becomes more stable, introduce toys such as small rocking horses or riding toys without pedals. Besides being fun, these toys help to develop the infant′s leg muscles.

Secure a broom handle to the back of a rolling toy to carefully push the infant while you are standing up.

Try This!

Tracking

Help infants develop their eye muscles by choosing brightly colored objects for them to track.

Hold an object about ten inches away from the infant and slowly move it from side to side.

Attach objects to a strand of plastic links and slowly move the strand near the infant’s face.

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Try This!

Blow Bubbles

Carefully send bubbles floating past an infant′s face, but not into their face.

Notice the infant’s eye and hand movements toward the bubbles.

Infants will not be very successful at first, but this will change as hand-eye coordination improves.

Try This!

Play ball!

Help increase hand-eye coordination with a crawler by rolling a ball gently away from the infant. Ask,

"Where is the ball? Where did it go?" Then encourage the infant to "go get it" when the ball has stopped rolling.

Try This!

Pincer Practice

Help strengthen the pincer muscles:

Engage infants in fingerplay activities that promote finger coordination. Note that infants will not be good at fingerplays; the idea is to promote the awareness of movement and coordination.

Fill a basket with toys and present it to an infant. Model removing one item at a time using a

pincer grasp. If the infant dumps the basket, model picking up the items and placing them back in the basket.

Encourage infants to help clean up toys in the environment.

With parent permission, provide small items of food for infants to pick up during meals or

snacks. Items such as cereal, cheese, bananas, cooked carrot cubes, peas, etc. are appropriate.

Try This!

Shape-Sorter Toys

Introduce a shape-sorter toy, a toy that has slots for shaped blocks. Help the infants find the correct slot for each toy and develop their fine motor skills and depth perception.

Try This!

Music

Listening to different types of music encourages the development of the child’s hearing and stimulates learning. Infants may seem happier when music plays and may even develop musical preferences.

Play music for the infants in the classroom.

Be sure to consider the mood you want to set.

To calm them, play classical music or lullabies.

If they are ready to play, try upbeat tunes.

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Try This!

Play Peek-A-Boo

Play peek-a-boo with objects to reinforce object permanence. Show the infant a toy and then hide it under a blanket while they are watching. Encourage the infant to try to find the object.

Try This!

Exploring Nature

Introduce natural objects to increase the development of the senses and awareness of the outdoors. Bring in objects from outdoors like snow or leaves. Encourage the infants to touch bark, leaves, and other natural objects, under your supervision. Stop to smell the flowers and observe birds when outside.

Be sure to use caution when outdoors or with new items brought into the classroom from outdoors to ensure they do not create a safety hazard for the infants.

Try This!

Ask Questions

It is important to ask lots of questions, even if the infant does not have the words to answer you. This will stimulate their interest in learning.

While reading to an infant, ask questions about the book.

While walking outside, ask the infant if they see the pretty bird, hear the fire engine, or smell

the fresh-cut grass.

Ask “I wonder if…” and “How did you do that?” when playing with infants.

This practice raises the infant′s awareness of the surroundings. Plus, if their caregiver seems interested in something, the infant will also be intrigued and want to learn more.

Try This!

Rocking

Here is something else you can do to calm an infant:

Hold the infant close to your chest.

Sit on the ground or at the edge of a chair and rock back-and-forth.

After a few minutes of calm, steady rocking, you′ll find a perfect speed and depth.

Maintain this steady rhythm until the baby is calm or, quite possibly, sound asleep.

Try This!

Nursery Rhymes or Rhyming Songs

Enrich a baby’s language abilities by sharing fun nursery rhymes or rhyming songs. These simple songs and sayings teach sounds and sound repetition in language. This stimulates the brain, promoting the growth of the child’s future vocabulary.

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Try This!

Encouraging Speech

Encourage language development through songs, poems, and nursery rhymes.

Fill the environment with language. Introduce new vocabulary. Be the model for the correct

pronunciation of words.

Reinforce early language development by encouraging the child to repeat the names of objects

and by saying the names along with them. (For example, if they say "ba," you say "Yes! This is a ball.")

Do not force a child to repeat a word until they say it correctly. The muscle strength and coordination of the mouth and tongue are not fully developed, which is why language is not clear at this stage.

Try This!

Make Simple Statements

When reading, make simple statements about the pictures, such as "Look at the red square" or "There is the baby’s mouth."

Attach these statements to the infant′s real environment. For example, say, "Your shirt is red, just like that red square" or "Here is my mouth, and here is your mouth, too!”

Try This!

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Teach the infant the parts of the body by singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Then point to the parts of the infant′s body, especially facial parts.

Also, point to the parts on your body. Ask the infant, "Where′s your nose?" If the infant is not yet sure, point to it and say, "I found your nose!" If the infant finds their nose, give praise, and then ask the infant to find your nose.

Try This!

Mirror, Mirror

Infants are often interested in faces since another person′s face is one of the first things they focus on shortly after birth.

Hang a mirror on a wall, shelf, or at one end of the crib.

Place infants in front of the mirror so they have the opportunity to look at themselves and see

their expressions.

Interact with the infant in the mirror so they can see you and your expressions in the mirror.

When using a mirror, make sure it is unbreakable and securely fastened to the wall or crib.

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Try This!

Class Photo Album

Use an album with reinforced pages, or this activity can be done as a bulletin board or poster.

Ask parents to contribute photos of their babies and other family members, labeled with the

preferred names of the people in the photos.

Decorate a few pages for each child in your class using the photos and bright papers.

Look through the album often.

Point out familiar faces to the infants and give them a chance to react.

Some popular infant toys include slots where photos of children and families can be incorporated into the toy.

Try This!

Create a Drop Off Routine

With a clingy infant, it is best to be consistent with how the child is dropped off.

Encourage parents to use the same drop-off routine every day.

The parent can tell the infant that they are going to work and they will be back later.

Parents should wave goodbye.

Have favorite toys available to engage the child; if possible, the parent can get the child engaged in the toy, then say goodbye.

If a parent slips out on a clingy infant, it may confirm to the infant that a parent can simply disappear at any moment, making the infant clingier the next time.

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