Infants develop very quickly and are influenced by various factors, for example, nutrition and the environment. Physical development refers to changes in body size – height, weight, and organ size (Graber, 2021). Certain growth milestones will help parents and pediatricians assess the baby’s health. Even though nutrition has the most significant impact on a child’s development, parents should also take care of some exercise and activity.
The first year after birth is a period of very rapid physical development. During the first year, the child’s body length increases by about 25 centimeters or almost 50% compared to birth (Graber, 2021). Their weight also gradually increases – after some fluctuations in the first two months, babies begin to gain a pound per month (Graber, 2021). Doctors use special tables adopted by the World Health Organization to monitor changes.
Other crucial physical development aspects are changes in head size, teeth appearance, and motor skills development. The head’s circumference reflects the brain’s size, and therefore it is measured until the child is three years old (Graber, 2021). The period and peculiarity of the appearance of teeth may differ in children as they depend on the heredity and presence of diseases. On average, they begin to appear at 5-9 months, and by the end of the first year, children have about six teeth (Graber, 2021). Motor skills are also essential: the fine motor is the hands’ movements responsible for grasping and taking, and the gross motor is body movements (Choi, Kang, & Chung, 2018). Parents must create favorable conditions for infants’ development and track all indicators.
Rapid growth requires much energy, so nutrition becomes critical in the child’s development. Most infants receive breast milk from their mothers for some time after birth, gradually transitioning to baby formula. A study by Choi et al. (2018) found that children who receive exclusively breastfeeding for up to 4 months better correspond to the developmental milestones. In turn, children receiving breast milk less than this period may have delays in development (Choi et al., 2018). Breastfeeding and stopping it is a crucial decision in the family affecting the baby. Bigman, Homedes, and Wilkinson (2021) note that cultural and social norms influence feeding duration. Given the importance of nutrition to infants, parents need to consider the best recommendations.
In addition to nutrition, parents need to take care of the physical activity and calmness of the baby. In particular, some exercises and massages recommended by specialists can have a beneficial impact on development (Alves & Alves, 2019). The psychological well-being of the child and mother is also significant. A study by Racine et al. (2018) found that the adverse experience of a child and a mother can lead to various diseases and interfere with a child’s development. Therefore, parents should carefully prepare for the appearance of babies and follow doctors’ instructions in the first months of their lives.
Thus, infants experience rapid physical development requiring consideration of various factors and careful monitoring. Babies’ height and weight increase, the head’s circumference changes, and they have their first teeth. Parents and doctors can track key milestones using special tables recommended by specialists. Moreover, children develop motor skills – they begin to move and grab various things. The infants must receive the necessary nutrition for the correct development and absence of problems. Parents contribute to the better growth of babies by creating favorable and calm conditions for them.
References
Alves, J. G. B., & Alves, G. V. (2019). Effects of physical activity on children’s growth. Jornal de Pediatria, 95, S72-S78.
Bigman, G., Homedes, N., & Wilkinson, A. V. (2021). A commentary on ‘A systematic review examining the association between body image and infant feeding methods (breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding)’. Journal of Health Psychology, 26(8), 1126-1131.
Choi, H. J., Kang, S. K., & Chung, M. R. (2018). The relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and infant development: A 6-and 12-month follow-up study. Early Human Development, 127, 42-47.
Graber, E. G. (2021). Physical growth of infants and children. Web.
Racine, N., Plamondon, A., Madigan, S., McDonald, S., & Tough, S. (2018). Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant development. Pediatrics, 141(4), 1-9.