Providing for the Infant’s Developmental Needs

1. Providing for the Infant’s Developmental Needs

2. Physical Development

3. Length and Weight • Average length of baby at birth is 20-21 inches. • During the first year, they increase their length 1.5 times (about 9-10 inches) • By the 9th month, infants are rather chubby because the fat tissues under the skin begin to increase.

4. Average Length and Weight During First Year

5. Length and Weight Cont… • Failure to thrive: their rate of growth slow considerably over time. • Possible causes: • Diseases that prevent all/some nutrients from being absorbed • Baby’s food is not providing enough nutrients • Feeds are offered too infrequently, or don’t last long enough • Baby is not held, touched, talked to, or abuse/neglect is taking place

6. Teeth • Teeth begin forming during the 6th week of prenatal life. By birth, all teeth are developed deep in the jaw. • Most babies begin cutting teeth during the second half of the first year.

7. Teeth Cont… • Some babies are born with one or more teeth. • Other children are more than one year old when their first teeth appear.

8. Motor DevelopmentThe use and control of muscles the direct body movements.

9. Gross-motor skills: Learning to use and control large muscles, such as the trunk, arms, and legs which helps the babies crawl and walk. • Fine-motor skills: being able to control the small muscles, such as the hands and fingers. • Motor development increases as the brain develops

10. Center-to-Extremities Development • Control begins with the trunk, then arms, hands, and fingers. • Babies can use their arms to hands to crawl and lift objects before they can use the hand and finger control needed to tack blocks. • When babies are born, their Palmar reflex makes babies automatically grasp whatever is placed in the hand.

11. Voluntary grasping: baby grasping with the intention of actually grabbing something. • 6-7 month olds usually bring any grasped item to their mouth to explore it. • At 7 months babies can grab for two separate items. • A month or 2 later, babies can use the thumb and forefingers to pick up objects. (called princer grasp)

12. The most basic needs of humans. Physical Needs: Feeding

13. Feeding • Most basic physical need • The baby grows 3 times faster in the first year than in the second or third year. • Babies may experience physical pain when they are hungry. • Nutrients: the substances in food that gives babies energy and help them grow.

14. First Foods • Start out with an all-liquid diet of milk (breast milk or formula). • Between 6 months to 1 year, the baby begins to eat cereals, fruits, vegetables, meats, and breads. (these are called solids)

15. Why babies shouldn’t be fed solids before 6 months • Not born with ability to swallow solids. • Babies do not need the nutrients offered by solids. • Digestive system cannot process the complex nutrients • Physical problems • Solids have too much sodium for babies • May be too high in calories • Spoon-feeding does not allow for close physical bonding like holding a baby to breast feed or bottle feed.

16. Introducing New Foods • Parents should introduce one food at a time, feeding only one bite or two per time. • Parents should not add another new food for at least 5 days. • This helps the parent see if the baby has an intolerance for the food. • Intolerance: a negative physical reaction that eating certain food can cause. • If baby shows an intolerance for a food, parents should wait until after 1st birthday to try the offending food again.

17. Foods to Avoid • Small or hard foods may cause baby to choke. • Some food/beverages may be too sugary, high in sodium, or artificial flavors. • Stimulants and depressants should be avoided.

18. The Feeding Schedule • Some babies like smaller, more frequent meals. Others eat more food less often. • When the babies growth rate slows toward the end of the first year, his or her appetite will decrease.

19. First-Year Daily Feeding Schedule

20. Homemade vs. Store-bought Baby Foods • When buying store bought: • check the sell-by date for freshness. • Make sure containers are sealed properly • Check safety button on unopened jars • Babies should not be feed straight from the jar because bacteria in the saliva from the baby’s spoon can spoil the food. • Should be served at room temperature. • If not using the whole jar, refrigerate leftovers and eat within two days.

21. Advantages of Baby Food Methods • Food is easy to buy and use. • May be more economical • Many foods are available in all four seasons. • Foods are sold in the right texture for certain ages. • Foods are sterile • Unopened foods can be stored for a long time w/out refrigeration. • Packaged in small amounts • No worry about harmful additives • Usually less expensive to prepare • No special appliances are needed to make it • Saves on storage space • Can cater to baby’s food allergies • Recipes are easy to find • Can be creative with foods Commercially Prepared Homemade

22. Weaning • Weaning: taking a baby off the bottle or breast. • Parents should consult baby’s doctor about what age to wean.

23. Weaning from the Breast • It is recommended mothers breast-feed for at least 12 months. • Most babies are completely weaned from the breast by 18-24 months. • Babies weaned before 1 year should be given formula for the remainder of the first year. • Babies weaned after 1 year should be fed whole milk until the age of two.

24. Weaning from the breast cannot be abrupt or it will be stressful for the baby. It can also cause blockage of the milk ducts and possible depression in the mother. • Weaning should start with part of one feeding, then gradually become a whole feeding.

25. Weaning to the Cup • Recommended at 12 months • Should be offered whole milk • Ways to teach drinking from a cup: • Give baby a cup with two handles • Praise baby when trying to use cup • At 6 months offer baby 1 tablespoon of liquid in cup

26. Spoon Feeding • Baby should be 6 months old before being introduced to solids. • Baby’s body is ready for the nutrients of solid foods and the baby developmentally can start learning how to handle a spoon. • Pediatricians recommend the first food be a iron-enriched rice cereal. • At first few feedings, it should be able to pour from spoon.

27. Spoon Feeding Cont… • As cereal and other solids are introduced, the baby will need water for proper kidney action. • Baby should be held on adult’s lap in an upright position for the first couple of spoon feedings, then moved to a high chair.

28. Self-Feeding • Finger foods: foods a baby can self-feed using the fingers. • Babies usually begin this around 12 months. • Babies are at a high risk of choking so should be supervised at all time while finger-feeding. • Examples of foods to finger-feed with: • Soft toast, crispy crackers, bagels, fruits and vegetables that have been cooked and diced.

29. Clothing

30. Style and Color • All styles have advantages and disadvantages. • Two piece outfits (tops and bottoms) often can be worn longer because they do not get as tight in the crotch as one-piece outfits. They also make changing a diaper easier. • One-piece outfits look neater on crawlers because they do not separate/bunch up. They are also warmer.

31. Shoes • Shoes are not needed until the baby begins to walk. • Indoors, babies should walk without shoes to prevent flat-footed walking. • Most shoes worn in the first year are for decoration. • Most baby shoes have a soft, cloth sole.

32. Caring for Baby Clothes • Before cleaning, read labels and tags. • Pretreat stains before washing. • Mend any tears before washing to prevent them from getting larger. • Infant’s skin is very sensitive, so babies clothes is often rinsed extra to help remove the extra detergent. • Do not use fabric softener-it reduces the effectiveness of the flame-retardant material.

33. Diapering a Baby • Older babies wiggle more when diaper is being changed, in order to keep baby’s interest, talk, sing, or play with baby while changing the diaper.

34. Tub Bathing • Can begin as soon as navel and circumcision have healed. • Fill water about 3 inches deep, with comfortably warm water. • Check with your wrist • Make sure everything needed is nearby. • Shampoo, washcloth, towel, diaper, etc.

35. Establishing Routines • Routines help children feel secure because it teaches them what to expect. • Although babies do not know clock time, they do have sense of rhythm when it comes to time. • Schedules change as babies mature. • Feedings become more widely spaced out, daytime naps grow shorter, and more playtime is needed.

36. Rest and Sleep • From 1-3 months, babies need a total of 14-16.5 hours of sleep. • For the remainder of the year, babies need 14-15 hours of sleep. • Many babies begin sleeping through the night at 12 weeks. • If baby is not sleeping through the night, the parents can restrict day time naps to four hours or less, to increase likelihood of sleeping through the night.

37. Rest and Sleep Cont… • Some babies that do sleep through the night may begin to cry during the night around 5-6 months due to awakening and feeling lonely. • By 9-15 months, most babies only take one nap a day, in the afternoon. • The afternoon nap may continue until 3-5 years of age.

38. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) • In many cases, seemingly healthy babies simply stop breathing in their sleep. • Cause is unknown. Some experts think it may be a virus or bacterial infection that attacks the brain stem (where breathing is controlled) before or shortly after birth. • Most commonly happens between 2-4 months

39. SIDS Cont… • Risk factor: Babies sleeping on their stomachs • Preventative Measures: • Place baby on firm mattress • Do not use fluffy blankets, comforters, throws, stuffed toys, or pillows in bed/crib • Make sure baby doesn’t get too warm while sleeping. • Offer a pacifier for sleep • Avoid sharing bed with parent • Make sure baby is getting enough sleep • Have regular doctor visits • Breast-feed for at least 7 months if not 1 year • Place baby on back when sleeping • Breathing monitor is available if doctor recommends

40. Places for Sleep and Play • Babies may sleep in parent’s room, or in a bedroom with older sibling, or a room all his/her own. • Children usually sleep in a crib until 3 years old. • Playpens should only be used for short periods of time. • No more than 2 hours a day • Babies need to be able to move freely in order to develop crawling, creeping, and walking skills

41. Intellectual Needs

42. Enriched environment: an environment that offers babies a chance to learn. • The earlier adults provide activities, the more babies want to learn.

43. Activities to Stimulate the Senses • Sensory stimulation: involves using the senses to learn about the environment. • For a baby to develop fully, all five senses must be stimulated • Examples: • Mobiles: Sight • Tracking Object: Sight • Wind Chimes: Hearing and sight

44. Problem-Solving Activities • Games and activities can help babies begin to organize and understand their world. • Peek-a-boo helps a baby realize that even though they cannot see the other person, he/she is still there.

45. Motor Activities • Coordination: is the working together of muscles in movements, such as walking. • Gross-Motor Games: • Crawling in/out of boxes/cartons • Dancing to music • Fine-Motor Games: • Stacking blocks, hitting blocks together, etc.

46. Language Activities • Babies learn language by hearing people talk. • Examples of statements/questions adults can use: • I’m putting on your green shirt • Isn’t this a pretty shirt • Are you ready for the shirt to go over your head • Here’s a button on your shirt

47. Language Activities Cont… • The actual words do not matter, but it does matter that they are pronounced correctly. • Changing pitch or singing also adds interest. • When babies babble, encouragement should be given because it is the way for a baby to respond to an adult. • Babies benefit by being read to even if they cannot comprehend, because they are hearing new words.

48. Social-Emotional Needs

49. Baby-Adult Interaction • Babies react to adults; feelings and actions. • If adults are tense, the baby may become fussy and difficult. • If an adult is relaxed, the baby is more often quiet and cooperative.

50. Helping Babies Develop Self-Awareness • Self-awareness: understanding of himself or herself as a unique person. • They develop self-awareness and form a mental picture of themselves. • Babies begin to learn what is part of their body and what is not • They learn that their actions can make things happen.