the presentation would help the psychology / social work students to understand the basic concepts of human growth and development

1. Babyhood (End of second
week to two years),
Dr. Ishitha E.K.

2. Characteristics of Babyhood
 Babyhood is the true foundation age.
 Many behavior patterns, attitudes and emotional expressions are established.
 It is a critical period in setting the pattern for personal and social
adjustments.
 Babyhood is an age of rapid growth and development.
 Rapid Growth and change- physicaly, psychologically and intellectualy
 Ability to recognize and respond to people and object in the environment
 Able to understand and communicate their needs and wants in ways that
others understand

3.  Baby hood is an age of decreasing dependency
 development of body control which enables babies to sit, stand, and walk
 Babyhood Is the Age of Increased Individuality
 it permits babies to develop according to their interests and abilities.
 Period of creativity
 Beginning of sex role typing
 Beginning of socialization
 Babyhood Is an Appealing Age
 Babyhood Is a Hazardous Age –physical and psychological -illness and accidents

4. Developmental task
 Physical development
 Weight increases 8-9 kg
 Height -23-34 inches
 Physical proportion –head growth decreases trunk and limb growth increases
 Bone number increases
 Muscle and fat develops rapidly with the diet
 Body builds-ectomorphic (lean), endomorphic (fat round) and mesophorphic (heavy, hard)
 Teeth-4-6 temporary teeth by 1year and 16 teeth by age of 2
 Nervous system develops
 Sense organ development hearing and vision develops rapidly , smell and taste are well
developed, responsive to touch pressure pain and temperature

5.  Physiological functions
 Sleep patterns increases from 8.5 hours to 10 hours
 Eating patterns- from sucking and swallowing to biting and chewing
 Patterns of eleimination- bowel and bladder control begins, toilet training
 Muscle and motor control- development of control over muscle
 4-5 month- sit with support
 7-10 months- sit without support
 6 month sitting position crawling and creeping 8-10 month
 11 month stand with support
 12 month stand without support
 Walk with support at 11 months or or 1 year and walk without support at
fourteen months

6.  Learn Babyhood skills
 Speech development-pronounciation, vocabulary building, sentences
 Communication can be written, spoken, musical and artistic
 Emotional behavior
 Emotional dominanace
 Anger-rolling on floor, screeming, kicking, hitting
 Fear-high places, dark rooms, animals, strange person
 Joy
 Affection – toys, pets- hugging, kissing

7.  Socialisation development
 Learn social adjustments (smiling)
 Attention seeking behavior
 Social responses to adults(no preference-react different to smiling and
scolding faces- smiling to friends and fear of stranger)
 Social responses to other babies (attract attention-fighting over toys- sharing
of toys- playing)

8.  Beginning of Interest in play
 Follows a pattern-
 sensimotor play –kicking , bouncing, climbing
 Exploraory play-pulling hair, sucking fingers , toes, rolling
 Initiative play-second year –imitate actions around them, sweeping floor, writing
with pencil
 Make believe play- find toys as real life-animals, vehicles
 Games-hide and seek with parents, grand parents
 Amusements- fascinated with radio, television
 Influences by physical, motor and mental development
 Value of play- gives information on the environment around, learning, social
relationships

9.  Development of understanding-learning
 Beginnings of morality- role of discipline
 Beginning of sex role typing
 Family relationships
 Emotional deprivation-neglected feel unwanted
 Attachment behavior
 Family relationships- dream child, dependency, anxiety, child training methods,
maternal employment, new sibling, relation with old sibling, preference to some
family members
 Personality development
 Critical period

10. Hazards
 Physical hazards
 Mortality- deaths in first month-illness, accidents(second year)
 Crib death-sudden and unexpected death-cause unknown-breathing problem ,
jaundice
 Illness
 Accidents- play time
 Malnutrition
 Foundations of obesity

11.  Psychological hazards
 Motor development- delay
 Speech hazards
 Emotional hazards
 Emotional deprivation
 Stress
 Too much affection
 Dominant emotions

12.  Social hazards
 Introversion
 Shyness
 Play hazards
 Hazards in understanding
 Hazards in morality
 Hazards in family relationship
 Seperation form mother
 Overprotection
 Failure to develop attachment behavior
 Child abuse
 Inconsistent training
 Hazarsds in personality development

13. Reasons for unhappiness in babyhood
 Poor health
 Teething-discomfort
 Desire for independence
 Need of attention
 Beginning of discipline
 Child abuse
 Sibling resentment