During the first year of life, infants undergo significant physiological, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Physically, babies' weight typically triples by their first birthday as they learn to eat, digest food, regulate body temperature, and develop motor skills. Cognitively, infants progress from reflexes to object permanence and the beginnings of language and reasoning. Socially and emotionally, infants form attachments, learn trust versus mistrust, and develop a sense of self. Meeting infants' needs for nutrition, safety, and secure attachments during this critical period helps support healthy development.

1. Human Growth and
Development: Infancy
IHS Unit 6

2. Learning Targets
• Understand the important needs and
developments that occur during the first
year of life
• Identify health risks and preventative
health measures for infants

3. The First Year
• Begins at birth:
– Many changes happen during baby’s first hour
• Respiratory system must being working for first time
• Baby must eat and digest food (colostrum)
• Baby must regulate own body temperature
• Sensory overload
• Changes continue through the first year
– By 1 year most babies have:
• Rudimentary understanding of language
• Attachment to caregivers
• Movement and coordination
• Beginnings of logic and reasoning
• By some designations, infancy extends into the second year, and there
is some over lap between infancy and early childhood (toddlerhood)

4. Physiological Needs
• Weight generally TRIPLES from birth by
the 1st birthday
– Nutrition is the most important need that must
be addressed
– Babies are totally dependent in all basic
needs and caregivers must provide.
• Babies associate meeting of physiological needs
with security and affection and develop bonds with
those who care for the most.

5. Infant Nutrition
• Current Recommendations:
– First 6 months – breast milk or formula
exclusively.
– At or around 6 months (when baby shows signs
of readiness) – introduce foods.
• Old Recommendations:
– Introduce one food at a time, and avoid common
allergens.
– New Research suggests that this may actually
increase the chances of food sensitivity, so
basically disregard unless there is a strong family
history of food allergies.

6. Breast is (Really) Best
Breast Milk
• Contains all essential nutrients for baby,
plus HUNDREDS of other nutrients,
antibodies, etc. that help baby.
• Has higher levels of nutrients important
for brain growth.
• Easier for baby to break down and
digest.
• Reduces risk of food allergies.
• Research shows that it promotes higher
IQ
• Lower rates of childhood illness
• Lower Risk of SIDS
• Changes as baby’s developmental needs
change.
• It’s free!
• It lowers Mom’s risks of certain cancer
and helps her loose baby weight.
• It promotes a strong bond between mom
and baby.
Formula
• Contains all essential
nutrients for baby.
• Special types are
available for babies with
special nutritional needs,
disorders, etc.

8. Safety Needs and Social
Needs
• Safety and Social Needs are closely tied to
the caregiver relationship and the meeting of
physiological needs.
• For babies to develop TRUST and
SECURITY (secure attachment) their needs
must be met consistently.
• Babies feel safety and love by having needs
met consistently and on demand.
– Needs such as: feeding, hygiene, temperature
control, affection.

9. Erikson’s Psychosocial
Stages Theory
• States that the “Conflict” that babies must
resolve in infancy is Trust Vs. Mistrust:
– In order to establish TRUST, babies learn that
their caregivers will reliably meet their needs
for feeding, comfort, emotional connection,
hygiene, tec.
– If TRUST is not established the baby will not
develop normally in the social or
psychological domains due to anxiety, fear,
and finally detachment from care givers.

10. Secure Attachment
• This is the result of an infant-caregiver relationship that
established TRUST.
– Infants know that their caregiver is reliable, and they do not have
anxiety related to their needs or safety.
– Infants are bonded to parents, and show affection and social
preference to them, seek comfort from parents.
– Infants are able to separate from parents with minimal distress.
• This pattern of psychological and social attachment prepares
babies for healthy relationships later in life.
• Babies who are not securely attached are mistrustful, anxious,
withdrawn (what we call ambivalent or avoidant). They often
become children and adults who are unable to build healthy
relationships.
– Secure attachment begins in infancy, but continues throughout
childhood.

11. What about esteem and self-
actualization?
• Babies are not yet self aware enough to
fear others opinions of them, or to develop
complex opinions or assessment of
themselves or others.
• Babies have no social sense of self, and
therefor do not have these concerns or
needs.

12. Cognitive Development
• Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development states that
children advance through stages of mental ability and
reasoning.
– Infants are in the Sensory-motor stage from birth to around 18-
24 months. During this stage:
• Early on, infants use only inborn reflexes (grasping objects, mouthing
objects, following objects with eyes)
• Next are circular reactions (repetitive actions to illicit an outcome) Ex:
Shaking a rattle to make noise.
• Following that, infants will begin to recognize cause-effect relationships
and have more intentional actions to explore the world.
• At the end of the first year, we have the “First Proper Intelligence” –
baby recognizes cause/effect in his own actions and in others, and will
begin goal oriented behavior (crawling to on object, opening a bucket to
get a toy, etc.) Babies have OBJECT PERMANENCE.

13. Social Development
• Infants become partially aware of a “social self” (not fully until
early childhood).
– They first identify that they are separate from others and the
others are individuals.
– They then learn to recognize themselves. (May refer to
themselves in language)
• As infants become more socially interactive and aware, they
develop language.
– Reflexes sounds such as crying and cooing are not symbolic.
– Eventually, baby begin imitation of language (babbling).
– Finally, around 1 to 2 years, infants identify that sounds can be
used to identify things and actions.
– In infancy, language is simple (one work may be used for many
purposes), but slowly becomes more sophisticated.
– Language development is a very SOCIAL process.

14. Health Concerns for Infants
• Appropriate Nutrition (Breast milk/formula
x 6 months, then solids)
• Safety – Especially vehicle and home
• Preventative Health Screenings:
– Many diagnostic tests are performed at birth
to check for problems.
– Frequent check ups in first year to track
growth and development
– Vaccinations on schedule to prevent disease.

15. SIDS
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (formerly known as crib
death) is a simply an unexplained death in a child under one.
– On autopsy examination, there is no sign of any other injury or
disease, so it is a “diagnosis by exclusion”.
– Most often occurs in babies 2 to 3 months of age while they are
sleeping. No “cause” is known, but some theories state that the
part of the babies brain which regulates breathing is
underdeveloped in these children.
– Higher risks are related to low birth weight, smoking, unsafe
sleep arrangements, etc.
– Preventative measures include reducing the amount of fabric in
the baby’s bed, using a firm mattress, sleeping in the same room
as baby, breastfeeding.
– SIDS is usually not found to be caused by any action by
caregivers.

16. Timeline of First Year (0-
6mo)
• 2 months – smiles (social smile) and
follows people/objects with eyes
• 3 months – grasp objects, lifts head and
chest up when lying on stomach
• 4 months – vocalizes, laughs, head control
• 6 months – rolls over

17. 6 months to 1 year
• 7 months – object permanence (looks for
hidden object), knows own name
• 9 months – may say first word (usually
Mama or Dada), crawls, or cruises and sits
without support
• 12 months – most babies walk with or
without support, will imitate sounds or
actions

18. What’s normal?
• The timeline is an average and every child is
different, and has their own clock.
• It is important for caregivers and health care
providers to track milestones so that is a
problem is suspected, early intervention can
be instituted.
• Ex: Lack of social smile, eye contact or early
language could indicate an Autism Spectrum
disorder. Early detection can mean the child
gets therapy to promote improved social
development.