This document summarizes infant growth and development from birth to one year. It covers physical growth including weight, height and head circumference doubling or tripling in the first year. It also covers developmental milestones in visual development, motor skills progression from rolling to sitting to walking, social-emotional development including attachment and stranger anxiety, language development from crying to first words, and cognitive development in grasping and object permanence.

1. PREPARED BY:
SOJIYA JOSE,
CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR,
MCH. ALHASA, KSA

2.  During the first year
growth is very rapid
especially the initial 6
months
Weight;
 Doubles by 5 months
 Triples by 1 year
Height; increased 2.5cm
per month during 6
months, 6months-65c, 12
months-74cm
Head circumference;
 At 6 to 12 months CH-
HC
 At birth-35cm
 3 months-40cm, 6
months-43cm, 1 year-
45cm
 Anterior fontanelle close
by 1 and half month

3. Chest circumference;
 Approximately equal to
head circumference
vision ;
 Fixation of 2 ocular
images into an cerebral
picture begins to develop
by 6 wks
 Development of
perception begins to
develop by age 7 months
 Visual preference; 6
months response to
facial expression and can
distinguish between
familiar and strange face

4.  Become stable
 Mucus production in the
respiratory tract is
reduced.
 Systolic pressure
increases and diastolic
pressure decreases.
 Heart rate slows and
rhythm is frequent.
Circulatory system

5. Hematology;
 Fetal Hb is present
for the first 5 month
and then adult Hb is
steadily increasing
 Maternal iron stores
are present for the
first 5 to 6 months
and gradually
diminishes

6. GI system;
 The digestive process are
immature at birth
 Saliva is secreted in small
amounts and functioning
only after 3 months
 Pancreatic enzymes are
insufficient at birth
 Stomach enlarge to
accommodate to food and
infants have 3 meals per day
and 2 bowels daily
 Liver is immature
throughout the infancy
 Maturation of swallowing
and sucking and eruption of
teeth are parallel

7. Immunologic system;
 Newborn secures
significant IgG from
mother with confirms
immunity for 3 months
and then child synthesis
immunoglobin and reach
adult level by 9 months
of age.
Renal system;
 Renal system is
immature
 Child void frequently
and has low specific
gravity
Endocrine system;
 Adequately developed at
birth but function slowly

9. A reflex is a muscle reaction that happens automatically in
response to a certain type of stimulation. Certain sensations
or movements produce specific muscle responses. The
presence and strength of a reflex is an important sign of
nervous system development and function.
Many infant reflexes disappear as the child grows older,
although some remain throughout adulthood.

10. Rooting reflex; touch or stroke near the corner of
mouth. The child turns to that direction and
search for nipple and this disappears by 6 weeks of
life
Sucking reflex; touch the roof of mouth with
object or nipple or breast, then child begins to
suck it. It begins to end by 6 months of age.
Swallowing reflex; it accompanies by sucking. The
food reaches the posterior mouth is swallowed. It
will not disappear.
Gagging reflex; when food is taken into the mouth
it can successfully swallowed. If passes into the
thorat, then immediate return into the mouth. It
does not disappear

11. Sneezing and coughing reflex; when anything enters
the upper or lower airways, clearing the upper airway
passage by sneezing and lower passage by sneezing.
This also doesn't disappear
Extrusion reflex; if any substance placed on the
anterior portion of the tongue, then extrusion of the
tongue to prevent swallowing. It disappear by 4
month.
Blinking reflex; blinking the eyes when they are
touched or when a sudden bright light appears, it
protect the eyes from any harm. This will not
disappear.
Doll’s eye reflex; turn the newborn the head to any
side, normally the eyes does not move. It disappear
when fixation develops.
.

12. Grasping reflex;
A) palmar grasping
reflex- when any object
placed in infants hand
grasping the object by
holding around it. It is
seen 6 weeks to 3
months
B) plantar grasping reflex-
a reflex characterized by
the flexion of the toes
when the sole of the
foot is stroked gently. It
is present in babies at
birth but should
disappear after 6 weeks

13. Moro reflex; a loud
voice or sudden loss
of support change in
equilibrium, then
both hand may fist
and symmetric
abduction and
extension of the
arms legs with
fanning of the
fingers. It normally
disappear by 3 to 4
months age.

14. Babinski reflex; when
stroking the lateral aspects
of the sole of the foot with a
sharp instrument, then
fanning of the toes occur. It
disappear 3 months after
birth.
Tonic neck reflex ; turning
the head quickly when the
infant is in supine position.
The arm on the side where
the head is facing reaches
straight away from the body
with the hand partly open.
The arm on the side away
from the face is flexed and
the fist is clenched tightly. It
presents18-20 weeks

15. Walking or stepping
reflex; When the soles
of their feet touch a flat
surface they will attempt
to 'walk' by placing one
foot in front of the other.
This reflex disappears at
six weeks

17.  1 month- hand are predominantly closed
 3 months- mostly open
 4 month- regard a small pellet, looks from the object
to hands and back again
 5 month- voluntarily grasp object
 6 months- increased manipulating skill
 7 months- transfer one object from one hand to other,
use one hand for grasping
 8 to 9 months- infant uses a pincer grasp (the thumb-
and-forefinger motion that’s involved for manipulating
small items)
 11 months- pincer grasp progressed
 12 months- try to build a tower of 2 blocks but fail

19. Developmental maturation in posture, head
balance, sitting, creeping standing and
walking
Head control
 3 months- hold the head well beyond the
plane of the body
 4 months- lift the head and front position of
the chest about 90⁰ above
 5 month- head control is well established
Rolling over
 5 month- ability to turn from abdomen to the
back
 6 month- ability To turn from the back to
the abdomen

20. Sitting
 6 month- Sit with support
 7 month- sit without
support
Locomotion
 Crawls- 8 to 9 month
 Creeping- 10 to 11 month
 Stands holding furniture- 9
months
 Stands without support- 10
to 11 months
 Walk holding furniture- 12
month

21.  Teething is a physiologic process, the crown of the
tooth breaks from the periodontal membrane, some
childrens shows discomfort like- drooling, finger
sucking , biting hard objects, sleep disturbance, refuse
to eat, low grade fever and diarrhea
 First eruption of teeth in 6 to 7 months (lower central
incisors)

22.  Developing sense of trust (Eriksons phase I)
 Developing trust depends on parent child relationship
and the care . If not, leads to mistrust usually it
develops due to little to too much frustration in first
year of life. The trust that develop is a trust of self or
others

23.  Infants social development is initially influenced by their
reflex behavior such as grasp and eventually depend
primarily on the interaction between them and caregiver
 Attachment; the attachment of parent and child probably
begins at birth and assumes more importance during first
year crying, smiling, vocalization, visual motor orientation
etc affect the attachment.
 2 components are important to develop attachment i.e..
Discriminate mother from others and ability of object
permanence (Object permanence is the understanding that
objects continue to exist even when they cannot be
observed )

24.  Separation anxiety; separation of the infant from the
mother leads to sense of physical and mental growth
retardation particularly of emotional deprivation
occurred during the first 3 year of life. It seems from
the 4 to 6 months of age and object permance of
develops this same time. Infant protest when placed in
the crib and object when mother leaves the room.
subsequently infant may not notice mothers absence
and involve in the activity. By 11 to 12 moths they are
able understand mother is going to leave and before
she leaves start to protest

25. Starnger fear; infant exhibit less friendliness to other
during 6 to 8 months. Fear of stranger and stranger
anxiety become prominent due to infants ability to
discriminate between familiar and no familiar people .
They shows behavior like crying, tuning, clinging to
the parent away from the stranger

26.  Crying is the first means of verbal communication.
Crying in the first few months no reasons could be due
to maturation of CNS
 Produce cooing sound in 2 to 3 months
 Produce coos, gurgle sound as responds and imitate
sound in 5 to 6 months
 Produce bubbles and say ‘aam’, ‘da, la’ and 8 to 9
months speak da da and ma ma
 Speak meaningful words by 10 12 months

27.  Infant engage in solitary play
 O-5 months ; playing with their hand, reaching to the
object, turning vocalizing
 5 to 8 months; motor activities- playing with feet,
bouncing, grasping
 8-102months; creeping, sitting reach to obtain toys