Group 2

Prepared by: Bianca J. Rose

Chriselle Pedigan
Norlyn Ganap
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Development
What is Infancy and
Toddlerhood Development?
 What is Infancy?
• It is the first part of a child’s life; the
time in your life when you are baby
• A beginning; an early stage of
development
Infant’s Stage
• Marks the physical growth during the first two
years.
• It is also considered as one of the most
remarkable and busiest times of
Development.
• Rapid changes in the infant's body and brain
support learning, motor skills, and perpetual
capacities.
• Infants are often eager early on to move
their mouths, eyes and bodies toward
people and objects that comfort or
interest them.
• They continue to practice skills that let
them move closer to desired objects.
Infants require the following;
• responsive care from loving adults
• proper nutrition; and
• appropriately stimulating environments to support
the best possible physical development.
Infant and toddler physical development
occurs quickly, and it is essential to understand
physical development during various stages.
 Physical development is one
domain of infant and toddler
development. Relates the
following; changes, growth, and
skill development of the body,
including development of muscles
Physical Development From the Start

When healthy babies are born, some

of their internal systems, such as those
developed for breathing and
processing food, are developed and
functional.
• Infants develop physically from the top
down, starting with their heads and
necks.

• At birth, an infant has a very difficult

time holding up their head because the
neck muscles are not strong enough to
provide support.
• As infants and toddlers grow, their
determination to master movement, balance, and
fine- and gross-motor skills remains strong.

• Rolling and crawling occur as infants develop

skills in using large-muscle groups. Grasping
and picking up objects with fingers are signs
of small-muscle skill growth.
 Body Growth

Physical growth occurs rapidly during the first 2

years of life. The transition from infancy to
toddlerhood - the period that spans the second year
of life-is marked by the infant's switch from crawling
to walking.
Changes in Body Size

1. During the first 2 years, the body grows more rapidly than at any
time after birth.
2. By the end of the first year the infant's length is 50 percent
greater than it was at birth, and by 2 years of age it is 75 percent
greater.
3. Birth weight has doubled by 5 months of age, tripled by I year,
and quadrupled at 2 years.
4. Research indicates that these height and weight gains occur in
little growth spurts.
5. In infancy, girls are slightly shorter and lighter than boys.
Changes in Body Proportions

1. The cephalocaudal trend is an organized pattern of

physical growth and motor control that proceeds from
head to tail; growth of the head and chest occurs before
that of the trunk and legs.
2. The proximodistal trend is a pattern of physical growth
and motor control that proceeds from the center of the
body outward; growth of the arms and legs occurs
before that of the hands
Skeletal Growth

Children of the same age differ in rate of physical growth;

some make faster progress toward a mature body size than
others. But current body size is not enough to tell us how
quickly a child's physical growth is moving along.
General Skeletal Growth
Body growth is controlled by a complex set of hormonal
secretions released by the pituitary gland and regulated by the
hypothalamus. Individual and cultural differences in body size
and rate of maturation are influenced by both heredity and
environment. Physical growth is an asynchronous process
because different body systems have their own unique,
carefully timed patterns of maturation. The embryonic skeleton
is first formed out of soft, pliable tissue called cartilage.
Growth of the Skull:

When a baby is born, its skull is not the solid single piece of bone it will
become later in life. To allow the baby to pass through the birth canal, as well
as to allow for additional brain growth, the skull is initially separated into
several different parts. While these separations are necessary in early life, they
make an infant's head particularly fragile. Because of the large increases in
brain size, skull growth during the first 2 years is very rapid. An infant's skull is
made up of six bones. During the first few years of life, these bones are not
fused but held together by a type of stretchy tissue called cranial sutures. There
are two spaces in the skull that are not covered by bone but only by the cranial
sutures. These spaces are called fontanels, or soft spots.
 Months Capabilities
Year/ Stage
• Holds head up with support.

Two Months • Begins to push up when lying

on tummy.

• Makes smoother movements

with arms and legs.
Months/Yea Physical Development
r/Stage
• Holds head steady without support.

Four • Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface.

Months
• Rolls over from tummy to back.

• Holds and shakes toys, swings at dangling toys.

• Brings hands to mouth.

 Months/ Capabilities
Year/Stage
• Rolls over both from stomach to back and from back
to stomach.

• Begins to sit with support.

Six Months • Supports weight on legs when standing and might

bounce

• Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawls backward

before moving forward.
Months/Year/ Capabilities
Stage
• Crawls.
• Sits without support.
• Moves into sitting position with
Nine support.
Months
• Stands, holding on to adult or furniture
for support.

• Pull to stand.
Years/Stage Capabilities
• Moves into sitting position without
support

1 Year • Pulls up to stand and walks alone

while holding onto furniture
• Takes few steps without support of
adult or furniture
• Stands alone
Years/Stage Capabilities
• Walks alone

• Runs
• Pulls toys while walking
18 months
• Helps undress self

• Drinks from a cup

• Eats with a spoon

Year/Stage Capabilities
• Begins to run

• Climbs onto and down from furniture without support

• Walks up and down steps while holding on for support

2 year old • Throws ball overhand

• Draws or copies straight lines and circles

• Stands on tiptoes

• Kicks a ball
Conditions for an infant or toddler to grow and develop. A
young child’s basic needs, or physical needs, include:

• Food (nutritious and age-appropriate)

• Shelter (protection from harm)
• Warmth
• Clean air and environment
• Health and dental care
• Activity and rest
 The values and beliefs held by our family and
culture contribute to our knowledge of growth and
development.
Culture shapes so many parts of an infant’s and
toddler’s development, you must understand the
practices, beliefs, and values of the families you
support. Without this understanding, it is difficult to
interpret the infant’s or toddler’s behaviors and
development.
 Other influences on infant and toddler physical
growth and development are:
• Prenatal care and development, including genetic inheritance, family patterns,
exposure to drugs and alcohol, birth experience.
• Prematurity (birth before the 38th week of development) and low birth
weight, which may bring respiration difficulties, vision problems, and feeding
and digestive problems.
• Temperament, or the ways an infant or toddler approaches his or her world
• Family’s composition, lifestyle, level of education, and housing.
• Maturation, or the sequence of biological elements that reflect a pattern of
growth and development.
• Developmental delays or special needs, including health concerns.
The Brain’s Role in Physical Development

At birth, the brain is 25 percent of its adult size,

and by age 5, it reaches 90 percent of adult size.
Early-life interactions and experiences of infants
and toddlers help them make sense of the world
and form connections between different parts of
the brain.
 It is important for infants and toddlers to have time for these
new experiences and to explore the world around them with you, a
trusted and caring adult caregiver. The repeated experience of safely
exploring together helps infants and toddlers learn they can trust
you, while also ensuring that their brains focus on learning,
developing, and making connections. If infants and toddlers do not
have nurturing and responsive adults to help keep them safe, their
brains will instinctually focus on survival and they will have less
opportunity to create and strengthen connections for further skill
development, including physical growth.
THANK YOU