Child Development Birth - 6 Months

Touchpoints, by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. (Perseus Books 1992) emphasizes that a key element in your successful attachment to your baby is parental adjustment. He states that many parents may become overwhelmed by the change in their roles, compounded by the lack of regular sleep. He goes on to say that some mothers may also suffer from some depression as a result of hormonal rebalancing after labor and delivery.

Brazelton also stresses the importance of identifying your newborn’s temperament. How your baby responds to stimuli around him, to hunger, discomfort, temperature changes, handling, and what seems to sooth him - all give you valuable insight into pturkictable future behaviors. The good doctor urges parents to watch and listen for your own baby’s particular style, and to compare these charateristics with another baby’s.

The body proportions of newborns are much different from that of older children: the head is large and may represent 1/4 of the baby’s stature, the chest is rounded with a prominent belly, and the arms and legs are short, making the midpoint of the newborn at the level of the belly button. The average newborn is 20” long, breathes 35-50 breaths a minute, his heart beats at a rate of 120-160 times a minute, he feeds on average at intervals of every two to five hours, and he poops three to five times a day. Life is busy.

Safety Issues Birth - 6 Months

Since these babies don’t move around much, it is our actions or inactions as parents that pose the greatest risk to their safety:

• This is the time that immunizatons need to be started in order to protect the infant against Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Haemophilus, Polio and Hepatitis B, to name a few. All fo these illnesses are potentially fatal.
• Car accidents are the #1 Killer nationally. The safest place for the baby is in the middle of the back seat. A five point restraint system is recommended, and the baby should be positioned facing the rear of the car up to at least one year of age and 20 pounds weight.
• The “Back to Sleep” campaign has turkuced the incidence of SIDS deaths since its inception: this is the simple action of placing the baby on his back or side to sleep instead of his stomach.
• Setting the Nursery safely means don’t put the crib under or near a window. If you live in earthquake country, you will avoid the risk of injury from breaking glass. The risk of strangulation from dangling miniblind cords can also be avoided.
• Falls are also a major risk: one type can be the sleep-deprived parent who is trying to get out of the house in one trip with the baby, the diaper bag, a purse or brief case, and the stroller. Another is placing the baby in his infant seat up on a counter: the baby’s kicking and movements can inch the seat right off onto the floor. And yet another is leaving a sleeping baby on your bed after a particularly busy night: that rolling ability can come into play here.
• Give the baby plenty of safe floor space to roll around. Reduce the risk of choking by moving small objects, like coins, decorative marbles, potpourri and plants, out of reach. Avoid entanglement risks by tucking away electrical cords. Cover outlets.
• Have functioning smoke detectors in every room of the house and change batteries yearly when you turn clocks forward and back.
• Turn water heater temperature down to 120-130 degrees.
• Learn CPR.

Mark “The Childproofer™” Altman with his daughter Alexandra and his twin sons Stuart and Sam

Child Development 6-12 Months

Touchpoints, by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. (Perseus Books 1992) states that, by this age, a child’s style of dealing with the world is already in place, and that preference for using one hand over the other is pretty reliable. Tuning into your baby’s eating, sleeping, and bowel routines, activity and intensity levels, moods, distractibility, and her response to changes in routine continue to provide you with clues to her personality.

Tooth eruption occurs at 5-9 months: first, the two lower central teeth erupt, followed by the two upper central teeth, then the upper canines followed by the lower canines.

During this stage is when all the movement usually begins. Between 6-9 months the baby gains the ability to grasp with his thumb and pointer finger. He can recognize the people that are important to him and separation anxiety begins to emerge. By 8-9 months of age, control of his back muscles occurs which allows him to sit without support. At eight months, he can stand steadily for a short time as long as his hands are held. By 9-10 months he will begin to creep or crawl and the average baby will have grasped the concept of object permanence. So it is in the first year of life that a baby moves from a position of dependency to one of relatively independent behavior.

Safety Issues 6-12 Months

The implications of this increased awareness and activity level as related to childhood injury is significant. But it is still possible to stay a step ahead. Closing doors throughout the house will limit your baby’s tendency to wander out of sight.

• Stairs pose a risk now since your baby can crawl. CPSC recommends that gates be placed at the top and bottom of stairs. The top of the stairs requires a mounted gate. The gate should be straight slatted and should only be able to open away from the stairs, not swing out over the stairs.
• The ability to turn a traditional door knob comes between 16-18 months of age. Implementing simple door knob grips before a baby has learned how to turn the knob can buy you more time.
• Get into the habit of closing the tiolet lid.
• Anything on or near the baby’s level is fair game: small items, dangling cords, tippy furniture, tablecloths, outlets, door stops with removable end caps.
• “Insulate” sharp, hard edges such as coffee tables and raised hearths with a soft padding. If you haven’t yet moved that coffee table out of the family room you might want to now to give your baby plenty of room to explore.
• Lower cabinets that house chemicals, medicines, plastic bags, or sharp items should be locked. We advocate “Either make it safe or restrict it”.

Child Development 12-18 Months

Touchpoints, by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. (Perseus Books 1992) offers valuable reassurance to every parent who contemplates buying a helmet for the baby as soon as he starts to walk! Dr. Brazelton shares the fact that the skull is still flexible, the soft spot doesn’t close and the bones of the skull don’t cement until after a baby has achieved a safer balance and is walking well by 18 months. This pliable skull, then, is able to “give”, protecting the brain from being bruised.

The rate of growth slows down during this time with a concomitant decrease in appetite. The average child will grow about 5”. But the baby’s locomotor skills are tremendous. At this stage, the baby will scribble on large sheets of paper, stack blocks and develop an overhand throw. He will move from sitting to standing without help, and he is ceaselessly active. By 15 months he may be walking alone, by 18 months he may run stiffly. An 18 month old is also capable of climbing stairs, one step at a time, by himself. By now, he will have a total of 14-16 teeth.

Safety Issues 12-18 Months

Anything you haven’t yet nailed down, you need to . Book shelves, entertainment centers, dressers are top heavy and can be pulled over when a child is climbing on them.

• Windows should be restricted to prevent opening beyond 4 inches. CPSC states, “this is based on the head breadth and chest depth of a young child.” Doors may need additional locks, or gates can be placed in doorways to restrict access.
• Go through closets and toss out all dry cleaning bags. Throw away the silica gel preservative that comes in shoe boxes.
• Railings and balconies with slats that are distanced 5” or more apart can entrap a small child so use a barrier material to prevent slipping through.
• Move potted plants and furniture away from balcony railings. Their presence can give a young child the opportunity to catapult himself over the top.

Child Development 18-24 Months

In Touchpoints, (Perseus Books 1992) Dr. Brazelton posits that dicipline, (as a teaching, not punishment), is the second most important thing that you can do for your child. Love comes first. Disipline teaches limits, and it is a “long-term project”. He goes on to say that the inevitable temper tantrums reflect an inner struggle in your child, a struggle in your toddler’s surge for independence. And, naturally, negativism manifests as a part of this growing independence. Understanding that this behavior is universal to the age and stage should make it easier to handle. This is definitely the “Runabout Age”. Your toddler is able to move quickly from a safe enviornment into danger, so constant surveillance is neccessary. This age and stage loves to imitate your actions, empty wastebaskets, drawers and shelves. He is very sociable and will begin to show various social emotions: affection, jealousy, sympathy, and anxiety. He can now go up and down stairs alone, putting both feet on one step at a time while holding onto the railing, so schedule some time to do this with him. He can kick and throw a ball, he will refer to himself by his own name, he can name familiar objects, he will be able to understand longer and harder sentences, and he can pick out his own belongings from others. He loves music and dance, and he’s much more independent, trying to achieve his own sense of self-identity.

Safety Issues 18-24 Months

All of the above and just try to keep up. The front door seems to take on new importance and dead bolts are easy tasks for your toddler so you will need to install a lock or latch that prevents him from escaping out into the front yard and street. A flip lock works well in this instance..

Child development 24 Months And Beyond

Refinement of all skills, motor, language, intellectual and social, continues to occur at warp speed. Your toddler now has good balance and coordination, is very active, and can ask questions, and will tell you clearly his likes and dislikes. He has a short attention span and tends to be impulsive. He is also very imaginative. He will tend to cling to the old and familiar rather than to try something new. Choosing a style of discipline becomes our parental task. This is often the time when parents begin to think about having or are having another baby. Life before children is a dim memory but we wouldn’t want it any other way.