What motor and cognitive developmental milestones are reached by babies (newborn to 1 year of age)?
In pediatrics, you will learn how to provide care to children from different age groups because each stage of a child's development requires a different nursing approach. When talking about infant developmental milestones, we are concerned with the birth to age 1 year. There are specific categories you want to know for your exams. For the infant, let's remember the word "Babies." B stands for body changes. A is for achieving milestones. The second B is for baby safety. I is for interventions that you want to consider as a nurse. E is for the eating plan. S is for social stimulation.
Body Changes
A big thing to remember in these infants is when the fontanelles close. The area over the fontanelles feels squishy and soft. The anterior fontanelles close by 18 months; the posterior fontanelles close around 2 months of age. Also, you want to know about weight and length. AT 6 months, the baby's birth weight should have doubled. By 12 months, the baby's birth weight should have tripled. Let's say a baby was born at 8 pounds. By 6 months, the baby should weigh 16 pounds; at 12 months, the baby should weigh 24 pounds. The baby's length should grow at about 1/2--1 inch every month. Also, you will observe teeth. The lower central incisors should appear at around 10 months of age. They should lose those central incisors by age 6.
Achieving Milestones
Whenever you are assessing infants, you want to look at them and ask, "Are they doing what they are supposed to be doing at that age?" Let's say the baby is 2 months old. Are the babies moving their heads from side to side? Tracts faces with eyes, and makes verbal noise (coos). Smiles at the caretaker. Holds head up when on stomach. By age 4 months, the baby likes to start playing especially with the parent. They coo or babble, trying to copy noises. The baby holds his head up and reaches for toys. The baby remembers faces. A significant milestone here is when the baby learns to roll over. When the baby starts to roll over, the parent needs to be more aware of the baby. Now that they can flip over, they may potentially fall. This is when you also want to stop swaddling the baby by wrapping them up in blankets.
Answer
Babies 6 months of age should be able to sit up with support. Stranger anxiety begins. They may not even go to a stranger. Babbling with early vowel sounds. They begin to recognize and respond to their name. The infant has fun looking at self in the mirror.
Babies 8-9 months can sit up without support. They start to crawl. And they stand up by pulling and holding onto objects. Pincer grasp begins; they learn to pick up things by opposing their pointer finger to their thumb. They start to move objects from hand to hand. And they start to have object permanence, when something disappears the object still exists.
Babies 10-12 months should start walking. They should be able to follow very simple commands. They can put objects in a container or bang them together. They should be able to say simple words like "mama or dada." Separation anxiety happens. This is when the mom or dad is removed from the site, and the baby cries until the parent returns.
Baby Safety
SIDS stands for sudden infant death syndrome. This is when an infant dies in their sleep for no apparent reason. Position the infant on their back to sleep. Avoid tobacco smoke. Remove extra items from the crib. Don't sleep in the same bed with the infant.
Shaken baby syndrome occurs when someone shakes a baby. The brain inside of a baby's head is very, very fragile. Shaking a baby can cause traumatic brain injury or even death.
Choking from birth to 1 year olds are at risk of choking. Choking on breast milk. Mucus may get built up on the inside of the respiratory system; you want to bulb suction. Take CPR classes and prepare for solid foods. You want to start giving them food around 6 months.
Car seat safety, you want to put them in the back seat with the seat facing the rear end of the car.
Burns become a big issue when the infant starts to become more mobile. Make sure they are not close to a stove. Watch the temperature of the water heater. A baby may go to a sink, turn the water on, and scald themself.
Rolling over around the 4th month. The baby starts to become more mobile, and can easily roll off a bed or sofa.
Interventions
Erickson's trust versus mistrust stage. The infant is building trust with their caretaker. Will you respond to crying? Respond to crying by rocking and swaddling them.
Eating Plan
Breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life. Then the infant may need some vitamin D (400 IU). If the infant cannot breastfeed, then the next best thing is formula with iron. Avoid cow's milk and honey for the first year of life.
Social Stimulation
From birth through 4 months, infants are not about playing with others. They are more into independent play. They love to observe faces, especially high contrast items. They love to be sung to and talked to. Then, after 4 months, they become more interactive. They want to hold toys; shake rattles; put blocks in a bucket; push toys; hide objects playing peek-a-boo.