To better understand the evolution of your child over time, it is important to know the basic milestones (development milestones to be exact) that infants hit or are expected to hit as they grow older. There are a number of such development milestones that can help not only monitor progress but also determine whether there are any underlying issues or concerns that you should take more seriously.
Types of Growth and Development
The first thing to remember when understanding child development is that it is not just physical but also emotional. You can find such information in many child development essays at PapersOwl that talk about what healthy development milestones look like in young children. Children develop their behaviors, personality, speech, thinking, and emotions as they grow. And these are various aspects on which the development milestones are based. These can be categorized into four general types:
- Motor Skills
- Speech and Language
- Grooming Skills
- Dressing Skills
Understanding Child Development
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Young children do not grow in the same exact way as any parent of more than one child can understand. There are plenty of factors that lead to any child’s development which include their environment, health issues, nutrition, genetics, gender, and much more. Therefore, there isn’t a mold that a child can fit when it comes to how they develop before or after birth.
However, there are certain things that can be expected at various points in their life when hitting development milestones. These are a great way in ensuring that your young ones are growing how they should and that there are no problems they might be suffering from.
Healthy Development Steps From Birth to 3 Years
From Birth to 1 Month
As soon as a baby is born, they start responding to everything around them. They notice loud sounds and find calm in their parents’ embrace. There are steps that a parent can take to welcome their baby into the world but mostly, such young children will spend around 16 hours of the day sleeping. Many of their reflexes at this point are also involuntary.
From 1 Month to 3 Months
The common reflexes that a baby is born with are slowly starting to disappear or become less obvious in the first few months. These include their fingers curling around yours or their hands being closed into fists. Some development milestones changes that take place include their neck muscles becoming stronger, their head starting to move from side to side, looking at their hands, bringing them to their mouths, having active head movements, and following objects and lights. They also start imitating sounds and crying in different ways for different needs.
From 4 to 6 Months
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A child in this group usually starts to interact with the world around them and it gets pretty exciting once they hit this development milestone. They can pass objects from one hand to another, use the strength of their arms to prop themselves up to get a better view, keep their head balanced, support their weight with their legs when held up, start to drool, get regular sleep, and get full-color vision.
From 7 to 9 Months
When it comes to cognitive development milestones in this period, a child starts to learn that their family exists even when they’re not around. This leads them to miss their loved ones. Other changes that happen include rolling over easily, sitting unsupported, crawling or scooting, banging items on the table, grasping objects, putting everything into their mouth, and drinking from a cup. Some young children also start to enjoy games like peek-a-boo at this point.
From 10 to 12 Months
Whether it is social interaction or mental health, a child undergoes a lot of physical and emotional development milestones when they reach this age. Babies can often stand in this period, sit back down, walk around using furniture for support, play with things like balls, eat finger foods, and even walk sometimes. They also start saying words like ma-ma and associate people with them as well as making simple gestures like nodding or shaking their heads.
After 1 Year
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The rate of development milestones slows down at this point. A child at this point enjoys routines more. They also start walking around this point. This is the start of the years of life in which a child really starts to develop some independence. They can climb stairs, build toy towers, throw a ball, scribble with crayons, help with getting dressed, feed on their own with a spoon, and develop their first molars. This is also the start of speech for many toddlers and so it’s a good point for a parent to start instilling some manners into their child as they can include more than 100 words in their language by the point they reach 2 years of age.
After 2 Years
Daily activities like getting dressed become more comfortable for a child when they hit these development milestones. They start speaking much more and their vocabulary keeps increasing. Apart from that, at this point, a child can usually walk well and also run, throw and catch a ball, jump, climb on structures, ride a tricycle, see a lack of appetite, drink from a straw, develop bowel and bladder control, and start getting all 20 teeth between 24 and 36 months.
After 3 Years
The mental health and imagination of a child have become developed quite a bit by this point. They start playing games of make-believe and they can often scare themselves with their own imagination. Their language keeps getting better and simple household activities have become second nature to them. They also become more social, can concentrate on tasks more, feed themselves, dress and undress, draw straight lines easily, stack blocks, ride a tricycle, and develop all primary teeth. They also start referring to themselves with their own names and speaking coherent sentences.
These are some of the main development milestones you can expect to see in a child from 0 to 3 years. However, perhaps the most important part of understanding these child development milestones is that each baby grows differently. Some start walking after a year while others take longer. Some start talking very quickly while others may be more physically active. These major stages should only be used for your own educational purposes and to monitor how your baby is growing. Knowing all of this can help you identify if your baby is not developing in one or more areas for extended periods of time so you can get professional advice.
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