Infant Development Tips
Read these 3 Infant Development Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Child Education tips and hundreds of other topics.
Gross Motor Development
Infants, when first born, are not too focused on Gross Motor (large muscle) development. It will be a couple of months before baby starts to roll over, and then roll back.
As her eyes begin to focus on objects, she will then start to reach for these objects. In the process of reaching, she will begin to pull herself forward. This "crawling" stage may not be a full crawl on hands and knees, but may be on her elbows in "military crawl" style. Encourage this crawling and reaching by setting toys and other desired (yet safe) items just out of baby's reach so that she will need to stretch and pull herself in order to get it.
After movement is established, next will come pushing up to a sitting position, and then, unltimately standing. All of these stages are building the large muscles of the body: arms, legs, and back. These muscles will be needed more when learning how to balance for walking, running, and other coordination activities.
Building Trust
An infant's greatest needs are:
*safe, trusting relationships (with parents and caregivers)
*an environment with variety of experiences for all the senses (toys with bright colors, various sounds and textures, and even smells)
*a safe "world" to explore freely (free from chokable and dangerous objects)
*and communication (from parents or caregivers via holding, reading, talking, and playing)
Fine Motor Development
Infants have very limited fine motor skills. At first, they are not even aware that their appendages (arms and legs) are a part of their bodies. Soon, however, babies will start to grab at items within reach.
Encourage this grasping skill by offering small, soft, toys that are easy for small inexperienced hands to grasp. Items with different textures, colors, and sounds will make the experience even more exciting and stimulating for baby.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Lynne Christen |
