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What is child development? What are developmental milestones? What are typical milestones, or skills, children learn at different ages? |
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Q) Is my baby supposed to have a bowel movement everyday? Q) How often should I feed my baby? Q) Infant development: What happens from birth to 3 months? Q) Breast-feeding vs. formula: What's right for your baby? Q) Baby's head shape: What's normal? Q) Breast-feeding: Is your baby getting enough milk? Q) Newborn care: Should I wake my baby for feedings? Q) How do I know if my child is growing okay? Q) How should I keep track of my childs growth? Q) How often should my child be weighed and measured? Q) Do boys and girls grow at different rates? Q) How long should I breast feed my baby? Q) When can we give our newborn baby water? Q) What is child development? Q) Child development and Child Growth: What's the difference? Q) What are developmental milestones? What is child development? Child development refers to how a child becomes able to do more complex things as they get older. Development is different than growth. Growth only refers to the child getting bigger in size. If you are concerned about your child's development, please see Developmental Delay on YourChild. When we talk about normal development, we are talking about developing skills like: Gross motor: using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, etc., keeping balance, and changing positions. Fine motor: using hands to be able to eat, draw, dress, play, write, and do many other things. Language: speaking, using body language and gestures, communicating, and understanding what others say. Cognitive: Thinking skills: including learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, and remembering. Social: Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends, and teachers, cooperating, and responding to the feelings of others. What are developmental milestones? Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Your pediatrician uses milestones to help check how your child is developing. Although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can very quite a bit. Every child is unique! Where can I find some good links with developmental milestones for my child's age group? Overall developmentâgross and fine motor, language, cognitive, and social skills The first two years: 1 month 3 months 7 months Milestones for the first year (broken down into 3, 6 and 12 months) 12 months Second year (broken down into 18 and 24 months) 2 years podcast Listen: YourChild podcast interview with UMHS pediatrician Dr. Layla Mohammed (July 2007) about early child development from birth to age two. Includes discussion about how to get help for your child if they have developmental delay. The preschool years: Third year 3 years Fourth year 4 years 5 years Child development, age six to age 12: Development in children ages 6 through 12, includes advice for how to help children reach their potentials. Adolescent Development: Physical, cognitive and psycho-social and what parents can do to help. Social and Emotional Development Zero to Three offers these milestones for how children develop and the role that parents play at different stages. The emphasis here is more on social and emotional development: Birth to 8 months 8-18 months 8 months to 3 years Speech and Language Development YourChild: Speech and Language Delays and Disorders includes a chart of language milestones. Speech and language milestones with links to interactive checklists and a good explanation of what it all means. Also in Spanish: Habla y idioma: Hitos del desarrollo. How does your child hear and talk? Lists hearing, understanding and talking milestones for birth to five years of age, and includes information on where to get help. Also in Spanish: ¿Qué tal habla y oye su niño? How does my child's doctor check my child's development? Assessing your childâs development is a team effort. Your family plays an important role. At your childâs well-child visit, your pediatrician will spend time watching your child and talking with you to find out about what your child is doing since your last visit. Tell your childâs doctor about any worries or concerns you may have. Your pediatrician may also use developmental screening in the office. Screening involves a series of questions and observations that gets at your childâs ability to perform certain age-appropriate tasks. Using developmental milestones as a guide can help pediatricians identify children who may be at risk for developmental delay. What if my child is not reaching their developmental milestones? If your childâs doctor finds anything that may be of concern, they can refer you to a specialist and/or work with your family to identify services that may help your child. If your child is delayed, you should start intervention as early as possible so your child can make the best possible progress. Please see Developmental Delay on YourChild for more on the importance of early intervention and how to get your child into the early intervention system. Where can I get more information and resources on child development? Zero to Three is a leading resource on the first three years of life. They offer great tips and information to parents on the development of babies and toddlers. Developmental milestones for children born prematurely, from birth to 18 months, with information on exceptions and concerns. This site also helps you figure out the corrected age of your premature baby. Head Start is a Federal community-based child development program for children aged three to five from low-income families (or children with disabilities). Early Head Start is for low-income pregnant women and families with children aged birth to three. Head Start online community for parents Find a Head Start Program near you Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Child Development homepage and Learn the Signs. Act Early. Infants: (0-18 months) Safety Checklist for Caregivers: Basic Safety Did this child have any serious injuries, either before or since coming into your care? Does your child have any chronic health conditions? Do you have all the necessary medication and supplies? Do you have a First Aid Kit in your home? Check For: TVs and other pieces of standing furniture secured so that they cannot be pulled over? Exposed wires or appliance cords in reach of children? Preventing Falls Are there child safety window guards on all windows above the first floor? Are safety gates installed at the top and bottom of all staircases? Sleep Time Safety When you put your child to sleep in his/her crib, do you put them on their stomach or their back? Do you put any soft bedding beneath the baby? Do you use pillows or heavy comforters in the crib? Does your child ever sleep in bed with you or with other children? Are there any window blinds or curtain cords near your babyâs crib or other furniture? Do you tie a pacifier around your childâs neck or to his/her clothing with a string or ribbon? Do you ever cover mattresses with plastic or a plastic bag? Crib Safety Does crib have any missing, loose, improperly installed or broken hardware? Are crib slats more than two and three-eighths inches apart? Are there any corner posts over the end panels of crib? Do the headboards or footboards have any cutout areas? Is paint cracked or peeling? Are there any splinters or rough edges? Are top rails of crib less than Ÿ of the childâs height? Bath Safety What do you do if the telephone or doorbell rings while you are giving your child a bath? Do you use bathtub seats with suction cups? Do you check the water temperature to make sure that the bath is not too hot or too cold? Child care safety Who takes care of your child when you are not home? How do you know this person? How old is this person? Is there a way for your child to reach you when you are away from home? Is there a list of phone numbers for your doctor, local hospital, police, fire department, poison control center and a friend or neighbor near the phone? Does this child go to daycare or pre-school? If so, how many hours per week? How does your child get there? Who is responsible for drop-off and pick-up? Safety in the Streets Who watches your child when they play out-of doors? Does your child know what to do if a stranger talks to him or her on the street? Well-Being & Permanency Questions for Caregivers: What is it like for you to care for this child? What has been the effect on your family of having this child placed here? What did you expect it to be like? Describe who this child is. What about the child is easiest and most pleasurable? What is the most difficult aspect of this child for you to deal with? What are the things about this child that will help him/her in the future? What will be harder for him/her? How has the child changed since coming to live here? How has the child adjusted to this placement? What are the goals for this child and his/her family and what do you think/feel about that? What makes that okay; not okay? What do you think of the family visits with the child? What are the services this child is receiving? What do you think/feel about those? What do you think that this child needs? What things does this child like to do? To whom do you go if things arenât going too well? What are the things you need to support your continued care of this child? Does this child show warmth and affection across a range of interactions and with different people? Who does this child seek comfort from when s/he is hurt, frightened, or ill? How is this child's sleeping pattern? How is this childâs feeding pattern? Have you seen any weight changes since this child has been with you? Does this child show preference for a particular adult? How easy is it to soothe this child when s/he is upset? What is an infant formula? Who in FDA regulates infant formula? The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for regulation of infant formula. The Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements (ONPLDS) has program responsibility for infant formula. The Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS) has program responsibility for food ingredients and packaging. ONPLDS evaluates whether the infant formula manufacturer has met the requirements under section 412 of the FFDCA. ONPLDS consults with OFAS regarding the safety of ingredients in infant formula and of packaging materials for infant formula. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the FFDCA, OFAS evaluates the safety of substances intended for use in or in contact with infant formula. Does ________ approve infant formulas before they can be marketed? Does ________ have nutrient specifications for infant formula? |