UNIT II

Infancy and
Toddlerhood
Module 12 Physical Development of
Infants and Toddlers
Lester R. Saldua
BSED SS II
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
▪ Newborn babies to drop 5 to 10
percent of their body weight
▪ Breastfed babies are typically
heavier than bottle fed babies
▪ An infant’s length increases by about
30 percent in the first five months
▪ A baby’s weight triples during the
first year but slows down in the
second year of life
 BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT
▪ Spreading connections of
dendrites, axon and
synapses
 Myelination/
Myelinization
-process by which axons are
covered and insulated by
layers of fat cells
-increases the speed at
which information travels
through the nervous system
 MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
• Refers to the development of
a child’s bones, muscles and
ability to move around
• Infants and toddlers begin
from reflexes, to gross
motor skills and fine motor
skills
 REFLEXES

-the natural ability to

react quickly
- An action performed as a
response to a stimulus
and without a conscious
thought
Sucking Reflex

• Initiated when
something
touches the
roof of an
infant’s mouth
 Rooting Reflex
• A reflex that is
seen in newborn
babies, who
automatically face
toward the
stimulus and make
sucking motions
• Is most evident
when’s cheek is
stroked
Gripping Reflex

• Babies will
grasp anything
that is placed
in their palm
 Curling Reflex

• When the inner sole of a

baby’s foot is stroked,
the infant respond by
curling his or her toes
• When the outer sole of a
baby’s foot is stroked,
the infant will respond
by spreading out their
toes
Startle/ Moro Reflex

• Infants will respond to

sudden sounds or
movements by throwing
their arms and legs out
Galant Reflex

• When an infant’s middle or

lower back is stroked next
to the spinal cord the baby
will respond curving his or
body toward the side which
is being stroked
 Tonic Neck Reflex

• Is demonstrated in
infants who are placed
on their abdomens
Gross Motor skills

• Is shown in babies unable to lift

to even lift their heads to being
able to grab things off the cabinet,
to chase the ball and to walk
away from parent
• are abilities that involve the large
muscles of arms, legs and torso
Fine Motor skills

• Use of small muscles controlling

the hand, fingers, and thumb.
The development of these skills
allows one to be complete tasks
such as writing, drawing and
buttoning.
Can newborns see?
• Is about 10 to 30 time lower
than adult vision
• By 6 months of age, vision
becomes better
• By the first birthday, the
infant’s vision approximates
that of an adult
Can newborns hear?
• Sense of hearing develops much
before the birth of the baby
 Can newborns
differentiate odors?
• Infants who
were breastfed
for smelling
their mother’s
breast pad when
they were 6 days
old
 Can newborns feel
pain?
• Newborn males showed a
higher cortisol after
circumcision than prior to
the surgery
(Taddio, et al, 1997 cited by Santrock,
2002 found out that )
Can newborn
distinguish the
different taste?
• Babies only two hour old,
babies made different
facial expressions when
they tasted sweet, sour,
and bitter solutions
(Rosentein and Oster,
1988, cited by Santrock,
2002)
Do infants relate
information
through several
senses?
• As early as 3 ½ months
old, infants looked more
at their mother when
they also heard her voice
and longer at their
father when they also
heard his voice
Cephalocaudal Trend
▪ Postnatal growth from
conception to 5 months
when the head grows
more than the body
▪ Infants learn to use
their upper limbs before
their lower limbs
Proximodistal Trend
▪ Pre-natal growth from 5
months to birth when the
fetus grows from the inside
of the body outwards
▪ Refers to the development of
motor skills from the center
of the body outward
THANK
YOU
 STREAM!
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 A Summary of
What Infants and
Toddlers Can Do
Physically
 Physical Health
• Standards 1: The child demonstrates adequate
growth (weight, height, head, circumference)
• Standards 2: The child has adequate sensory
systems to participate in daily activities
• Standard 3: The child has adequate stamina to
participate in daily activities
 0- 6 Months
Startles to loud sounds Withdraws or cries when in
contact with something hot

Visually follows a moving Withdraws or reacts with

object from side to side surprise when in contact with
something cold

Visually follows a moving Reacts with pleasure/smile or

object up and down relaxed expression when
he/she tastes something
delicious

Reacts to pain by crying Reacts by making a face/

frowns/ grimaces when he/she
tastes something he/she does
not like
 7-12 Months

Reacts with pleasure when/she smells something

nice

Reacts by making a face when he/she smells

something foul
 13-18 Months
• Plays without tiring easily, able to
keep pace with playmates
• Participate actively in games, outdoor
play and other exercises
 19-24 Months
Sustains physical activity (e.g., dancing,
outdoor games, swimming) for at least
3-5 minutes
 Motor Skills Development
(Gross Motor Skill)

• Standard 1: The child shows control

and coordination of body movements
involving large muscle groups
 0- 6 Months

• Holds head steadily

• Moves arms and legs equally to
reach at dangling object
• Rolls over
• Bounces when held standing,
briefly bearing weight on legs
• Sits with support
• Starting to crawl but not yet
very good at this
 7-12 Months

• Sits alone steadily without support

• Creeps or crawls with ease as a primary
means of moving around
• Stands without any support
• Stand from a sitting position without any help
• Squats for a standing position with ease
• Stands from a standing position with ease
• Bends over easily without falling
• Walks sideways by holding onto the sides of
crib or furniture
• Walks with one hand held
 13-18 Months
• Walks without support
• Walks backwards
• Walks up the stairs with hand held, 2 feet on each step
• Walks down the stairs with hand held, 2 feet on each
step
• Jumps in place
• Climbs onto a steady elevated surface (e.g. bed, adult
chair or bangko, etc.)
• Kicks a ball but with little control of direction
• Throws a ball but with little control of speed
• Runs without tripping or falling
• Maintains balance without assistance
• Moves with music when he hears it
• Can move body to imitate familiar animals
• Can move body to imitate another person/ TV
 19-24 Months
• Walks up the stairs with alternating feet,
without help
• Walks down the stairs with alternating feet,
without help
• Kicks a ball with control of direction
• Throws a ball with control of direction
• Throws a ball with control of speed
 Motor Skills Development
(Fine Motor Skill)
• Standards 1: The child can control and
coordinate hand and finger movements
 0-6 Months
• Hands open most of the time
• Brings both hands together towards dangling
object/toy
• Uses either hand interchangeably to grasp
objects
• Uses all 5 fingers in a raking motion to get
food/ toys placed on a flat surface
• Grasps objects with the same hand most of
the time
 7-12 Months

• Pulls toys by the string

• Bangs 2 large blocks together
• Picks up objects with thumb and index finger
• Grasps and transfers objects from hand to
hand
• Grasps objects with the same hand all the
time
 13-18 Months

• Puts small objects in/out of container

• Unscrews lids
• Unwraps candy/food
• Holds thick pencil or crayon with
palmar grip
• Scribbles spontaneously
 19-24 Months

• Colors with strokes going out of the

lines
 Personal Care and Hygiene
(Activities of Daily Living)
• Standards 1: The child participates in basic
personal care routines
 0-6 Months

• Sucks/ Swallows milk from breast/

bottle
• Begins to take complementary or semi-
solid by the end of 6 months
• Keeps reasonably still while being
dressed, undress bathed and while
diaper is being changed
 7-12 Months

• Holds a feeding bottle by himself

• Helps hold cup for drinking
• Chews solid foods wheel
• Feeds self with finger foods
• Scoops with a spoon with spillage
 13-18 Months

• Feeds self with assistance

• Feeds self using fingers to eat rice/ viands with spillage
• Feeds self using spoon with spillage
• No longer drinks from feeding bottle
• Drinks from cup unassisted
• Participates when being dressed by lifting arms or raising legs
• Pulls down gartered short pants/ underpants or panties
• Removes shoes/ sandals
• Informs caregiver of the need to move his bowels so he/she can be
brought to comfort room
• Takes a bath with assistance
• Brushes teeth after meals with assistance from adult
• Washes and dries hands under adult supervision
• Washes and dries face with the assistance of an adult
 19-24 Months

• Gets drink for self unassisted

• Removes loose sando
• Removes socks
• Informs caregiver of the need to urinate so he/she can be brought to the
comfort room
• Goes to the designated place to urinate but sometimes wets his/her pants
• Goes to the designated place to move his/her bowels but sometimes still soils
his/her pants
• Goes to the designated place to move his/her bowels but needs help with
wiping and washing
• Brushes teeth after meals with adult supervision
• Washes and dries face under adult supervision