PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF

INFANT AND TODDLER

 The period from birth to first three yeas of life is known as infancy
and toddlerhood. During this stage, the developmental change is
more rapid and more dramatic than any other 3-year period in the
lifespan.

 Physical development is one domain of infant and toddler

development. It relates to changes, growth and skill development
of muscles and senses.
 CEPHALOCAUDAL
 Development proceeds from the upper part of the head to the lower parts of
the body
 Due to the importance of brain regulation such as breathing
 Head develops more rapidly than the rest of the body during embryonic stage

 PROXIMODISTAL
 Development proceeds from the trunk outward
 From body’s central axis toward the periphery
 Brain and spinal cord follow a central axis down through body due to necessity
for nerves to be in place before infant can control arms and legs
 As children mature, physical reactions become
 less global
 more specific

 Neonate’s response
 to stimuli such as a burn may include thrashing about, crying,
withdrawing the burned finger

 Toddler’s response
 may cry as well and withdraw finger, but thrashing about as a response to
the pain is gone
 The brain governs every aspect of our existence
 We are born with most of the neurons we will have for the rest of
our lives
 Neurons get dedicated to certain functions and make connections
with other neurons in order for development to occur
 Brain experiences a growth spurt between birth and age 3
 By age 3, the brain is 90% of its adult weight
 Genes determine height which influences
weight (heredity)

 However, the environment (diet, exercise,

health, and even emotions) affect a person’s
weight more than genes

 Because of these factors, infants and toddlers

grow at different rates
 Body growth begins to slow after the first year

 Babies grow about half as much in height during the second year as
compared with the first year

 Most babies triple their birth weight in a year, then gain only ¼
that amount during the second

 Some babies grow a little faster than these norms because they
may be “catching up” to norms after a premature birth of first year
illness.
 At 24 months, the head is ¼ of the
total height. An adult’s head is 1/10th
of his or her height.

 The child’s body-build type will become

apparent during the toddler years
 Bones are becoming harder
 The degree of ossification is not the same
throughout the body
 Due to the cartilage, the toddler’s bones are
more flexible and less likely to break than an
adult’s.
 However, the softer bones are more prone to
disease or deformation
 Shortly after 2 years, a child has the full set of
deciduous teeth (baby teeth)
 Fat deposits under the skin decrease rapidly
between 9 and 30 months.

 The chubby baby becomes a slender child!

 Muscle development (the lengthening and

thickening of muscles) is slow during the toddler
stage.
 First movements are reflexive - use sucking and grasping reflexes
 Five senses are working and ready for further development (touch, taste, sound, sight, smell)
 Turn head toward a familiar voice
 Slightly raise his head up to look around while lying on his stomach
 Clench hands into fists
 Begin to hear differences in similar sounds
 Lift themselves using their arms
 Reach for things (closer to 3 months)
 Roll over
 Reach for and grasp objects
 Shake and play with objects
 Bring an object they are holding to their mouths
 Crawl
 Grasp and pull objects toward their body
 Move toys and objects from one hand to the other (between 4 and 8 months)
 Sit up by themselves
 Stand up or make stepping movements with support by holding
onto nearby furniture or your hands
 Feed themselves finger foods
 Drink from a sippy cup
 Make marks with a crayon or marker
 Walk
 Roll a ball
 Older mobile infants can stack and line up blocks
 Point to objects
 Pick up objects between their thumb and index finger (pincer
grasp)
 Pick things up while standing up
 Walk up and down stairs with help
 Move and sway to music
 Color or paint by moving their entire arm, scribble with
markers or crayons
 Turn handles and knobs
 Pull and push toys
 Carry toys while walking
 Learn to run
 Jump in one place
 Kick a ball
 Turn pages of a book
 Draw a circle
 Hold a crayon between thumb and fingers
 Prepared by:
Pamela Urmatan
Mark Anthony Cargo
Myla De Guzman
Neil Patrick Flores
Diana Marie Dime

TCP – SOCIAL STUDIES