Lifespan Development

Baby’s First Year Baby’s First Year Program Transcript [MUSIC PLAYING] BRENDA AMBRIZE: Even before we take our first breath, we begin a journey\ that will last a lifetime, the process of human development. At each ste\ p in the process, we must meet specific milestones in order to develop fully as a\ human being. As you study child development, keep these five basic principles \ in mind.

First, development is similar for everyone. We all follow the same devel\ opmental patterns. But while similar, development is also highly individualized. \ Each of us develops in our own unique way at our own pace. Third, all development builds on earlier learning. Fourth, the different areas of development-- physical, emotional, social, and intellectual-- they're all interrelated. Finally, development is continuous throughout life.

In a baby's first 12 months, development occurs faster than at any other\ time of life. The adults in a baby's life, parents and other caregivers such as \ family and friends and daycare workers, greatly influence how well that infant succ\ essfully meets the first year's developmental milestones.

DAWN LEACH: That first year is a time of tremendous growth and developme\ nt physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually. And how the caregiver\ or the parent responds to the child during that time really sets the foundation\ for their later learning.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: In this program, part two in a series on child developme\ nt, we'll take you through some of the major developmental milestones in the\ first year of life and we'll show you how you can best help the infants in you\ r care achieve each milestone successfully to help each child reach his or her full potential. Physical development is different from growth. Your baby will\ show remarkable increases in weight and height in the first year and these ar\ e good indicators to know whether your child is growing in a healthy way.

But physical development refers to physical skills that an infant acquir\ es during the first year. There are three basic patterns to an infant's physical d\ evelopment.

Babies are said to develop head to foot, meaning that the baby first learns how to control her head, followed by the trunk and arms, and finally the legs a\ nd feet.

Near to far is the second pattern of infant development, referring to ba\ by's skills starting close in, at the trunk and the self, and developing out to the \ limbs and the world around them.

PAULA ESTES: When they begin to be able to move around on their own-- so when you talk about crawling, scooting, sitting up-- then they begin to explore beyond the self. So near to far, you're talking abo ut the ability to move out of that 1 Baby’s First Year one realm of self. One of the first things they may try to do is get the\ ir hand up to their mouth. Maybe one day accidentally they'll get it all the way up an\ d they may bonk themselves in the head or hit themselves in the mouth. That's like, oh, oh, I think I learned something.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Finally, an infant's physical development always follows\ a pattern from the simple to the more complex.

PAULA ESTES: They start with very large motor movements and refine those\ to small or muscle or motor movements as they become better at it. Then you\ begin to look at how development of the gross motor is connected to the enviro\ nment, so the cause and effect-- how can I interact with my environment and change it?

A child who's crawling can reach out for objects and move them, say a ball that rolls across the floor when they touch it.

A child that is learning to walk or to pull up can move along something.\ A child who's moving into toddlerhood, where they're actually able to push a trike or a riding toy, then they start realizing that everything from their mouth t\ hat blows bubbles to their toes that can wiggle in the sand or kick a ball are inv\ olved in interacting with the environment.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: One of the most important physical development tasks an \ infant has in the first year of life and one which greatly impacts a chi\ ld's future is the development of the brain. A newborn has most of the brain cells that\ she needs, but she must still grow essential connections between those cells called synapses in order to be normal and healthy.

These connections are the keys to learning and remembering. Every experi\ ence the baby has contributes to creating new synapses. Cells that are not us\ ed to create synapses will die. So while genetics certainly plays a part in how intelligent a child grows to be, his environment plays an equally import\ ant role.

KARLENE BENNETT: Research has shown that 80% of the brain is developed by age three. 50% is developed by six months. The stimulation from the environment helps to prepare the child for that-- the constant talking, the constant interrupting. Now, if there is no stimulation or very little stimulation\ , research has shown that children will not react later to their environment.

DAWN LEACH: Touching, being responded to, talking and listening that goe\ s on between the adult caregiver and the child is very important in making th\ ose connections in the brain.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: So what can parents and caretakers do to help develop their baby's brain? Perhaps not surprisingly, the most effective actions\ are those that usually come most naturally.

2 Baby’s First Year FEMALE SPEAKER: Let's get that and what's in your finger?

DAWN LEACH: The number one thing is relationships-- again touch, being responded to, picking up on cues, knowing that they are safe. All of those things allow the brain to develop.

JUNE YEATMAN: One of the things you need to do is up an environment that\ 's inviting and welcoming, making sure that there are things that the child\ ren want to explore that they can be curious about.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: As the parent the primary caregiver of an infant, you ar\ e the most important person in your baby's life.

NIRA CHANGWETCHELL: You see the child start to look around or you can se\ e that the child is ready to see something moving or something stimulating\ or you can see the child start to reach for some toys. So those kinds of things\ that I think the caregivers or the parents have to be able to observe and be able to \ provide what they need.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: What are some other ways that parents and caregivers can\ help make sure their infants achieve their first developmental milestone\ s? First, create the right environment for the infant, one that is safe yet stimul\ ating.

JUNE YEATMAN: Kids do need to be safe, and that's always the bottom line\ .

Their welfare, their physical and emotional safety. What you have to do \ is figure out how can I set the environment up so that there is the stimulation, t\ here is the novelty and the newness and the poke at them to be curious and at the same time keep things safe?

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Infants also need to be kept warm, dry, well-fed, and well - rested.

DAWN LEACH: Nutrition is very important. That's a foundation that is bei\ ng set for later growth and development and children who are not growing proper\ ly can't develop properly. If they aren't getting the right kind of nutrition tha\ t helps their bones grow, for example, and their muscles develop properly, then their \ motor development is going to be impacted. If they're not getting enough sleep\ , that may impact their ability to learn about the world around them or to buil\ d relationships with people.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: You can also help your baby by being informed about the \ stages of child development.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Alex, do you want to sit down and say hi to Dimitri? The\ re.

3 Baby’s First Year NIRA CHANGWETCHELL: I believe that the teachers and the parents can help\ the children develop by providing the environment and all the toys that \ they need to help them develop. But they also have to know the stage of developmen\ t of that child.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: When we talk about emotional and social development, we're referring to the process of learning to recognize and express feel\ ings, to establish and identity as a unique person, and to interact with attach t\ o, and express oneself with others. Psychologist Erik Erikson identified the pr\ imary emotional tasks of each of the various stages of child development.

If you take Erikson's theories about psychosocial development and that w\ hole idea that trust versus mistrust is the first thing that babies work on, \ as they get a little bit older they're starting to work on the autonomy versus sha me and doubt.

FEMALE SPEAKER: You just heard the word, no, no, and it scared you?

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Infants that don't learn to trust and don't get what the\ y need to attach to at least one caregiver will not develop intellectually, emo\ tionally, socially, and even physically as they should, a condition known as failu\ re to thrive.

DAWN LEACH: Children become attached to those people who care for them o\ n a regular basis, who they build a relationship with. And parents are alw\ ays the most significant person in a baby's life. Nobody can ever take the place\ of a parent. But a caregiver or teacher can certainly be one of those signifi\ cant people who has a very strong relationship with that child and understands that \ child.

KARLENE BENNETT: There are many simple things that caregivers and parents can do to help their babies develop very healthy feelings about themselv\ es.

Research has been able to prove that the natural things that mothers and\ some caregivers do or the food that the children need in order to develop healthy personalities. One thing is to mention the baby's name, tell the baby wh\ at she is doing.

For example, now I'm changing your diaper and I know you're hungry but l\ et's make sure that you're dry and comfortable before I feed you. And then wh\ ile feed ing the baby, the mother can say, oh, you're so beautiful, I'm so glad t\ hat you are my baby. And just smile to the baby.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Tending to an infant's needs on the baby's schedule, not\ the adult's, is a primary way to help the baby develop trust.

SUZANNE PLYER: Their physical environment also involves the teacher bein\ g physically available for the child when they are ready, infants knowing \ that if I'm crying somebody is going to pick me and find out what my needs are. They\ 're not 4 Baby’s First Year just going to ignore me, they're going to ask me, oh, are you hungry; th\ ey're going to ask me, are you sleepy instead of just going through the motion\ s?

FEMALE SPEAKER: Your friends trying to get out, too.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Some adults worry about spoiling a baby by tending to her immediately when she cries and try to put the baby on a rigid schedule. \ SUZANNE PLYER: I personally don't believe that you can spoil a baby. The\ re's needs that need to be met in certain orders. And if a child needs you to\ hold them because they are not yet secure in your environment, then that's wh\ at your job is as a caregiver is to make that child feel secure and emotionally \ set so he can develop his social skills, emotional stability throughout his next f\ ew months and years of life.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Are you OK now? Are you OK now? You're all right. You're\ all right.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Babies that are developing normally from an emotional an\ d social standpoint will as they grow learn to express a wide range of emo\ tions.

Knowledge of child development can help parents and caregivers alike as infants navigate their emotional and social milestones.

SUZANNE PLYER: If you're reaching the 12-month stage, separation anxiety\ comes in. With some children that happens and the parents often say, wel\ l, he wasn't crying before, why is he crying now? Well, that's just a developm\ ental stage that occurs.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: As babies reach 12 months and older, their emotional and\ social development becomes evident to experienced caregivers.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Do you want to go outside, too?

SUZANNE PLYER: It's a beautiful thing when children come to the door and\ there's a big smile. They're ready to come into your environment and the\ y're ready to greet you. And that's the security that's given to the parents,\ as well.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Babies begin the process of learning even before they ar\ e born. The first three years may be the most important in a child's intel\ lectual development, as that is the time that the foundation for all future lear\ ning is put in place.

KARLENE BENNETT: Between zero and two, the child has been prepared for learning because we have created that kind of atmosphere where the child\ would feel motivated to even learn anything that is given.

5 Baby’s First Year BRENDA AMBRIZE: The sense of trust that the baby develops and the physic\ al development of the brain both contribute to the child's intellectual dev\ elopment.

The work of Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, contributed greatly to ou\ r understanding of how these factors interact.

KARLENE BENNETT: If we have an atmosphere of trust, then we create an atmosphere for learning. Piaget believed that intellectually, children n\ eed to feel comfortable and they need to trust their caregivers or teachers before t\ hey can learn. And that helps prepare the brain for learning.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: In the first year, a baby develops intellectually at an \ incredible pace in four key areas. Remembering-- babies quickly develop the ability to recall people, places, and things.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Your big brother gave you a flower.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Making associations-- when a parent or caregiver picks up a crying baby and the baby stops crying, that infant has remembered that\ person and the act of being picked up and associates it with comfort.

FEMALE SPEAKER: You're OK.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Understanding cause and effect-- as babies get older, they begin to understand that they have the power to make certain things happ\ en.

Paying attention-- the older that children get, the longer their attention span. A newborn can pay attention to an activity for a very short time, while an older baby will enjoy play for much longer. How can parents and caregivers make a difference in an infant's intellectual development?

FEMALE SPEAKER: Do you see the colors in there? Do you see the colors?

They're blue and yellow.

DAWN LEACH: They need to know how to respond to babies and how to recognize and appreciate all of the different things that children are l\ earning. It may not be learning in a traditional sense, and that's why it's so impor\ tant that they understand that reaching out and grabbing a toy is a developmental milestone and they need to celebrate that as much as they would a child \ learning how to count to three at a later age.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Actually, Alex is eating. Are they making it into your mouth?

KARLENE BENNETT: Children who are in a language-rich environment where the caregiver, the adults, other children really help them to listen to \ those sounds and to feel important because they are being focused on or they are list\ ening to the language around them.

6 Baby’s First Year FEMALE SPEAKER: Alex wants another graham. He said, I'll swap you the pears for the grahams, Adam, right? Dimitri can have another graham. All\ done.

I'm going to put this away.

KARLENE BENNETT: Remember that children learn language very early. Even though they cannot produce the language, they can listen to what is bein\ g said, they can receive the language. And these are the kinds of stimulations t\ hat the brain to work.

DAWN LEACH: Intellectually, the environment needs to be a stimulating place.

Mobiles are wonderful for that age, response toys once they start sittin\ g up and can reach and make something happen. They realize they have an impact on\ their environment and bang, those synapses go, wow.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Toys and games for the first year should start with thin\ gs that allow babies to watch and listen and graduate to things to touch, s\ hake, push, pull, or otherwise manipulate.

DAWN LEACH: Something like peek-a-boo, which is a very old, traditional-type game that still works very well for helping children learn very basic sk\ ills like when somebody goes away, they come back. That's an important development\ al milestone for infants. They have to learn that when something leaves, it\ still exists; when something is hidden, it still exists.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Piaget was the first to identify the developmental miles\ tone called object permanence, the notion that something still exists when it\ is hidden.

He also documented how babies and toddlers build on earlier learning experiences.

KARLENE BENNETT: A child who has been experiencing blocks since babyhood has an advantage and the same goes for manipulatives, like the \ Lego blocks and the puzzle. And the same goes for books because the child has\ been exposed to those materials.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Uh-huh. Those are balls. You're right.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Remember to keep activities at a level the baby can manage and don't overstimulate an infant with too much too soon or too l\ ong a time of activity.

DAWN LEACH: You need to make sure first that your materials are developmentally appropriate. Too many materials can overwhelm a child.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Are you going to talk? Say hi.

7 Baby’s First Year KARLENE BENNETT: The beauty about this is that interaction and stimulati\ on in the environment coming primarily from the caregiver.

FEMALE SPEAKER: There we go.

SUZANNE PLYER: It impacts the child because as they go to the next level\ of their development, they're going to feel safe, they're going to feel sec\ ure, and they're going to be able to reach out and to explore and to trust and to grow. And all of that plays an important role for the child. Makes them more stabl\ e, more secure and emotionally set.

KARLENE BENNETT: Regardless of what our backgrounds, I really have to believe strongly that the environment with a caregiver is an important part of it. It can create not a genius baby, but a healthy child who feels good about h\ imself, has a healthy self-esteem, and also who is prepared for learning.

BRENDA AMBRIZE: Think of yourself as a tour guide for your baby, making \ her journey through her first year a safe, healthy, and stimulating time. If yo\ u do, she will be well -prepared to enter the next stage of development, the toddler years.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Accepting Life’s Transitions Content Attribution Baby’s First Year [Video]. (2000). Used by permission of Films Media Group 8