Essay Sample on Developmental Milestones: Birth to Kindergarten

Introduction

Parenting always has a nightmare for many especially mothers in their first periods of childcare. Taking an infant through the following milestones to become independent demands that the parent should be very conscious of the essentials that will lead to healthy growth. Child growth and development is not a walk in the park, and therefore it requires that one should check the steps and requirements that are involved in it. Mothers have been advised to be keen in this endeavour as it will determine the future upbringing of the child. Studies, books, seminar and other educational facilities have been set up to see that this significant issue of child growth sinks deep in every mother and any guardian. Therefore, below is a report that will take us through the milestones that a child needs to go through in their development from the onset of 6 months to 5 years.

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At the onset of the sixth month of an infant, your kid's system of digestion undergoes development and thus, translates to a reduction in the available body irons that the child had before. At this point in time, it serves as the best for you to introduce solid foods to your baby. The solid food should be rich in iron to help the kid in her growth. Also, it at this period when your breastfeeding period begins to feel like the baby does not require or needs less the nutrients provided by the breast milk and therefore you should seek for an additional source of nutrients. Still, you should not cut off your breast milk since your baby requires it more.

At the age of 1-2 years, it is your responsibility to realise your baby's brain development; I advised you to have your baby some tasks like memorizing things. Your baby's brains develop and grow at this point since the child may easily be able to imitate the expressions and voices. As their memory continues to grow, your child will learn how to adapt and memorise parts of your speech and the formation of words and sentences.

As your child approaches 3 years, you should try boosting the levels of iron in your child's diet; I advise you to apply the following foods to your child; purees of beans, red meat, eggs, chicken, and leafy vegetables should be included in your child's diet. You should also feed an iron-rich food with vitamin C nutrients from oranges, and strawberries to increase the absorption of the irons. In most cases, it is during this stage when the child may start attending nursery classes where your child will have much of the exercise. (Mooney, et al. 2013)

However, it has been found healthy to introduce your baby to all these other nutrients as it helps boost your baby's appetite for some different wide range of foods. I thus advise you to be adventurous and be able to offer your baby a variety of products as the baby is developing. Though it may be surprisingly hard for your baby to accept a new taste and texture as far as foods are concerned, it is always healthy to avail to your baby this other types of foods as they will strengthen the baby in his future time. The process can take several tries for the baby to adapt. For instance, it the baby portrays signs of acceptance then try more several times, and you might end up enjoying the motherhood process.

At age 4-5, you should engage in your baby's emotions and behaviour. It is because, as your baby experience this development they tend to show some behaviours like; waving its hands all over your nose, grab your mouth and all that kind of surprising sweet things the baby will do. At this stage, you should be careful to identify this particular times and be ready to help your child initiate in the process of learning (Petty et al. 2016). During this time, your child can memorise and understand your language faster. At this development time, your child needs much time to seep which may seem too much since this is the period that the body needs to rest and grow. (Petty et al. 2015).

As a mother you should always realize that babies are amazing beings that are supposed to be taken care of in their first stages of development and growth; this helps them grow up and develop naturally and healthier. From the onset of 6 months to 5 years, babies undergo a number of brain developments depending on the exposures that you will provide to your child. The statistics reveal that the most genius ones after their 5 years of age received enough body exercises during their early ages. You should be closer to your baby at this time as it helps in greater bonding and for the baby to have the best time to adapt to the environment faster.

References

Beaty, J. J. (2014). Observing development of the young child.

Gadsden, V. L., Ford, M. A., Breiner, H., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). (2016). Parenting matters: Supporting parents of children ages 0-8. Washington, DC: the National Academies Press.

Mooney, C. G., & Amazon.com. (2013). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, & Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Petty, K. (2016). Developmental milestones of young children.

Petty, K., & Overdrive Inc. (2015). Developmental Milestones of Young Children. S.I.: Redleaf Press.