Paper Example on Baby Transforms From Newborn to Active Child

Introduction

The first milestone of a child takes place between one to three months. It is the age which a child begins a critical transformation from being a newborn to an active child (Darling-Churchill & Lippman, 2016). The vision of the baby changes drastically and becomes interested in the surrounding.

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Milestone 0-3 Months

Developmental Milestones

The first physical development at this stage is that a child begins to hold their heads up for some few seconds when they are on their stomach. They raise their heads with the help of forearms to raise their chest. Also, the development of arm and hand develop critically during this period. Other physical milestones at this stage include stretching of legs and some little kicks, while they are on their stomach. They can bring their hands to the mouth and swipe at any dangling object (Mortensen, 2016). Cognitively, they start making cooing sounds, signaling that they need attention. They have not developed problem-solving skills yet, but they can communicate through cooing sounds when they need care. Socially, they start smiling and playing with familiar faces, suggesting that they begin differentiating faces.

Safety Considerations

First, the caregiver should ensure the baby has enough sleep and changing the direction of the crib as this helps to prevent the development of flat spots (Stille, Honigfeld, Heitlinger, Kuo & Werner, 2017). The next thing is to ensure the baby is in a safe environment with caregiver close always. The caregiver should never carry the bay around in a rocker chair and finally supervise the baby all the time.

Nutritional Needs

The only recommended diet for infants below three months is breast milk because it has all nutrients the child requires for development (Mersch & Shiel, 2019). They should not be given other products like cow milk since their kidneys have not developed to handle high proteins. Therefore, they should be introduced slowly to new foods.

Online Community Resources

Various online community resources for parents of infants include Cafemom, MotherClick, and Mamapedia (Darling-Churchill & Lippman, 2016). These sources provide crucial information to the patients and how they would guide their children aged below three months. These resources are free to register.

Milestone 19-24 Months

Developmental Milestones

At this age, a child should start kicking the ball and squatting while playing. They can walk backward or sideways when they are playing or pulling a toy and then get back into a chair to sit. They muscles and forearms have developed; hence, they can carry their toys while walking, and they start removing lids from containers (Darling-Churchill & Lippman, 2016). Other physical developments include; walking on tiptoes, throwing and retrieving objects, catching large balls and turning doorknobs to open. It is the most dangerous age that requires careful guidance and support to prevent them from injury. Social and emotional development at this age includes liking to imitate actions of their parents and develops an independent behavior. They seem to forget rules and enjoy exploring everything and anything. They need constant attention since they are possessive. They sometimes get angry.

Safety Considerations

Safety guidance at this age includes playing with children so that they do not injure themselves while playing (Mortensen, 2016). Secondly, they should play in free space and not on top of tables and chairs. It is essential to keep dangerous things away from children like drugs and hazardous objects. The objective is to protect children from dangers.

Nutritional Needs

The children start being independent and eat like adults. They should take three meals a day and some snacks. They need more grains, veggies, fruits to help in body development and dairy of about two servings per day (Mortensen, 2016). Also, they should get like two protein servings per day as well as legumes. Their diet is unique because of the development stage they are.

Online Community Resources

The online community resources include Minti, Momslikeme.com, and BabyCenter community (Stille et al., 2017). These online community resources provide detailed information about child development and sharing experiences help expand knowledge of the parents.

Milestone 6 To 7 Years

Developmental Milestones

Physically, 6 to 7-year-olds gain physical body development rapidly. Physical growth at this age include enjoying many activities, they like painting and drawing, start losing first teeth, they begin jumping ropes, and start riding bicycles (Stille et al., 2017). They begin using tools like screwdrivers and hammers and anything they come across. They have control over symbolic elements, and they can control language and play. They start thinking critically.

Socially, they start knowing what they can do best and they start learning new things. They become independent at this stage, and they are willing to complete anything they have started (Stille et al., 2017). They act shy around strangers, and they can refer to themselves by name. They speak and communicate clearly by using full sentences. They know songs and rhymes by memory. They count more than ten and try to solve issues they encounter when counting.

Safety Considerations

Safety guidance at this milestone includes; teaching children how to watch out for traffic, and ensure they are safe to and from school. The second one is to teach children water safety because they like playing with it and supervise the children when they engage in risk playing activities (Darling-Churchill & Lippman, 2016). Finally, it is vital to keep harmful household tools and equipment away from reach of kids.

Nutritional Needs

The children need a variety of nutrients from different food groups. They need dairy milk, foods rich in proteins and fruits, and vegetables (Darling-Churchill & Lippman, 2016). They also need grains to provide iron in their bodies while grains offer vitamins. They need these meals for active body and psychological development.

Online Community Resources

These resources include Family Child Development Center, Community Outreach, and the Department of Education. These resources contain helpful information about child development. Parents can browse topic by topic to access information and data they require (Mortensen, 2016). They can create networks for sharing experiences.

Milestone 13-14 Year Olds

Developmental Milestones

Physical developments at this age include gaining weight and becoming taller. Their reproductive organs grow and this includes breasts in girls and muscles in boys. They also develop eating disorders, but not in all cases. Sometimes teens feel moody and uncertain and self-conscious (Mortensen, 2016). In some cases, they struggle with appearance issues because of the developments that have taken place in their bodies. Regarding emotional development, they experience hormonal shifts that affect their mood swings. Stress and peer-related factors also contribute to their mood swings.

They feel that the world revolves around their cycles, and in the process, they feel that everyone is looking at them. They experience changes in their self-esteem. Sometimes they think adequate about themselves while in other cases, they think the worst (Stille et al., 2017). Finally, they are actively attached to their peers and tend to make new friends. Because of this, they may develop rebellious behavior.

Safety Considerations

Parents should have free and open discussions about the use of the internet to help them use safe internet sites. The major issue they face is accessing internet information (Stille et al., 2017). Therefore, parents should guide them on how to use the internet safely. Secondly, there must be adequate parental guidance. It helps them understand changes taking place in their growth.

Nutritional Needs

Nutritional needs depend on sex and level of physical activities. They need foods rich in proteins to provide adequate energy they require in their development (Mortensen, 2016). They also need carbohydrates to get energy they require in growth. Some nutritionists propose 50% carbohydrate of foods they take. Moreover, they require sufficient water intake and fats but should not be more than 30% of their meals.

Online Community Resources

Such resources include office of adolescent health, which is a government institution that provides detailed guidance on adolescent development. There are also community-based programs and Family Child Development Center (Mortensen, 2016). It is necessary for parents to visit these resources as they will sufficient information to guide their teens.

Conclusion

In summary, parents should understand the different stages of child development so that they provide sufficient guidance. At first, children entirely depend on their caregivers for survival, but they become independent as they grow to become teenagers. They should read more information from online community resources to know the physical, emotional, and social development of their children through the ages.

References

Darling-Churchill, K & Lippman, L. (2016). Early childhood social and emotional development: Advancing the field of measurement. Journal of Applied Development Psychology 45 (2016), 1-7.

Mersch, J & Shiel, W. (2019): Infant Milestones. Emedicinehealth. Retrieved from https://www.emedicinehealth.com/infant_milestones/article_em.htm#what_are_the_milestones_in_a_babys_first_month

Mortensen, E. (2016). Associations of early developmental milestones with adult intelligence. Child Development 89(2), 638-648.

Stille, C. Honigfeld, L. Heitlinger, L. Kuo, D & Werner, E. (2017). The pediatric primary care-specialist interface: A call for action. The Journal of Pediatrics 187, 303-308.