Is my child doing ok?

Many of us parents in Jamaica in still do not fully understand the developmental stages of our children, that is, what they should be doing at a particular age. Sometimes children are punished or reprimanded for actions which are typical of their age group.

For the next couple of weeks Parenting Room will look briefly at the developmental stages of a child.

A child’s developmental progress covers his growth in a number of areas including physical/motor skills, intellectual/mental skills, language skills, social and visual skills. While these stages are highly dependent on the individuality of the child there is usually a time span within which most children achieve these skills.

Even though Johnny down the road is walking and your child is not, it does not mean your child is delayed. It is good though to mark the child’s developmental milestones (the age at which the child achieves certain skills) so that you can have a fair idea that he or she is progressing normally. When professionals are assessing a child, they look at milestones such as first smile, crawling, ability to sit, walking, first words and so on. There is a time span that most children would achieve these skills in. By building up a picture of a child’s progress in all the areas of development, a professional can form a judgment on whether or not a child’s developmental pattern is unusual.

For this week, we will look at developmental milestones from one to six months.

1 – 3 MONTHS

Physical:

The large jerky movements at birth will develop into smoother more continuous movements. Usually at birth, the child’s head would fall loosely if not supported but by three months the baby should be able to hold head erect and steady for several seconds. There will also be vigorous kicking and the child may even be able to open hands and fist. By three months, most babies will be able to lift head up to 45 degrees when lying on their tummy and to hold their rattle briefly.

Mental:

Many babies at this age recognise parents and respond to their approaches. They start to make associations and will protest loudly if their needs are not met. The child might start playing with hands and feet at this points. While at birth a baby will not look at high contrast pictures, by three months he or she might have developed a liking for detailed high contrast pictures.

Hearing and language:

The newborn will be startled by sudden loud noise and will cry loudly when hungry. If they are uncomfortable or annoyed they will also cry. After about six weeks most babies begin to coo. By three months they will show excitement at the sound of approaching voices, footsteps and so on. They will even begin to laugh out loud and squeal in delight.

Social:

The newborn will sleep for the majority of the time. This is a blessing for parents who are at this point very harried as they get used to having a newborn in the house. During this period though baby will begin to stop crying when picked up and soothed. He or she will recognise familiar adults and smile when they approach. At there might be some reaction to familiar situations and routines. They will start to settle into routines at this point.

Visual:

Baby will focus on Mum’s face when being fed. By three months baby will also recognise their feeding bottle or Mum’s breast

At end of this period baby will start to be very interested in their own fingers and will engage in finger play. By three months your child will be able to follow a slowly moving object about six inches away and is usually very alert.

3 – 6 MONTHS

Physical:

By six months your child may be able to lift head when lying on back to look at feet and may even try to grasp one or both feet. He or she will hold arms out to be lifted and may roll over from front to back and vise versa. If held in standing position a baby may be able to bear some of own weight. Be careful with this however as one does not want to put any strain on the child’s legs.

Mental:

Your baby may object if you try to take a toy away and will even try to reach an object just out of grasp. He or she may start looking for a dropped toy and should start babbling. There is a growing awareness that people and objects have names and labels. At this point the child might start to explore things by tasting. He or she will push away disliked activities for eg face washing.

Hearing and language:

He or she will turn in the direction of parent’s voice and may start vocalising tunefully to self and others in a sing-song fashion. There is now laughter, chuckles and squeals when playing and there may even be screams when annoyed. It is fun to see your child try to mimic sounds. Babies start watching the speaker’s mouth very closely at this stage.

Social:

Your child might pat bottle and breast when being fed. He or she may reach for and shake a rattle. Sometimes a baby can pass an object from hand to hand. Sometimes at end of this period babies become shy of strangers but they also interact more with parents.

Visual:

At this stage they take in everything and follows the actions of others very closely. A baby may enjoy watching other children play and can focus on small objects nearby. They are also able to follow fallen objects but they will forget them if outside their field of vision.

– Research information taken from: www.rollercoaster.ie/development/3_6_months.asp

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