Careful Early Childhood Education

The average newborn baby in North America is anywhere from 18 to 22 inches long and 5 to 10 pounds in weight. In the first days, most babies lose weight and then will eventually start to put on a lot of weight once they get in a normal eating and digesting routine. “Typically they have doubled their birth weight by the age of 4 months and have nearly tripled it by their first birthday. Infants grow about ¾ inch per month during the first year, increasing their birth length by about 40 percent by their first birthday, “(Santrock pg. 87). After the first year and into the babies second, the growth slows down a noticeable amount. The average two-year old weighs about 26 to 32 pounds and is 32 to 35 inches tall. Keeping in mind their height and weight when working with infants is very important. Also, keeping in mind that they are fragile and they have growing, delicate bones therefore choosing activities that are not so dangerous.

“For infants, the importance of receiving adequate energy intake and nutrients in a loving and supportive environment cannot be overstated, “(Santrock pg. 135). From the time a newborn is born until the child is 1 years old, the child will triple their weight, because children vary in their activity, growth rate, and even their nutrition intake. It is recommended that infants consume 50 calories for each pound they weigh every day. It is important to understand that an infant’s nutrition intake is very crucial in an infant’s life today and in the future. An infant being neglected the right nutrients could result in a development of negative eating patterns or higher risk of childhood obesity.

In the first year there are so many major milestones in an infant’s life. A newborn first begins with reflexes. Reflexes allow babies to respond to the environment without being taught or learning how to do it. Sucking is also another reflex. Sucking is a survival method when it comes to finding the newborns mother’s breast. Next is posture, which is much more than just learning to sit up straight and it doesn’t happen all at once. Infants start with holding their necks up, and being able to lift their head up, then around 2 months old the infant can sit and then eventually stand. The last major milestone in an infant’s life is learning to walk. After the first year, infants began to grab, pull, lift, run, squat, and maybe kick a ball without falling or stumbling.

An important activity in infancy is tummy time. It helps the infant gain strength not only in the infant’s neck and shoulder, but all over. It can also prevent the development over flat spots on the infant’s head. It is recommended that babies sleep on their back for safety reasons, so tummy time is needed during some of the hours that the infant is awake to work on upper body muscles and strengthening. It can also lead into the development of rolling over and crawling.

From infancy, the growth will start declining little by little each year. Around preschool, girls and boys are still very similar in size. Girls are only slightly smaller and typically do not weigh as much as boys during this time. During this time, girls start to develop more fatty tissue and boys start to develop more muscle tissue. Also, at this time growth is very differentiated, and usually relates back to the child’s hereditary. I think this is good to know that girls and boys at this time, are very similar and have almost the same body type with just little differentiation. It is also important to know that hereditary and the child’s nutrition play a massive role in the child’s size at this stage.

“Malnutrition and starvation are a daily fact of life for children in many developing countries,” (Santrock pg. 136). A main concern in the United States, is the result of poor nutrition of infants and going into early childhood coming from low income families. A program called WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) provides grants to the state for healthy foods and even nutrition education for women for low income, qualifying families and/or single mothers. This is important to know if you are dealing with a child from a low income family and the child isn’t getting the right nutrients to be educated on the dangers of it.

At this age, most children are confident in their walking and their running. Children will begin to hop, jump, run in circles, run back in forth, and dance. As they get older they will frequent jungle gyms and try hanging upside down and trying new tricks. They will eventually run hard and enjoy racing and physical competitions. From the age or 3 to 11 children began to learn or have mastered running, climbing, swimming, riding a bicycle, hopscotch, and even skating. 

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