Motor Development & Physical Growth

The World Health Organization has established standard "window of achievement" tables to monitor the motor development and physical growth of infants and toddlers. Motor and physical development of a child should be monitored by parents, teachers, and health care providers. You want to ensure that your child is healthy and developing their motor skills at an acceptable rate. By monitoring the physical growth and motor development of your child, you can prevent problems in the future by catching any prevalent issues early.

Motor Development

When a baby is born, he does not have control over his motor skills. All of the motor skills that he shows, as a newborn, are involuntary. He kicks his legs and waves his hands because he has not learned how to control their movement. As an infant gets older, there should be noticeable improvement in his voluntary motor skills. The baby eventually learns how to control her limbs enabling her to crawl, walk, grasp items, etc. The guidelines of the World Health Organization are based on six developmental stages and six milestones that were set based on early studies of infants and toddlers and the average age that most of them could perform certain tasks.

Physical Growth

The physical growth of a child is also something that needs to be closely monitored. The weight of the baby at birth is documented. Periodically, the child should see a pediatrician to ensure that she is growing at an acceptable and healthy rate. The child's length and weight should be monitored by the pediatrician. The pediatrician understands that not all children grow at the same rate. She is trained to discern whether there is a problem with the growth rate of the child or if the child's growth is related to their ethnicity or culture. Some cultures may be known for being shorter than others.

Developmental Stages

The six developmental stages set forth by the World Health Organization are 0 to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and 4 to 5. For a complete listing of the things your baby or toddler should be doing at these stages, see "Resources" below. The six milestones that are monitored are: sitting independently, standing while assisted, crawling on hands and knees, walking while assisted, standing independently and walking independently.

How to Help With Development

To help with the motor development of your child, it is important not to shelter her too much, but allow her to explore. Play with your baby. Allow her to crawl and attempt to walk. Let her pull herself up by holding onto something sturdy and stable. Give her rattlers to play with to improve her hand and eye coordination. Allow him to play with other babies. Many times your baby will see another baby doing something, and it will cause him to try and mimic their actions. For the sake of safety, baby-proof your home to protect your child from accidents while he is exploring. To help with physical development, be sure you are feeding your child age-appropriate foods. Allow him to get age-appropriate exercise.

Problems With Development

Don't compare your child with other babies and toddlers. Understand that some children development faster than others. If you feel your child has significant development problems, advise your pediatrician.

Resources

• Infant Developmental Stages