Infant Development Goals

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Doctor David Hill and today we're going to talk about developmental goals for you and your infant in the first year of life. Now when we use the word goals, I want to really put a caveat on that because no single accomplishment that your baby makes in that first year is the difference between normal development and abnormal development. When we think about infant development we look at the big picture. So don't get too caught up in any of the following single things I'm going to say. If you have a concern with your infant's development please bring it up with your baby's doctor and they can do more formal developmental testing and see if there's really anything to be worried about. That said, let's talk about what we usually see. Well, at birth things are going on that happen at birth. The baby's not really talking they just cry. The baby's hands are balled up and mainly his job is to get fed and get some sleep. However, by two months of age you're already noticing a remarkable difference in your baby's behavior. First of all, their head is arching way up if they're on their tummy. And it's o.k. if they don't like being on their tummy, still try and put them there for a little while, see what they do. Their hands instead of being held in fists are going to be relaxed, at least fifty percent of the time. When you smile at them, they're going to smile back at you. It means not only can they now see your face well, but they can interpret the expression. And in terms of problem solving, they can be starting to explore their world, grab things, look at things, very exciting. At four months even more is going on. Your baby may even be able to roll from front to back, depending on how much practice they've had. But they can certainly push their chest way up. they can now reach out and grab something that they want to get a hold of. They not only smile at you, they laugh which is a ton of fun. They've learned to localize your voice so that If you're over there and you talk, they look over there. That's a new skill. And last of all, they can get pretty much what they want. At six months your baby's probably able to sit with a little bit of help or support or maybe in a tripod position and can probably roll from back to front as well as front to back. Your baby is babbling some, maybe starting to experiment with the sounds that are going to turn into ma ma, da da. They're able to pick up a small item like a cheerio using a rake and grasp with their entire hand. They're able to manipulate play things and really do what they want to with them. At nine months of age that baby is starting to pull up on the furniture and cruise around, working on the muscles that will eventually end up with walking. Some babies may even be walking at that point but not many. They're using their fingers in a pincher grasp to pick up even smaller objects and begin to finger feed with those. They are understanding some of the things you say, particularly their name and the word, no. And they're probably starting to say mama or da da and wave bye bye for communication. When it comes to problem solving, they're getting very good at manipulating the objects in their environment and getting things they way they want them. At twelve months your baby may even be starting to walk. Although don't sweat it if they're not taking great steps at that point, they may just be working toward it. they're using their hand very well now to pick up small items. And they're doing something new which is not only to grab things but to drop them. In terms of communication they're saying, mama, da da, and maybe even one more word at this point. And in terms of problem solving and working with the environment around them, they may even start imitating you, imitating household activities. This is a really fun time, but then again, they all are. So when we think about infant developmental goals we think about it in terms of what they're doing with their big muscles, gross motor, we think about little movements, fine motor, we think about communication and we think about personal, social and problem solving development. And remember, don't get hung up on any one mile stone too much. We like to look at the big picture. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor. Discussing infant development mile stones and goals, I am Doctor David Hill."