Explores the stages of child development from birth up until four years old. I also discussed different theorists views.
As a psychology major, I find the subject of child development fascinating. Many theorists had different ideas on it, as well as the more general physical and emotional milestones young children achieve.
The first two to three months, a newborn is going to communicate through crying, and no matter what people say parents should not hesitate to pick their children up or cuddle them. Babies thrive on affection and attention, and they are too little to see it as being spoiled. By the age of three months, babies will be able to respond to the affection by smiling.
In the first couple months, babies are usually breast fed 6 times a day, and if they are consistently gaining weight, the baby is healthy and thriving. Parents should track weight levels, if she burps, her toileting schedule and if the baby seems content after eating. If all of the above were positive, the baby is probably getting enough to eat.
What are the major stages of child development from birth up until four years old?
Between the ages of three to six months, a baby can become a lot more active. Babies tend to start rolling at this age, and becoming more curious and wanting to put anything and everything in the mouth. Parents should be warned to keep small objects out of sight. They also drink more milk and may be starting solid foods soon. Near the sixth month, a baby’s first tooth starts coming in.
Babies are more aware during this time. They particularly love to watch stuff, like toy mobiles go around. It is very important that parents interact and play with their children during these months. This may also be a good time to start introducing some picture books and reading. Babies will like looking at the pictures or helping to turn the page. I know my mom started reading to me when I was six months old, and I still love books.
During this time babies develop a sense of object permanence, meaning they are starting to learn that their parents exist even if they can not physically see them. A good way to make a game of out of this is to play peek-a-boo with the baby. Babies are also growing more attached to their parents. For example, they may not have minded in the past if Grandpa swung them in the air, now they are crying for mom.
By the time a baby is six to nine months old, she is usually able to sit by herself and is learning to crawl. Babies will also be learning fine motor skills, such as pinching and grasping objects with just two fingers. Parents should provide their children with a variety of toys to play with in all shapes and sizes.
Babies are starting to show more emotions at this age. They may show anger and cry when a parent takes away a toy, or in contrast smile and gurgle when a parent enters the room. They are growing more aware of things.
By, the time babies are nearly a year old, they have become extremely mobile. They are crawling like experts, scooting around the house, and possibly even walking. Babies love to pull themselves into the upright position and toddle around the house. Parents should be aware of this and “baby proof” their house by putting away breakables, turning off hot stoves, and hiding electrical wires.
This is the time where babies start craving approval and their self-esteem begins forming. They will look for positive reactions from their parents if they walked across the room, or if they used a toy correctly. Babies need interaction more now than ever. They also need you to start setting guidelines and disciplining them.
A one year-old can now link gestures with words. She’s learned how to say, “Mama,” and “Dada.” She links a wave with “bye-bye.” She’ll point to something she wants and doesn’t understand why she can’t have it. Babies get really frustrated with the word “No.”
Once children become toddlers between 12 to 18 months old, they will start to use words more to express their needs. Parents may want to try having them eat finger foods and use sippy cups to encourage the child’s independence.
Children at this age have no problem expressing how they feel. They will smile when they are happy with their parents, or they will cry after being scolded. They may even learn to throw temper tantrums. Parents must remember that consistency is key and to follow up with the “No.”
As toddlers near age two, they struggle with the concept that they want to things by themselves when they want to do them. They may begin to test parents in this battle of security vs. autonomy. Toddlers need lots of physical activity such as playing catch, running, even drawing, but they have a hard time keeping their physical anger in check. Parents need to set firm limits on the choices toddlers make.
During this time, a toddler’s speech improves, and she is able to form two to four word sentences. She can also recognize people’s faces and parts of the body.
At age two is when parents introduce the idea of potty training to their toddler. Not all children are ready at the same time, but this is when the transition from diapers to the potty begins.
Two years want control of the house and to make decisions and it is important to make them feel important. An idea is to give them two choices such as between two cereals for breakfast or two dresses to wear.
By age three, toddlers can jump, climb, hop on one foot, play catch, and even ride a tricycle. Most toddlers start pre-school at 3 years old, making friends an important of a toddler’s life. They are learning to take turns, follow directions, and how to interact with others.
Children at this age are becoming more people-centered and less self-centered. Parents may see their child comfort another person. They may also notice their child make up an imaginary friend to play with or take the blame if the child did something wrong.
Four-year-olds are preoccupied and curious about their bodies, and what they are about. Parents may find their children getting undressed in front of other kids or playing doctor or exploring their bodies. It’s important not to be alarmed or overreact, this is normal. While parents should set boundaries, they should not treat it as a horrible thing.
Often four-year olds may linger back to wanting more security. They used to be okay when a parent left them at a party, now they may need a parent to linger for a few minutes until they feel more comfortable.
Different theorists speculate different views on child development. Sigmund Freud developed five phases he thought children passed through in their growing up years. During the first phase, the Oral stage, an infant is fixated on things pertaining to the mouth, the most common being eating. Infants often spend a great deal of time sucking and biting. According to Freud, an infant is being controlled by the id, meaning he wants immediate gratification of his desires. The second stage, the Anal stage, occurs from ages one to two, and this is often when toilet training occurs. Children develop an ego, and begin to realize they may not fulfill their desires as soon as they want them. The next phase, the Phallic stage, lasts four years until age six, and during this time children become more interested in their private areas. They may also develop crushes on the opposite sex parent, which is what Freud deemed the “Oedipus,” and “Electra,” complexes. While children are six to eleven years old or in the Latency stage, their interest switches back to bonding with their same sex parent or just making friends and getting good grades in school. The Genital stage lasts the longest from age 11 to 18. Children have a renewed interest in sex, and as they mature will be forming intimate relationships with the opposite sex.
Jean Piaget studied development in regards to how children learn. In the Sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth until a child turns two years old, infants learn by using their five senses to explore their environment. They learn about object permanence, that objects exist, even if they physically cannot see them at the moment. In the Preoperational period from age two to seven, children gather information in order to solve problems. Children have a tendency to think in specifics and not be able to generalize yet. Children in this age group still think about how things are going to affect them, they do not think about other people yet. During the Concrete Operations Period, children are a little older, around seven to eleven years old, and they are starting to compare and contrast, and otherwise analyze data. While these children are learning to be logical in their thinking, they are still very literal in their thinking as well, meaning they still see everything in Black and White. The last stage, the Formal Operations Period occurs during the teenage years, and this is when a child turns his logical thinking into a more abstract form. He can hypothesize about theories and reflect about other points of view.
Erik Erickson also studied development. He had eight stages of development for people, but only the first four or five really dealt with children. The first stage dealt with trust, and stated that if an infant was played with, nurtured, and loved, she would trust her parents and later others, if the baby was neglected, the child would later have a hard time forming relationships. The next phase happens to toddlers as they struggle between developing autonomy vs. being willful. If they are parented well, they will grow up with healthy self-esteem. However, most two year olds try at one point to throw a tantrum to get what they want. Erickson says the third stage Learning Initiave vs. Guilt(fear) occurs during the pre-school years. If the child is well-adjusted, she’ll learn how to play by using her imagination, how to cooperate with others, and how to be a leader. However if she does not adjust well, she will live in fear of being away from her parents, and stay apart from her peers at school. The fourth stage Industry vs. Inferiority occurs during the school age and junior high years. Children are learning more formal skills in writing, reading and math, and their homework is harder. They are relating to classmates on a much higher level than before, and they want to be successful. The child that feels like she can not keep up with the rest is going to develop low self-esteem. That kind of leads into the final phase that children go through, which is the Learning Identity vs. the Identity Diffusion. Teens ask themselves “Who am I?” They are trying to understand themselves, and it may take the rest of their teenage years to get there.
While there are many guidelines for child development, each child will develop at their pace. But it is always nice to have a guide to help guide your child’s progress and to help you understand your child.
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