1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS & TODDLERS
Learning Outcomes ;
At the end of this topic, the student should be able to:
.trace the physical development that you have gone through as infants and toddlers.
.identify factors that enhance / impede the physicaldevelopment of infants and toddlers
.Present your own or others’ research on the physicaldevelopment of infants and toddlers
Outline:
• Cephalocaudal and Proximodorsal Patterns
• Height and Weight
• Brain Development
• Motor Development
• Sensory and Perceptual Development
We have just traced the developmental process before birth.
We shall continue to trace the developmental process by following the infant or the baby who is just born
up to when he reaches age 2.
the period that comes after pre-natal or antenatal stage is infancy
which, in turn, is followed by toddlerhood. Infancy and toddlerhood
Span the first two years of life.
Cephalocaudal and Proximodistal Patterns
Cephalocaudal trend- is the postnatal growth from conception to 5 months when the head grows more
than the body.
Proximodistal trend – is the pre-natal growth from 5 months to Birth when the fetus grows from the
inside of the body outwards.
Height and weight
• Its normal for new born babies to drop 5 to10 percent of their body weight within a couple weeks of
birth.
• Breastfed babies are typically heavier than bottle-fed babies through the first six months. After six
months, breastfed babies usually weigh less than bottle-fed babies.
• In general, an infant’s length increases by about 30 percent

2. in the first five months.
• A baby’s weight usually triples during the fist year but slows
down in the second year of life.
• Low percentages are not a cause for alarm as long as infants
progress along a natural curve of steady development.
Brain development
• Brain Development - among the most dramatic changes in the brain in the first two years of life are the
spreading connections of dendrites to each other. Remember neurons, dendrites axon, synapses?
(Neurons have specialized cell parts called dendrites and axons. Dendrites bring electrical signals to the
cell body and axons take information away from cell body).
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
•Myelination or myelinization- the process by which the axons are covered and insulated by layers of fat
cells, begins prena-tally and continues after birth. The process of myelination or myelinization increases
the speed at which information travels through the nervous system.
• At birth the newborns brain is about 25 percent of its adults weight by the second birthday, the brain is
about 75 percent of its adults weight.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
• Shortly after birth, a baby's brain produces trillions moreconnections between neurons than it can
possibly use. The brain eliminates connections that are seldom or never used(Santrock, 2002).
• A study on rats conducted by Mark Rosenzweig in 1969 revealed that the brains of rats that grew up in
the enriched environment developed better than the brains of the animalsreared in standard or isolated
conditions.
The brains of the “enriched” animals weighed more, had thicker layers, had more neuronal connections
and had higher levels of neuro- chemical activity. Such finding implies that enriching the lives of infants
who live in impoverished environments can produce positive changes in their development (Santrock,
2002). Depressed brain activity has been found in children who grew up in a depressed environment
(Circhetti, 2001, cited by Santrock, 2002)
Motor Development
• Along this aspect of motor development, infants and toddlers begin from reflexes, to gross motor skills
and fine motor skills.
REFLEXES
Sucking reflex- When something touches a baby’s palate, he or she starts to suck it.
Rooting reflex- starts when the corner of the baby’s mouth is stroked or touched. Curling reflex- As a
response to the trigger, the baby suddenly lifts the arms and legs, curl them back toward the body and
then throw the head back.
Startle/Moro reflex- The Moro reflex is often called a startle reflex. That’s because it usually occurs when
a baby is startled by a loud sound or movement. In response to the sound ...
Galant reflex- This reflex causes babies to curve their hip outward if the lower back is stroked next to the
spine.
Tonic Neck Reflex- demonstrated in infants who are placed on their abdomens.
Gross motor skills
• Movements involving larger muscles, like those in the arms, legs, feet or the entire body.

3. •Gross motor skills are the abilities usually acquired during childhood as part of a child’s motor learning.
Fine motor skills
• Movements involving small muscles, like those in hands wrist and fingers
What are the some Research findings Regarding newborns visual perception's ? Can new born see ?
.The newborn’s vision is about 10 to 30 times better than normal adult vision
• The newborn’s vision is about 10 to 30 times lower than normal adult vision. By 6 months of age, vision
becomes better and by the first birthday, the infant’s vision approximates that of an adult. (Banks &
Salapatek, 1983 cited by Santrock,
2002)
CAN NEW BORN SEE?
• Infants look at different things for different lengths of time, in an experiment conducted by Robert Fantz
(1963 cited by Santrock, 2002),
• Infants preferred to look at patterns such as faces and concentric circles rather than at color or
brightness.
• Pattern perception has an innate bases ( sanrock 2000)
• First few things babies learn to recognize is mother’s face
Can new bOrnS hear?
• Much before the birth of the baby.
- Hears mother’S heartbeat, grumbling of his/her stomach, mother voice and music
Can newborns Diffentiate odors?
• Young infants who were breastfed showed a clear preference for smelling their mother’s breast pad
when they were 6 days
old.
Can newborn Feel pain ? DO THEY RESPOND TO TOUCH?
• They do feel pain
-newborn males show a higher level of cortisol. ( an indicator of stress) after a circumcision than prior to
the surgery ( taddio, et al, 1997 cited by santrock, 2022 )
• Babies respond to touch,
- Sucks an object placed in his/ her mouth
Can newborn Distinguish the different taste ?
• In a study conducted with babies only two hour old , babies made different facial expressions when they
taste sweet, sour and bitter solutions (Rosenstein & Oster 1988, cited by santrock ,2022)
Do infants relate information through several senses? In short, are infants capable of intermodal
perception?
• Intermodal perception is the ability to relate, connect and integrate information about two or more
sensory modalities such as vision and hearing
• It was found out that as early as at 3 ½ months old, infants looked
more at their mother when they also heard her voice and
longer at their father when they also heard his voice.
Assessment
Having learned the physical development of infants and toddlers, as a future parent or as caregiver of
children, reflect on. What you should do more often for infants and toddlers?
What you should refrain from doing to facilitate their growth and development?
Assignment
Read and research on physical development of infants and toddlers.