INFANCY: PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT - Cengage



infancy: physical development

Chapter 5

Beyond The Book

Design a Developmentally Appropriate Toy

In the text, the typical motor milestones are given for both arm movement and grasping and for locomotion. Pick an age group (e.g., 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year), and design a baby toy that is appropriate for the motor development of children in their assigned age range. For example, 6-month-olds can transfer objects back and forth between their hands so a large, patterned object would be an appropriate toy for infants of this age. Focus on why the toy is developmentally appropriate and appealing to both parents and children.

Early Brain Development

Go to the following website on brain development in infancy and childhood: . From the section on postnatal development from this FAQs page, have find and list 10 facts about the brain in postnatal development.

Death of a Malnourished Baby

In May of 2007, the Associated Press reported that a vegan couple was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of their 6-week-old son. The son’s death was attributed to malnutrition. He weighed only 3.5 pounds at the time of his death. The first-time parents claimed to have fed the child a diet consisting primarily of soy-milk and apple juice. Their lawyer claims that they unintentionally starved their child because the apple juice worked as a diuretic and blocked the absorption of nutrients from the soy milk. Prosecutors claimed the baby suffered a prolonged and painful death, not because of what he was fed, but because he was fed too little and that his nutritional needs were deliberately ignored by his parents. (Full articles can be found at and )

Reflect on this case. What are the nutritional needs of an infant? What kinds of problems, other than death, can malnutrition cause? What kinds of social policies could be enacted to inform parents of their child’s nutritional needs? How can new mothers get help to feed their baby? Do you agree or disagree with the outcome of this case? Why?

Infant Diets: Creating a Guide for Caregivers

According to the NIH, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with one child in five being overweight (Torgan, 2002). It seems the fear of having an obese child has influenced some parents to implement a low fat diet for their infants, which can be harmful to the child’s healthy development. In fact, most of America's malnourished infants and toddlers today come from one of two sources: poverty that does not give children access to the food they need, and parents wanting to help their children fight obesity, cholesterol, or heart disease. However, fat is an essential part of infants’ diets. Fats are needed for brain development, development of the visual system, tissue growth, and heart health (Uauy & Castillo, 2003). Fats also assist in general growth and keep a child's body temperature consistent. Use information from the textbook and the internet to fill out the handout You’re the Scientist: Research Methods used to Examine Babies’ Perceptual Abilities, a guide for caregivers.

A good starting point is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s collection of resources on infant and child nutrition in their Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC), fnic.nal.. Another helpful resource is , a reputable website run by Vincent R. Iannelli, MD, FAAP is a board certified Pediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the UT Southwestern Medical School.

Torgan, C. (2002). Childhood obesity on the rise. The NIH Word on Health.

Uauy, R. & Castillo, C. (2003). Lipid requirements of infants: Implications for nutrient composition of fortified complementary foods. Journal of Nutrition, 133(9), 2962S-2972S.

Handout: You’re the Scientist: Research Methods used to Examine Babies’ Perceptual Abilities

Instructions. Use the information found in your textbook and information you gather from reputable internet sources, such as the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Information Center (fnic.nal.), to create a pamphlet informing new parents about the nutritional needs of their children.

Nutritional Needs of Infants

Name ___________________________

Date______________ Section:_______

Infants (0-6 months)

Nutritional needs:

Diet recommendations:

Infants (6 months- 1 year)

Nutritional needs:

Diet recommendations: When and how should you introduce solid foods?

Toddlers (1-2 years)

Nutritional needs:

Diet recommendations:

Name: ________________________________________________________________ Date: _________________ Section: _______________

Perceptual Research with Infants

Instructions: Use the research methods described in your textbook and by your instructor to determine the age at which infants achieve the perceptual skill assigned to you: __________________

| |Participants |Materials Needed|Procedure |Evidence indicating an infant had acquired|Evidence indicating an infant had NOT |

| |(Ages, etc.) | | |the perceptual skill |acquired the perceptual skill |

|Habituation/ | | | | | |

|Dishabituation | | | | | |

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|Preferential Looking | | | | | |

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|Operant Conditioning | | | | | |

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