Infant Development
Infant Development
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Each child is unique
Therefore, development is too! However, there are certain things that your child should be able to do at each age. This page presents a few skills that a child will demonstrate during the first year of life. I also discuss the importance of building attachment through co-occupations with your child.
Development Birth to 12 Months
Development Birth to 12 Months
(Zero to Three, 2016)
Quick Reference Motor Development Chart (0-24 Months)
Quick Reference Motor Development Chart (0-24 Months)
GrossMotorChart.pdfAttachment
Attachment
Maternal-fetal attachment refers to the special bond that a mother shares with her child before it is born. Research indicates that high maternal-fetal attachment is positively related to development of the infant's cognitive and social skills and is inversely related to postpartum depression (Kingston et al., 2012; Delvari et al., 2018).
This attachment continues to build outside of the womb through engagement in co-occupations. A co-occupation is defined by Pizur-Barnekow and Erickson (2011) as any activity that consists of shared physicality, emotionality, and intentionality during meaningful engagement. Examples of co-occupations include infant feeding, cares (i.e. diaper changing, clothing management), play exploration, emotional regulation, and sleep. Consistent and warm responses to the child's needs through engagment in co-occupations is how secure attachments are formed (Fearon & Roisman, 2017). When a child develops secure attachment with a caregiver, this is recognized as a protective and compensatory experience (PACE) which is correlated with positive health outcomes throughout life, even into adulthood (Crandell et al., 2019).
Infant Massage to Promote Attachment
Infant Massage to Promote Attachment
Infant massage has many benefits for both the child and the caregiver:
Can improve gross and fine motor development (Kusumastuti et al., 2016)
Linked to better sleep quality and longer sleep duration (Kusumastuti et al., 2016; Hartanti et al., 2019).
Alleviates infant pain symptoms (Mrljak et al., 2022)
Positively influences bilirubin levels to decrease jaundice (Mrljak et al., 2022)
Increases weight-gain (Mrljak et al., 2022; Sudarmi & Wahyuni, 2022)
Improves bonding and interactions between child and parents (Hartanti et al., 2019; Khuzaiyah et al., 2022)
Home-based, parent-performed infant massage is recommended to improve maternal mental well-being (Fan et al., 2022).
Check out these resources for additional information on infant massage!
Check out these resources for additional information on infant massage!
References
References
Crandall, A., Miller, J. R., Cheung, A., Novilla, L. K., Glade, R., Novilla, M. L. B., Hanson, C. L. (2019). ACEs and counter-ACEs: How positive and negative childhood experiences influence adult health. Child Abuse & Neglect N.PAG, 96. 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019104089
Delavari, M., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., & Mirghafourvand, M. (2018). The relationship of maternal-fetal attachment and postpartum depression: A longitudinal study. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 32(2), 263–267
Fan, P., Zhang, Z., Liu, Y., & Xiong, Y. (2022). Parent-performed infant massage for improving parental mental state within 18 months postpartum: A systematic review. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20220906-04
Fearon, R.M. & Roisman, G.I. (2017). Attachment theory: Progress and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, 131-136. http://dx.do.org/10-1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.002
Hartanti, A.T., Salimo, H., Widyaningsih, V. (2019). Effectiveness of infant massage on strengthening bonding and improving sleep quality. Indonesian Journal of Medicine 4(2), 165-176. https://doi.org/10.26911/theijmed.2019.04.02.10
Khuzaiyah, S., Adnani, Q.E.S., Chabibah, N., Khanifah, M., & Yiu Lee, K. (2022). A qualitative study on mothers’ experiences attending an online infant massage class: “It is funny! I feel close to my baby!”. BMC Nurs 21, 175. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00952-9
Kingston D., Tough S., and Whitfield H. (2012). Prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress and infant development: A systematic review. Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 43: pp. 683-714
Kusumastuti, N.A., Tamtomo, D., Salimo, H. (2016). Effect of massage on sleep quality and motor development in infant aged 3-6 months. Journal of Maternal and Child Health 1(3), 161-169. https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2016.01.03.03
Mrljak, R., Arnsteg Danielsson, A., Hedov, G., & Garmy, P. Effects of Infant Massage: A Systematic Review. (2022). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19, 6378. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116378
Sudarmi, S. & Wahyuni, I.G. (2022). The effect of infant massage on nutritional status and IGf-1 levels of malnourished babies aged 6-12 months. Integrated Nursing Journal, 4(1).
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