Essay On The First Two Years After Birth

The infants physical development starts with the head and then moves to other parts of the body. From the very beginning babies are very curious and are ready to start exploring. Infants necks are unable to support the weight of the head when the baby is sat up straight. They are able to turn their heads left to right when laying down. Infants are able to close their fist.

A child develops through its whole life. They can develop; physically, linguistically, intellectually, socially and behaviourally. “Physical development is the way in which the body increases in skill and becomes more complex in its performance” [Meggitt, 2000, Page 2]. Twenty five days after conception; the body of the chid has developed immensely from the small fertilised egg. Up to birth the foetus mainly develops physically however once the child is born the child then begins the long process of development. Not only do the gross motor skills and the fine motor skills develop on the baby, but the sensory development also widens on the child.

The physical growth transformations infants undergo in stage two of lifespan development range from, brain, motor, to sensory/perceptual development, and infant’s overall body height and weight. During the first two years, brain

This Trust vs. Mistrust crisis occurs during the first year and a half of life with hope being the basic virtue once the stage is successfully completed (McLeod, 2013). When a sense of trust is developed, the infant will know that if a new crises arises, their needs will be met by the outside world. These physical and emotional needs include: being fed when hungry, kept warm and dry, allowed undisturbed sleep, protection from disease and injury, and receive adequate stimulation (Hutchison,

The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial stage is trust vs. mistrust, which is experienced, in the first year of life. Infants learn to trust in order to satisfy their needs thus developing a feeling of self-worth. When infants receive inconsistent care they

| There are many physical developments that a child starts to develop by 6months. Some of these include; being able to turn their heads when they hear sounds or see movements, when they are being fed they can stare at the adult’s face, when they hear a familiar voice they will smile, put whatever they have into their mouth and be able to hold and shake a rattle.

Physical Development: Baby can do small movements such as turn their head. They sleep most of the time and this is why they are going to grow fast.

The development of a child in the first year of life is extremely intense; in just 52 weeks’ an infant goes through major physical, cognitive and social and emotional developments.

Throughout the first year of life, babies will undergo rapid social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Motor control develops from the head, moves down through the arms and then to the legs and feet. Initial movements are reflexive in nature, such as turning the head to the side when the cheek is stroked, which aids in feeding. Babies will start to turn their heads from side to side when lying on the back or belly,this will happen around one month. At three

Physical Development is very rapid during the early stages and babies respond from day one; by six months, babies begin to reach for objects!

Summarise the factors which may influence the health and development of babies in the first year of their lives.

Parents are primarily responsible for satisfying this stage of development in their child. It is imperative parents are attentive to their infant's needs so trust can be developed.

Infancy is recognized as the stage of life from a human 's birth up until he or she learns how to speak: generally until the age of one or two. During this stage, the child transitions from a dependent toddler to a relatively active child; he or she is typically able to crawl, roll over and walk. In terms of physical development, the stage of infancy witnesses the most growth. Also during infancy the child gains a sense of trust when its caregivers provide affection and reliability, a lack of such

If the individual’s needs are not met in this stage the individual will most likely develop a mistrust that will hamper relationship in the future. The relationship between parent and caregiver is vital. “It is during the first months of life that the baby comes to trust or not, to have faith or not. Whether trust and faith are developed has direct implications for identity formation” (Goodwin, 1998) The goal of this stage is to gain ‘Hope’.

The first year of an infant’s life can be a time of great joy and learning, developmental growth physically, mentally and emotionally while providing an opportunity for parents to ensure their infant’s needs are being met. In 1965 Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial growth stages beginning with Stage 1, ‘trust vs. mistrust’, which occurs from birth and throughout the first year of an infant’s life (Candlin 2008, p.76).