Let me Introduce Myself: My Development in Infancy
0-16 Weeks Old
- I have reflexive random behaviors and no pattern of sleeping and walking
- I use all 12 oculomotor muscles to see and watch and stare
- I use my eyes, ears, mouth and hands most of the time
- I learn rapidly to regulate my oral respiratory organs
- My head lags, my neck lifts and stretches and my arms and legs are jerky
- I have a midline down the center of my body and my hands and eyes pass the midline after few weeks
- I am good at tracking, gazing, staring, blinking, burping and crying
- I recognize familiar persons and smile, coo, even laugh
- I snuggle and sleep lightly then deeply, eating every few hours, staring and listening even when my parents think I am sleeping
16-34 Weeks Old
- My upper body is solid when I am picked up and I roll on my back and once in a while flip over; my fingers go into my mouth,
- I am awake more of the day, but sleep deeply and then startle as I awaken
- I hold my head upwards and raise up my chest when I am lying on my stomach
- My arms are loose and I start to reach for toys and familiar people and I learn to hold objects in the palm (a palmar grasp)
- I use both sides of my body, kicking, moving vigorously, rocking forward
- I know when I am hungry, wet, tired or uncomfortable
- I hunger for touch as well as talk and being with other people
- I am aware of smell, taste, touch, sight, sound and movement and I use them all to feel comfortable, loved and alive…oh, yes I talk; you know it is “Crying”
34-48 Weeks Old
- I work every waking moment on my body building skills
- I am learning to sit alone and eat larger amounts of milk and ten foods
- Sometimes I fall flat and crawl with help
- I stand and bear weight
- I use my whole arm, hands and fingers with good control, picking up small objects, touching things I should not touch
- My verbal skills are a combination of babble, self-chatter, and many sounds are made up of vowels, plus g,d,b and the occasional Ma, Da, ga, ttttt
- I laugh and talk to people, smiling, screeching and anything else to get attention
- My fingers poke at holes, and I can pinch things, pull hair and poke and I notice when my loved ones leave me; I even may cry to get then to come back
- I am a mover and a shaker, crawler and an explorer
- My sturdy legs and feet are fully under control
- I alternate my legs and arms, cruise, walk supported and use several real words
48-52 Weeks Old
- I love hide and seek, trial and error and the pursuit of all objects that I can see and hear and touch and taste
- I obey simple directions
- I cannot share
- My muscles and nerve endings are becoming more useful and complete
- I am a runner, a swaggerer, a puller and pusher, a builder and a destroyer!
- I build towers of 2-3 blocks and knock them down
- I say 2-3 words together, like “all gone”
- I have achieved personal status in life
- I advance bravely and then retreat to the security of my parents
- I have an idea every second and I act on every one
- My words are replacing actions, like saying “bye-bye”
- My memory is fine thank you!
- On a good day, I may even cooperate with my parents and try to pull on my pants
- On a very good day, I copy or trace with a crayon and scribble
- Life is good see ya later!
