Strategies to Aid in Infant Development

Strategies to Aid in Infant Development

As new parents soon realize, the development that occurs during infancy is a period of rapid changes. Not only is a new child growing physically, but she is also developing cognitive, social, and emotional skills that will endure throughout her lifespan. However, it can be difficult to tease apart the different needs of an infant. It is our hope to aid in this area by providing a set of guidelines that will direct parenting strategies in a way that will foster healthy and successful development through this important stage of life. We will address the child's physical and motor development, her cognitive needs, and her social/emotional skills in order to simplify the process. However, it is important to remember that each of these areas is like members of a "team," and it is important to consider all aspects of development to help your child grow successfully (Boyd and Bee, 2006).

Cognitive development in the infancy of a child is a very critical and important time. It is during this time that the child's, intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols. Knowledge of the world is limited but developing because it is based on physical interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence, or an awareness that objects continue to exist when out of sight, at about 7 months of age (Boyd and Bee, 2006). Also, during this time the child is starting to become more mobile and will start to explore things which will help the child to begin to develop new intellectual ideas and abilities according to Piaget's cognitive development theory (Boyd and Bee, 2006). This stage is what he calls the sensorimotor stage, and it is fundamental in creating "schemes," from which the infant can begin to make sense of the world around her (Boyd and Bee, 2006).

To create a better environment for the child to develop their cognitive ability, we recommend challenging the child's abilities. Ideas or tasks that could be useful for this might consist of taking time and playing with the child and reinforcing them when they accomplish a task. Incorporate new toys that will allow the child a new learning experience which will help the child to assimilate objects and learn new schemas (Boyd and Bee, 2006). Put a toy barely out of reach and let the child work to get it. This will help the child's mobility and develop the child cognitively as it will learn from its failed attempts. Another recommendation is to allow the child to interact with children within the same age group. This will help the child develop by learning from others. However, it is counterproductive to present material or information that is too far beyond the child's level. This could cause the child to become frustrated and may hinder the child's development.

Physical development is also critical to a child's success in infancy, and is closely related to cognitive development. In addition to visible physical growth, the development that is occurring in the brain at this period is extremely important. In the first two years, the number of synapses between neurons grows exponentially (Boyd and Bee, 2006). The massive amount of synapses in the brain provides the child with an adequate amount of options, so to speak, from which connections can be later pruned. However, the "use it or lose it" philosophy applies (Boyd and Bee, 2006). It has been shown that children raised in an intellectually challenging environment keep more of these earlier synapses (Boyd and Bee, 2006. Thus, it is important to provide the child with adequate visual stimulation, which can be accomplished through mobiles and other crib decorations, infant-directed toys, and a variety of environmental settings. However, an infant can be over-stimulated, so we advise moderation in this area.

Many parents often question whether or not television viewing can provide helpful stimulation in brain development. The answer, so far, is no. In fact, one researcher claims that "excessive television watching in the first 3 years of life may causes changes to the brain that predispose children to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder" (Boyd and Bee, 2006, p. 89). Although no data is yet conclusive, we strongly advise that infants not be exposed to television until the age of two.

Finally, if one is considering to breastfeed, the data suggests that there is a significant benefit to doing so. Breast milk contributes to weight and size gain as well as immunity passed from mother to child (Boyd and Bee, 2006). If it is at all possible, breastfeeding