INFANCY

 Mrs. Kemi sits on the couch scrolling through social media while Tiwa, her 9-month-old daughter, plays with her toys on the floor. She watches a video of another baby, just a few weeks older than Tiwa, taking wobbly steps while the mother excitedly cheers.

"Hmm… Tiwa is not even standing on her own yet, let alone walking," she thinks to herself.

She looks over at Tiwa, who is happily babbling, “Ba-ba, Da-da, Ga-ga” while picking up her toy and passing it from one hand to another. Kemi smiles briefly, but the worry lingers.

Later that evening, she calls her sister. "Aunty Funmi, I’m a bit worried about Tiwa. She’s 9 months now, but she’s not walking or saying proper words like ‘Mama’ or ‘Dada.’ I saw a baby on Instagram already taking steps. Do you think something is wrong?"

Aunty Funmi laughs gently, "Ah, Kemi, calm down. Walking at 9 months is very early. Most babies start walking around their first birthday. And as for talking, Tiwa is doing exactly what she should—babbling. First words will come soon. Does she sit well? Crawl? Play peek-a-boo?"

"Yes," Kemi responds. "She sits without support, crawls everywhere, and even pulls herself up to stand with the couch. She also follows me when I call her name."

"Then there’s nothing to worry about! She’s right on track. Just give her time, encourage her with play, and talk to her a lot. If you’re still worried, you can ask the doctor at her next check-up, but for now, relax, my dear!", Aunty Funmi explains.

Kemi exhales deeply. Maybe she was overthinking it. She looks at Tiwa, who is now clapping her hands and giggling. Smiling, she picks her up and says, “My little Tiwa, you’re doing just fine.”

Luckily for Mrs Kemi, she had Aunty Tiwa, a retired paediatrician to calm her nerves. Raising an infant may be a time of pressure for many mothers as they may have heard different myths from relatives that may put an unhealthy expectation of growth and development for their children. But today, we will be exploring the period of infancy and what to expect in this period.

Infancy is the period of early childhood that begins at birth and lasts until 12 months (1 year) of age. It is a critical stage of growth and development, marked by rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. 

In the context of childhood development, growth is defined as the increase in the size of the body and its organs as a result of multiplication in the number and size of cells. Most children triple their birth weight and gain 50% of their initial length by the first year of life. That is, if your baby’s weight at birth was 3.5 kg at birth, then, by his or her first birthday, they should be weighing around three times that value.

Development is the individual level of functioning a child is capable of as a result of the maturation of the nervous system and psychological reactions. It is broadly measured across 4 domains 

• Motor 

• Cognitive 

• Language 

• Social or Emotional 

Now, do not be bothered too much if you don’t understand all of these terms; they are right below; keep scrolling!

Developmental milestones are important skills or abilities that most children develop at specific ages. They occur across all the domains of development, and they also occur sequentially. Here are some major developmental milestones to look out for in your child in the first year of life. 

1. Gross motor: ‘Gross’ means something that can be seen with the naked eye and ‘motor’ means movement or motion. Now, putting the two together, it means that your baby, as he/she grows through the first year of life, develops the ability to maintain posture and make movement involving large muscles.

This means that you should see your child do the following as an infant:

1. Raise head up to 45° while lying on tummy (6–8 weeks)

2. Can sit with rounded back (6 months) 

3. Can sit with a straight back at (8 months) 

4. Crawls (may commando crawl) (8-9 months) 

5. Cruises around furniture (10 months) 

6. Walks unsteadily with broad gaits and arms apart (12 months)

While these are not fixed timelines and some babies can take a little longer or shorter to perform any of these movements, if your child delays too long in doing any of these, do not panic; simply schedule your next visit to the paediatrician! 

2. Vision and Fine Motor: We know that vision refers to seeing, and fine motor, just like it sounds, are the small, precise movements your baby is able to make with their hands, fingers, or toes. You might wonder why we are lumping vision together with precise movements; it is because fine motor skills that will be carried out beautifully well by any infant require precise hand-eye coordination. This means that vision plays a very vital role in guiding your baby’s hand movements. You can DIY this in the crib with your baby by checking if your baby;

1. Follows moving object or face by turning the head (6 weeks) 

2. Reaches out for toys (4 months)

3. Palmar grasp (4–6 months)

4. Transfers toy from hand to hands (7 months)

5. Displays grasps like those of a pincers (10 months)

If any of these are not well coordinated with your child, visit the nearest clinic and book an appointment with the paediatric optometrist. Your baby will be well taken care of. 

Palmar grasp

  

Pincer grasp

3. Hearing, speech and language: Another key area you should look out for in your baby within their first year of life is their ability to respond to voices, sounds, or a language and the use of spoken, manual, written and/or other symbols to express, represent or receive communication

You should see your child doing the following in the first year of life:

1.  Startle to loud noise (At birth)

2. Vocalise alone or when spoken to, coos and laughs (3-4 months)

3. Turn to soft sounds out of sight (7 months)

4. Start to babble (9 months)

5. Two to three words other than Dada or mama (12 months)

4. Social or Emotional: A well-rounded infant will be one that is socially and emotionally responsive. You definitely will not want your baby to develop into a thousand-year-old ice brick who neither smiles, laughs, cries, or responds to people and the environment.

Your child should do do the following within the first year of life:

a. Smile responsively (6 weeks)

b. Puts food in the mouth at (6–8 months)

c. Waves bye and plays peek-a-boo. (10-12 months)

d. Drink from a cup with two hands (12 months)

5. Cognition: Cognitive development in the first year involves how a baby learns, explores, and interacts with their environment. Below are key cognitive milestones

a. Watch you as you move (2 months) 

b. Look at a toy for several seconds (2 months) 

c. If hungry, opens mouth when he/she sees breast or bottle (4months)

d. Look at his/her hand with interest (4 months) 

e. Put things in his/her mouth to explore them (6 months) 

f. Reach to grab a toy he/she wants (6 months) 

g. Close lips to show he/she doesn't want more food (6 months) 

h. Looks for objects when dropped out of sight like his spoon or toy (9 months) 

i. Bang two things together to make sound (9 months) 

j. Puts something in a container, like a block in a cup  (1 year) 

K. Looks for things he sees you hide, like a toy in a blanket (1 year) 

Infancy is an important period of life as the skill developed in this time serves as a foundation for life-long learning. To help your child transition properly through this period, you must pay attention to the following:

• Adequate nutrition: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, the timely introduction of adequate, safe, and nutritionally appropriate foods, in addition to breastmilk, starting at 6 months of age.

• Engage in ‘serve and return’: This involves paying close attention to your child's cues and responding appropriately. For example, when your baby smiles at you, smile back. This back-and-forth interaction helps build communication skills, emotional bonding, and brain development.

• Stay up-to-date with immunizations and healthcare visits: Regular check-ups and timely vaccinations help prevent illnesses and enable early detection of potential health concerns. Identifying and addressing abnormalities early increases the chances of effective treatment and positive outcomes.

Development in an infant is one of the many stages of growth you will be grateful you were a part of. Therefore, with patience, walk your baby through this phase, and you can be assured that all of these milestones will become little in your sight. In subsequent series, we will explain in details your role in ensuring optimal child development.

Till then, have a great time with your Well Child.