Monthly developmental characteristics of babies

Many people say that children grow very fast and change almost every day, so many parents are not very clear about what their children should look like in each month. In fact, for children, there are corresponding physical indicators in different months. Through these indicators, we can clearly see whether the child's development is normal. Next, we will introduce in detail the monthly development characteristics of babies.

Baby's physical development indicators

The general pattern of children's growth and development: height and weight will increase rapidly in the first two years after birth, will maintain a relatively stable growth from the age of 2 to puberty, will grow rapidly during puberty, and then will slowly stop developing. Generally, height, weight, head circumference and chest circumference are used as indicators of a child's reproductive development.

weight

Weight can reflect the child’s nutritional status in the recent period and is the most sensitive indicator of a child’s growth and development. It is affected by many factors such as disease, nutrition, and the addition of complementary foods.

(1) First 3 months after birth: The growth rate is relatively fast, usually gaining 600-1000 grams per month, and should not be less than 600 grams. (2) 3-6 months after birth: The growth rate is slightly slower, with an increase of approximately 600-800 grams per month. (3) 6-12 months after birth: Generally, the baby gains 300 grams per month. (4) After 1 year old: The growth rate slows down. Babies aged 1-3 years generally gain about 150 grams per month on average. Weight after 1 year old can be estimated using the formula: weight (kg) = age × 2 + 7 (or 8).

,height

Height can reflect a child’s long-term nutritional status, and also reflect which short-term growth and development factors have little impact on a child’s height. It is an important indicator of children’s growth and development and is affected by genetics, environment, and race.

(1) The first year after birth: Growth is very rapid, with an average of 25 cm per year. (2) The second year after birth: The growth is slower than the first year, with an average annual growth of 10 cm. (3) The third year after birth: The growth rate slows down, with an average annual growth of 4 to 7.5 cm. (4) Infancy: The body shape changes from a plump and plump type to a slender and tall type. The growth of the limbs slowly catches up with the growth of the trunk. The average height of a child after one year old can also be estimated by the formula: Height (cm) = age × 5 + 80.

Head circumference

It is a key indicator reflecting the brain growth and development of infants and young children.

(1) General rule: The average head circumference of a newborn is usually 34 cm. The head circumference grows most rapidly in the first year after birth, averaging 46 cm at one year old; it increases by 2 cm in the second year; and by 1-2 cm in the third year. When a child reaches three years old, the average head circumference can generally reach about 48 cm, which is basically the same as that of an adult. (2) Fontanelle closure: Generally, the anterior fontanelle closes at 1-1.5 years old, and the posterior fontanelle closes at 3 months old. If the closure time is long, you should worry about whether you have rickets. Some babies have smaller fontanelles when they are born, and they will close earlier. This has a lot to do with the mother's good nutritional status during pregnancy. Tips

Parents should note that the saying "the bigger the baby's head, the smarter he is" is unscientific. A baby's intelligence is not proportional to the size of his head circumference. It is best if the head circumference is within the normal range. If it is too large, you may suffer from a brain tumor or hydrocephalus.

chest circumference

(1) When a baby is born: the chest circumference is generally smaller than the head circumference. But as the age increases, the former will gradually catch up with the latter.

(2) Under 1 year old: head circumference and chest circumference are similar. Given that babies’ nutritional status is better now than before, many children’s chest circumference and head circumference are already comparable when they are less than one year old. However, if the baby has the following conditions, a different analysis is required: malnutrition, lack of exercise, or chest deformities such as pigeon chest.

(3) After 1 year old: Chest circumference gradually catches up with head circumference.

(4) Puberty: The chest cavity develops gradually and develops towards adult size

Symptoms of physical developmental delay in infants

The growth rates of infants and young children vary, but there are certain patterns. If your baby has any of the following symptoms, please take him to see a doctor as soon as possible:

Signs of baby's physical development

2 months: Inability to lift the head when picked up, body stiff or weak, or neck and back pulling away.

2-3 months: When picked up, the baby's legs are stiff and crossed.

3-4 months: Unable to reach out and grasp, and cannot pick up toys from a short distance; the baby has difficulty lifting his head.

4 months: The baby cannot put things in his mouth yet; when his feet are about to touch the ground, he does not know how to push his legs down.

5-6 months: The baby will still have asymmetrical neck tension flares.

6 months: The baby cannot sit even with support from family members.

After 6 months: The baby can only extend one hand at a time, and the other will make a fist.

7 months: At this time, after the baby is pulled up into a sitting position, the baby cannot lift his head; the baby cannot put things in the innermost part; nor can he reach things around him; the baby's legs cannot bear a certain weight.

8 months: Baby cannot sit up by his own strength.

After 10 months: When the baby crawls, he only uses one hand or foot to exert strength, and his body will tilt to one side.

12 months: The baby cannot crawl yet, but can stand up with the support of family members.

18 months: The baby still can't walk; a few months after learning to walk, the baby is still not confident when walking, or always walks on tiptoe.

After 2 years old: height growth is less than 5 cm per year.

At 36 months old, the baby often falls or cannot climb stairs; always drools; and cannot fiddle with small objects.

Signs of language development in babies by age

4 months: Children will not imitate the sounds made by their parents.

6 months: No laughing or yelling.

8 months: Your baby won't use sounds to get your attention.

9 months: The baby has not yet started babbling and learning to talk like adults.

At 10 months old: The baby does not respond when others call his name.

9-10 months: Your baby doesn’t know how to let you know whether he is happy or upset.

At 12 months old: The baby has not yet learned some body language, such as waving, shaking head, etc.

12 months: Your baby cannot say 1-2 initial consonants and does not know how to tell you when he needs your help.

At 15 months: The baby does not understand simple words, such as goodbye, and will not respond in any way.

15 months: The baby has a very small vocabulary, no more than 3 words, and no more than 6 types of body language such as waving hands.

At 18 months: The baby can say no more than 6 to 10 words.

18-20 months: The baby has not yet learned to use his fingers to touch objects.

20 months: The baby can pronounce less than 6 initial consonants.

21 months and older: Will not respond to simple commands.

21 months: Your baby won't play by himself or pretend with a doll.

After 24 months: Cannot put two words together; does not know the functions of common tools such as toothbrushes.

24 months: The baby will not learn other people's speech or actions.

At 2 years of age: Will not point out body parts when asked.

30 months old: What the child says is difficult for others to understand, including family members.

36 months: Cannot speak simple sentences, ask questions, or make himself/herself understood by strangers.

Over 3 years old: Has not learned how to say shorter phrases; cannot understand shorter commands; is unwilling to talk to other children; does not like to be separated from parents.

Over 3 and a half years old: often speaks incompletely and lacks words.

At the age of 4: He still often stutters when speaking and others cannot clearly understand what he says.

3 strategies for babies with delayed language development

In response to the situation of delayed language development in infants, parents can implement the following three countermeasures:

1. The most basic method for babies to learn language is imitation. Therefore, parents can take more time to talk to their babies, let them imitate the pronunciation of adults, encourage them to speak boldly, and use words to express what they want.

2. While encouraging your baby to speak, give him some stimulation. If you want your baby to call you mom but he doesn't, you can nod appropriately to encourage him. If the child calls for mom, the mother should happily kiss and hug the baby. This will make him feel that calling "Mom" can make his mother love him more and stimulate the baby's interest in speaking.

3. Take your baby out more often and let him/her experience the outside world. More contact with the outside world can enrich children's lives, broaden their horizons, and naturally make them want to speak. You can also combine some language training appropriately to enhance your baby's language ability.