Growth & development of infant from 6 to 12 month of age; How parents can support healthy development?

🔴 GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT OF INFANT FROM 6 TO 12 MONTH OF AGE

This age is the age of rapid development, not only in observable changes like height & weight but also in brain development.

🔹 Weight of the person can increase or decrease till death.

🔹 Height of the person cannot be increased after puberty. 

🔹 At birth, the average baby's brain is 25% of adult brain & double by 1 year of age. It keeps growing to about 80% by age 3 year and 90% by age 5 year. 

In short... Brain development is more important than height which is more important than weight in children till 5 year of age. 

🔴 Factors responsible for growth and development

❇️ Heredity

🔹 Heredity is transmission of physical and mental characteristics from parents to children through genes 

🔹 It cannot be changed 

❇️ Family influence 

🔹 It plays an important role from the meeting of genes till death of the person.

🔹 It includes parents, grandparents and other members living in the family 

🔹 It can be changed, in fact it can be used as a stimulation for better results. 

Example: If two children with the same genetics born to the same parents are the same, Answer is No. Why?  One of the main reasons is the different environment from the point of conception till 5 year of age. 

❇️ Environment 

🔹 It includes neighbors, peers, school and social media 

🔹 It can be changed 

❇️ Nutrition 

🔹 Nutrition of the child as well as Mother is important for growth and development 

🔹 Deficiency and overeating are harmful for growth and development. 

❇️ Hormones

🔹 It plays important role in growth and development 

🔹 It cannot be changed but it can be treated if it is the cause of failure in growth and development of children 

❇️ Learning and reinforcement 

🔹 If help in overall development of personality including intellectual, mental, emotional, social and physical development 

🔹 If proper technique of brain development is implemented from conception (Garb Sanskar) till 12 year of age, it helps in much faster development. 

🔹 Reinforcement is a component of learning where an activity is repeated and refined to solidify the lesson learned. 

❇️ Socio-economic status 

🔹 As money determines the nutrition, family environment, neighbors and school, it has influenced in growth and development 

🔹 Lack of money or too much money can cause poor growth and development.

🔹 It can be changed but  lot of children from poor family had done much better than rich family. 

In short.... Nature contributes to the growth and development, but nurture contributes much more.

🔴 Weight of the child

🔹 From 7th to 10th month, baby gain about 300 gram per month 

🔹 From 10th to 12th month, babies gain about  200 gram per month 

🔹 Most babies triple their birth weight by 1 year. 

🔹 Consult pediatrician 

▪️ If weight gain is less than 200 gram from 6th to 10 month or less than 100 gram in next 2 month 

️ If weight gain is more than 500 gram from 7th to 10th month or more than 400 gram in the next 2 month. 

🔹 How to increase the weight of the baby?

▪️ Good nutrition to mother 

▪️ Positive home environment 

▪️ Consult pediatrician for supplements if needed 

🔴 Height of the child

🔹 From 7th to 12th month, babies gain about 1 to 1.5cm per month.

🔹 Consult pediatrician 

▪️ If height gain is less than 1cm in every 2 month 

🔹 How to increase the height of the baby?

▪️ Good nutrition to mother 

▪️ Positive home environment 

▪️ Baby massage and stretching may help.

▪️ Consult pediatrician for supplements if needed

🔴 Brain development

The early year of a child is very important as maximum brain development occurs and builds a foundation for future learning, health and success. Research has proven that the environment of a child's earliest year from conception to 5 year can have effects that last a lifetime. 

In short... Genes provide a blueprint for the brain, but a child's environment and experience carry out the construction. 

❇️ Know your normal milestones 

     --------------------------------------------------

🔹 Milestones are physical or behavioral checkpoints as they grow.

🔹 During 7th to 12th month, your baby will develop at an amazing speed

🔹 No two babies are same, each baby will grow at own speed

Example: Some babies walk as early as 9 month of age and some babies start walking at 17 month of age. Both are normal, still if you start implementing proper technique then the baby can walk early. 

🔹 If baby misses milestone range, please consult pediatrician 

Example: If the baby is not walking by 17 month of age. 

🔹 If your baby is born prematurely then you need to look milestones as per due date

Example: Your baby was supposed to be born on 1st March. Came into this world on 15th January. Use 1st of March as a date for assessment of milestones

🔹 If your baby is born post maturely, use date of birth as a assessment date. 

 Example: Your baby was supposed to be born on 1st March. Came on 20th March, use 20th March as a date of assessment of milestones 

🔹 Always consult pediatrician regularly for assessment of growth and development of infant. 

Remember... Always follow with your pediatrician for assessment of growth and development. If you missed this golden period of development, you and your kid will cry for ever

🔳 9 month of age. 

🔶 What most babies do by this age? 

🔹 Physical development 

▪Crawal

▪️Can get into sitting position

▪️ Stand with support

▪️ Begin to pick up small objects by using pincer grip

🔹 Language development 

▪️ Understand NO

▪️ Makes lot of different sound like baaba, manana

▪️ Try to copy sounds of other

🔹 Cognitive development 

▪️ Look for things which you hide

▪️ Play peek o boo

🔹 Social development 

▪️ May be afraid of stranger

▪️ Wants to stay with familiar adult

🔶 Dangerous sign

▪️ Doesn't sit with support

▪️ Doesn't respond to name

▪️ Doesn't bear weight on leg with support

▪️ Doesn't transfer toy from one hand to another hand

▪️ Doesn't seem to recognize familiar people

▪️ Doesn't babble like dada or baba

In short...Follow this-milestones are there to save your life. 

🔳 1 year of age 

🔶 What most babies do by this age? 

🔹 Physical development 

▪️ May stand without support

▪️ Walk with support

▪️ May throw the ball in hand

🔹 Language development

▪Follow simple gesture like clapping the hand

▪ Respond to simple request like give me the ball

▪️May speak first word with meaning

🔹 Cognitive development

▪ Find the hidden things easily

▪ Look at common familiar objects like fan

▪Start using things correctly like drinking water from the cup

▪️Put things in a container, takes things out of a container

🔹 Social development

▪ Cries when mom leaves

▪ Fear the new place

▪️ 

🔶 Dangerous sign

🔹 Loose skill once he had like sitting without support

🔹 Doesn't crawl or stand with support

🔹 Doesn't learn gesture like bye bye

🔹 Doesn't speak dada, baba

 In short... Maximum problems of brain development can be solved if the patient reaches in time. 

🔴 Can we develop the brain of an infant?

🔹 Answer is yes

🔹 We cannot change the nature (genetics) but we can change nurture 

🔹 Consult pediatrician for home based stimulation programme 

Example: Show common 5 objects like fan, tv etc for a few days by naming them. Now ask where is fan out of 5 objects

 In short...Parents who take the learning, growth & skill development of their infant into their hand will have tomorrow's leaders in their house. 

🔳  Take home message in assessment of your baby milestones 

🔹 Missing one or two abilities should cause alarm 

🔹 Missing multiple abilities is dangerous

🔹 We can speed up brain development of our infant at our home. 

 In short...The more we give importance to development, the more competent will be your child. 

🙏🏻🙏🏻 If you like this blog, please share with other mothers and friends

 Remember.....Gaining knowledge is first step to wisdom and sharing it is first step to humanity 

Dr Ashish Agrawal, Paediatrician and expert in child behavior, education and developmental problems.

Ph: 8888126037, 7057551985

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