Wonderfully Made: The Four Stages of Baby’s Development

photo: http://www.snegidhi.com 

You planned everything during those first nine months of your baby’s life.  What you ate, the music you listened to, how much you exercised, which child birth method you’d use, whose advise you’d follow and whose you thought was a little too wacky.  Now your precious little treasure has arrived and the reality of all you have to teach that little person makes you break out in a cold sweat.  Out there in the harsh, cruel world, your child will take the tools you have given him or her, and begin to impact the world around them.

Think about that.  The experiences in a child’s first five years will have a critical impact on their sense of self-esteem, their view of where they fit in the world, and their ability to trust and even feel empathy.  In their first year alone, babies go through significant mental, social and physical growth.  It’s true that a new baby only has a range of visual focus up to about 8 inches, but that doesn’t mean that child is not learning.  In fact, infants are using most of their senses to learn about the world around them.  For example, at birth, a child’s sense of smell, taste, touch and hearing are almost fully developed. As you hold baby, he is learning about your smell, the sound of your voice, and even your touch.

Long before they are ready to utter their first words, they understand a lot about communicating.  They know that when you shake your head, they better stop throwing that rattle off the high chair.  They know when you open your arms and bend down, they can run up for a hug.  The silly sound daddy makes with his voice makes them giggle.  When they are hurt or scared, you sing softly to them, and they are comforted.

As a parent you have been given this precious gift to train and care for for only a short time.  Getting to know your child’s developing personality will be important as you guide them during the next few years of their life.  Over the next few weeks we’ll explore the various development stages your child will be growing through.  We’ll share ideas for helping them learn and develop new awareness.  But a note of caution:  All children develop at different rates and on different timelines. Be careful not to hold any one child up against another.  Your child may get to one stage quickly and to the next stage much more slowly.  It’s really quite amazing to watch a young person develop through each stage.  One of the most loved Psalms in the bible reminds us that we are “wonderfully made,” and indeed we might all agree to this as we watch our children growing, thinking, being creative and using all those wonderfully made parts to grow into a very special and unique person.

Children’s development involves four basic areas:

  Physical:   

• Large muscles; Small muscles; Coordination; Timing & Rhythm

  Cognitive

• Creativity; Discovery; language Skills; Judgment & Reason; Ability to focus & control impulses

  Emotional

• Feelings of happiness; Feeling of power in their surroundings; Aware of how they feel; Sensitivity to others; Emotional strength and stability; Sense of humor; Feelings about self

  Social

• Occurs in group activities; learning appropriate behaviors in different situations

It’s important to watch for a child’s development in all four areas to best help them prepare for school and life.  Any preschool, Kindergarten and beyond that you eventually choose should include training for all these four areas during your child’s daily routines and lessons.

Next month:  Ten Activities to Stimulate Baby’s Senses: Birth to 3 months.