Parents are very much concerned about the growth and development of their kids. Child development based on age ensures your child's overall growth. They feel disturbed if they notice any developmental or growth delay in their kids. Each child is different, but there are specific milestones your child must attain at a specified stage. A child development guide can help parents identify developmental delay problems early. Here is a complete guide on the must-know milestones and the stages of child development.
A newborn baby’s brain and body grow based on their age. You can notice the growth or development in stages. This is called the stages of child development. You can witness your newborn performing new movements and activities as they grow. Attaining age-appropriate growth and mental development are called milestones. It helps doctors assess if the growth is as expected. Each child is different, and you cannot expect every child to attain the same milestones simultaneously. Have a glance at the stage of child development and milestones. This would serve as a child development guide for parents who doubt developmental delay in their kids.
Child development is usually classified into five stages. Several factors determine your child's physical and mental growth. Check out the child development stages by age.
(0-1 month)-Milestones and Growth
Weight gain is an important factor in this development stage. It also helps to track the growth of your baby. It is normal for your newborn to lose weight in the initial days after birth. However, a weight gain of 30 grams per day from birth must occur after a few days. Your newborn must sleep for 14-17 hours a day. Your baby must be able to cry, turn their head, look at their hands and listen to sounds in the first month after birth.
Babies in this development stage usually feel more hungry and demand more feeds. You may notice the following movements and actions in your baby during this stage:
During this stage, your baby must double its birth weight and start to move around. The following are the milestones that babies usually reach in 4-6 months.
During the 6th month, your baby might be interested in the food you eat and develop proper head control. This is an evident sign your baby is ready for solid food.
In this stage, you can notice drastic development in their physical ability. They start to crawl around the house. The common milestones during this stage are listed below.
You may notice some evident signs of development in your baby in this stage.
You may notice various exciting milestones when your baby becomes one year old.
Toddler - Development Stage
When your baby is two years old, he/she transitions from infant to toddler. In this stage, your child becomes more independent. Here are certain milestones for a two-year-old.
All 20 milk teeth are developed during this development stage. Other milestones are.
Pre-school- Development Stage
Your kids' gross and fine motor skills continue developing in this stage. Your kids are ready to join a play school. Your child can:
School Age - Development Stage
In this stage, your child is involved in various physical and mental activities.
Doctors and parents check for the above milestones in their kids to ensure their growth as expected. Each child is different, and you cannot expect all kids to exhibit the same milestones. You can expect a delay in milestones for premature kids. Discuss with your doctor if you notice a prolonged delay in your child's development or about missing milestones.
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The five stages of child development are:
These milestones vary slightly for each child, but they generally follow a predictable pattern.
A child’s development can be broadly classified into the following five stages: newborn, infant, toddler, preschool, and school age. The most important milestones and developments, like physical, emotional, social, and cognitive, happen during these stages.
Every child is different, and the time taken for development will also differ. Parents should understand this key difference and help their children achieve these developments in a constructive manner rather than comparing, shaming, or trying to achieve through punishments.
The five major developmental milestones for a child are gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language development, cognitive development, and social-emotional development. A child learning to move, do activities, becoming independent, and understanding instructions or communicating, all fall under these five milestones.
The seven key stages of development a child’s brain goes through are - neurogenesis, cell migration, cell differentiation, cell maturation, synaptogenesis, cell death and pruning, and myelination. These stages cover the birth of new brain cells, their movement to different locations in the body, development, specialisation, and formation of connections.
