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Milestones & Development


As we talked about in Newborn Bonding , your newborns brain is at its basic form and your baby's
experiences will fine tune the development until young adult hood. This fine tuning occurs from the
back of the brain to the front of the brain where higher functions such as planning and emotional
regulation control exist. There are two type of development that will occur within your child based on their environment:

Experience-expectant development
Development dependent upon your child experiencing certain experiences. This is the development all children are expected to go through, milestones.

What are the expected experiences? 

Things to see- Their hand, the wall, your face, child safe mirrors, trees, the sky, outside, your home

Things to hear- Your voice & everyday sounds

Things to touch- Simple play objects, their hands, you, your home, and outside

Room to move- A clear safe place to move freely on the floor

Objects to pull onto- These should be sturdy and furniture should be anchored to the wall, this could be you, your coffee table, or anything sturdy/safe within your baby's reach.

Positive social interactions- You, your family, caretakers and everyday people

How does this look?
Social/emotional- Respond to your child and have positive social interactions. Your responses should be reliable & appropriate, for example if your child is crying or engaging you in play you do not respond angrily but with empathy for crying and happiness for engaging. If you are feeling angry it is also time to put your baby is a safe place (ex: crib or with a caretaker) and do some self care. Model emotional regulation and pro social behavior.

Language/communication- Talk to your baby and respond to their eye contact/coos/smiles as a conversation. Read to your baby and sing to them. If you are using a pacifier, save it for sleep times only.

Cognitive- Allow your child to play with safe objects and give your baby time to play on the floor. Allow your child to lead their play, and observe them.

Movement/ Physical development- Lay your baby on the floor in a safe area where they are free to move, supervised, and not restrained to anything.



Experience-dependent development
Development that differs one person from another, this is where parenting style plays more of a role.
Ex.
1. Discipline style
2. The quality of social interactions
3. Education philosophy
4. Specific environments experienced
5. The specific experiences the child is exposed to (Art, science, music etc.)



 Types of Stress

Toxic Stress

 Children experiencing Toxic stress can cause damage to your child's brain development. This type of stress is ongoing, consistent, and lacking adult support such as Adverse childhood experiences. 


Positive Stress
Stress that is short, temporary, and moderate. Such as fussing while attempting to roll over or fussing when you go to the bathroom.



Early Intervention
If you notice your child is showing the warning signs listed on the milestone sheet or have concerns for your child's development, please work with your health care professionals and click here




This is an educational resource not medical advice work with your Healthcare provider. . 





References
Center on the Developing Child (2007). The Science of Early Childhood Development (InBrief). Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

 Berger, Kathleen Stassen. The developing person through childhood and adolescence. New York, NY, Worth Publishers, 2015.

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