Infancy and Toddlerhood Development

Physical Development
Children in this age of development experience tremendous
growth in many different stages of development. Physically
infants between the ages of 3-5 months roll from their side to
their back. They begin to strength muscles and between the ages
5-11 months should be able to crawl. Between the ages of 9-17
months should be able to walk alone.
Language Development
Infants begin to learn about language from the time they are born. They listen to their
parents and caregivers to learn how to talk. One of the first forms of language
an infant has is babbling. Babbling is repeated consonant vowel
combinations. Around 6 months of age infants will being to babble. Around
the ages of 10- 2 months some infants and pre-tots are able to use simple
words combined with gestures such as pointing, shaking head for no, and
waving hi or bye-bye to express their thoughts, needs, and desires.

Cognitive Development
Between the ages of 4 to 8 months infants have improved physical knowledge and basic
numerical knowledge. Between the ages of 8-12 months are able to retrieve hidden
objects when playing with a parent, caregiver, or friend. Between the ages of 14-18
months are able to imitate actions of others they interact with.
Social-Emotional Development
Infants between the ages of birth to six months begin to use their smile for social
interaction, laugh and express happiness when interacting with familiar people. They are
able to detect emotions by the interactions they have with adults. Between the ages of 1
and 2 children, recognizes image of self and, by end of this period, uses own name or
personal pronoun to refer to self (Berk, 2013).



Moral Reasoning/Self-Regulation
Children in the toddler stage of development experience an emergence and improvement
in compliance and delay of gratification. Toddlers especially will benefit from strategies
that are taught to them by their adult caregivers. Towards the later toddler years children
will begin to model many morally relevant behaviors and respond with empathy to
transgression.
Signs of Atypical Development
Some signs of atypical development are if the infant is not crawling by
11 months. They are unable to stand without support by16 months. The
child does not say single words like mama or dada by 18 months and
does not search for things that he/she sees hidden by 18 months. If
parents are concerned about their childs develop they should contact
their doctor.
Social Influences
The biggest social influences of this age group is parents and caregivers. Children learn
from those they interact with. It is important for parents to model correct and appropriate
behavior for their children.
Cultural Influences
Some cultural influences for this age group are the language that is spoken by parents and
caregivers, and the food that is introduced to the infant or toddler. Each culture speaks a
different language or has a distinct dialect. Children will learn the language that they are
introduced to. The same can be said for the food they will eat. Children will eat the food
that they are introduced too and the foods that are common to their culture. For instance,
Asian children may eat a lot of rice, while American children may eat more meat.
Strategies for influence childs learning and development
Scaffolding or modeling is a great way for parents or caregivers to help with the
childs development. Scaffolding means that the parent or caregiver models the
skill or behavior for the child. For example, when helping with language
development the parent can shake their head when saying now, wave with their
own hand when saying bye-bye, and point to objects. The parent or caregiver
can also talk and label everything when with the child to help with their
vocabulary and language skills. Infant and toddlers learn through play, so the best
thing for parents and caregivers to do is to just play with them. Teach them
through their acts and then have fun helping them learn and develop.

References
Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Important Milestones: Your Child at One Year. (2014, March 27). Retrieved August 11, 2014.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-1yr.html