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The brain in the first 2 years undergoes some of the most significant physical changes throughout this time. The brain weighs around 25% of its adult weight at birth; this is not the case for any other portion of the body. It is seventy-five percent of its adult weight by the age of two, ninety-five percent by the age of six, and one hundred percent by the age of seven.

What is Cognitive Development?

Continuous changes to these processes are referred to as cognitive development. The cognitive stage the hypothesis developed by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget is among the most well-known perspectives on cognitive development.

Cognitive development, which includes the development of skills like perception, recall, and making decisions, is the process of advancement and shift in an individual’s ability to think, including thinking, deductive reasoning, understanding, and problem-solving. In other words, cognitive development is the process by which an individual learns to acquire, organize, and use knowledge throughout their life, beginning in infancy and continuing through adulthood.

What is Object Permanence ?

Object permanence is the understanding that even if something is out of sight, it still exists (Bogartz, Shinskey, & Schilling, 2000).

Piaget thought that children’s ability to understand objects, such as learning that a rattle makes a noise when shaken, was a cognitive skill that develops slowly as a child matures and interacts with the environment. Today, developmental psychologists think Piaget was incorrect. Researchers have found that even very young children understand objects and how they work long before they have experience with those objects (Baillargeon, 1987; Baillargeon, Li, Gertner, & Wu, 2011)

A healthy diet is essential for preserving and enhancing health. A healthy, well- balanced diet supplies the vital nutrients required for.

What years are the most important for growth and development?

The initial three years of life are a crucial time for growth as well as development. Infants and toddlers require a high amount of restful sleep, active play, and appropriately sized, nutritious meals in order to sustain their growth and development.

IS BREAST MILK IMPORTANT?

One of the finest ways to set a baby up for lifetime health is to feed them breast milk. The composition of breast milk is 87% water, 1% protein, 4% lipids, and 7% carbohydrates.

For around the first six months of life, breast milk can meet an infant’s nutritional needs, with the possible exception of iron and vitamin D.

In numerous countries, breastfeeding rates are still low despite the advantages of breast milk. Only 37% of babies worldwide between the ages of 0 and 6 months are exclusively breastfed, with the highest number (47%) among babies

Breastfeeding encourages an intense emotional connection between mother and child through the release of a substance called (the “bonding hormone”), while also providing a baby with the optimal nutrition, including vital antibodies and nutrients that protect them from diseases, promote proper development and growth, and can lower the risk of various health issues like ear infections, obesity, and SIDS.

At what age can children have Complementary food?

To supplement breast milk or infant formula, nutrient-dense, developmentally appropriate foods should be introduced to infants around six months of age.

Although it is not advised to introduce supplemental foods to infants before the age of four months, some may exhibit developmental indicators of readiness before the age of six months. It is also not advisable to wait until six months to introduce foods because, beginning at that time, complementary foods are required to guarantee proper nutrition and exposure to a variety of flavors, textures, and food kinds.

The term “physical development” describes how the body grows and matures, including how muscles, bones, and motor skills develop.

newborn stage

initially, your newborn’s movements may likely be jerky. However, most newborns begin to control their movements during the next two months. During this stage, your newborn’s neck will also strengthen. Your infant should be able to hold their head up by themselves by the time they are two months old.

Physical Growth

Head circumference grows by an average of 2 centimeters per month for the first three months of life and 1 centimeter per month for the next three to six months. The head circumference grows by 0.5 millimeters every month between the ages of six and twelve months. The typical growth in head circumference during the first year of life is 12 centimeters. After one year, the head circumference only increases by one centimeter every six months until the child is three years old, and then only by one centimeter annually between the ages of three and five. 

Growth in body/weight

According to the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group (2006), a newborn’s average length is 19.5 inches, which rises to 29.5 inches by 12 months and 34.4 inches by 2 years. At 12 months (one year old), the average length usually falls between 28.5 and 30.5 inches. At 24 months (two years old), the average length is between 33.2 and 35.4 inches (CDC, 2010). Males grow quickly in both height and length from birth to 24 months of age, as seen in Figure 2.3.1.

Length/height

Infant and toddler length/height can vary, but a length/height too low can be a worrisome sign of stunted growth. Stunted growth is characterized by a height of more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization