Understanding Infant Development Stages

If you're a new parent, you might be confused about the various infant development stages of babies. There are so many different descriptions that it can become confusing. For example, one website might say that your baby is in the pre-crawling stage, but another will say they are just beginning to crawl. And some parents may even tell you to expect both to happen at the same time!

Our precious babies all go through the same primary phases of development. Their personalities are already starting to take shape as they smile and giggle, interact with their caregivers, and show various emotions.

Don't compare your baby with others

Your sister's baby is hitting all of the infant development stages before your child?

Take heart: Where there's a healthy, younger sibling, it does not mean that there's a more intelligent or better baby. This is something you may feel, especially if you are like me and have more than one child. I have two sons who are just over three years apart in age, and there have been times when I thought my younger son was slow in hitting some of the key developmental milestones — for example, he didn't until after 12 months old.

And yet, he has always made up for any delays by becoming an advanced reader and talker.

Stages of child development can vary

Parents do not always understand the difference between average and normal. Many think that their babies should meet all of the developmental milestones at a specific time. However, that is rarely the case.

Some babies seem to develop faster than others, while others appear to be lagging.

Researchers have found that as many as 50% of babies reach certain milestones at a slower rate, while only 10-15% are ahead of schedule.

Remember child development stages include feeding milestones

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) includes the following in their latest print publication, “Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5,” which is reviewed and updated every four years:

According to the AAP, there are specific developmental guidelines in place concerning starting solid foods, including when to start different types of foods.

When it comes to starting solid foods with your baby, there are specific guidelines that you should follow. Not only does introducing solid foods at the wrong time put the baby at risk for food allergies, but it can also increase the likelihood of choking.

Sleeping through the night will come

Most of these years are spent in sleep. Infants usually sleep 14 to 18 hours a day.

Yet, despite the large amount of sleep infants get, most don't start unbroken bouts of sleeping until they are about five months old. So this is a great time for mom. She doesn't have to worry about seeing her infant twice during each one-hour waking cycle.

New parents tend to have a lot on their minds regarding their baby and its development. There are so many firsts; first smiles, first time rolling over, first time crawling, the list goes on.

But something that many don't think about until they start noticing their child doing it is the possibility of their child sleeping through the night.

Can you answer the question, what are the five stages of child development?