Child Development

Child Development

1. Family and Parenthood

   • Types of families
     • Nuclear family
       • Parents and children live together in the home. Contact with other family members is limited.
     • Extended family
       • Parents and children live with, or near, relatives like grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins
     • Step family
       • Parents and children live together in the home. Contact with other family members is limited.
     • A single-Parent Family
       • Can be the result of: divorce, the death of a parent, an absent parent, a surrogacy arrange.
     • Shared Care family
       • Children live in two households and spend time with both parents.
     • Adoptive family
       • Adoptive Parents provide a permanent home for babies and older children. A court gives them the same legal rights and responsibilities as birth parents.
         • Reasons for adopting include: Infertility, Adoption after remarriage, Adoption of a family member, Adoption of a disadvantaged child.

2. Health and Safety

   • Parasites
     • Headlice
       • Signs and Symptoms
         • Itchy red bite mark on scalp, grey eggs attacked to hair, white/ shiny empty egg cases on hair.
       • How Spread?
         • Head to head contact
       • Prevention and Treatment:
         • Leave conditioner on hair and wet-comb with nit comb, use chemical shampoo treatment.
     • Scabies
       • Signs and Symptoms
         • Irritating skin rash, mite 'burrow' are seen, if scratched rash produced septic spots.
       • How Spread?
         • Direct skin to skin contact
       • Prevention and Treatment
         • Treat ALL family with lotion from GP, thoroughly wash towels, bed linen and clothing.
     • Fleas
       • Signs and symptoms
         • Small red bite marks
       • How Spread?
         • Jump long distances onto other people.
       • Prevention and Treatment
         • Ensure people, houses and clothes are clean, treat pets for fleas.
     • Threadworms
       • How Spread?
         • Swallowing eggs
       • Signs and Symptoms
         • Itching around anus, worms visible in faeces or around anus.
       • Prevention and Treament
         • Strict hygiene eg thorough hand washing, bath or shower each morning, medicate whole family.
     • Roundworms
       • Signs and Symptoms
         • Fever, vomiting, painful muscles and joints, damage to eyesight.
       • How Spread?
         • Swallowing eggs from animal faeces.
       • Prevention and Treatment
         • Strict pet hygiene - wash hand after playing with pets, safe disposal of animal faeces, medicate whole family.
   • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
     • The sudden, unexpected death of a baby as it sleeps.
     • ALWAYS...
       • Put a baby on their back
       • Use a firm mattress
       • Ensure the room is 16-18 degrees
       • Tuck covers in well below the baby's shoulders
       • Breastfeed if possible
     • You can reduce the risk by keeping the baby in the parents' room at night for the fist 6 months.

3. Nutrition and Health

   • Weaning
     • Stage 1 (6 months)
       • Give pureed veg/fruit, baby rice, milk=most important food still.
         • When?
           • A very tiny amount during or after a milk feed to start the transition of milk to solids
     • Stage 2 (7-9 months)
       • Increase variety, pureed meat, fish, lentils, beans, wheat based foods.
         • Offer some finger food and give babies a spoon so they can try to feed themselves.
         • When?
           • At the end of a milk feed to introduce other foods when the child is hungry
     • Stage 3 (9-12 months)
       • Cow's milk safely drank (12m), introduce lumpier foods eg pasta, pieces of meat, cheese, bread. Additional fluids eg unsweetened dilluted fruit juics & water. 3 regular meals as well as drinks.
         • When?
           • At mealtimes with the rest of the family to encourage independence.

4. Birth and Post-natal care

   • Stages of Labout
     • Stage 1
       • Contractions make your cervix gradually open up (dilate)- longest stage
     • Stage 2
       • Contractions more frequent & stronger, cervix is fully open & you begin crowning then full birth. Part of labour where you help baby move through vagina by pushing during contractions
     • Stage 3
       • After birth, womb contracts & causes placenta to come out through the vagina

5. Pregnancy and Ante-natal care

   • Reproductive Organs
     • Ovaries
       • Control production of oestrogen & progesterone which control menstural cycle, contain undreds of eggs
     • Fallopian Tube
       • Connect ovaries to womb, lined with cilla-wafts egg along to uterus
     • Uterus
       • (womb) muscular bag w/soft lining, where baby develops
     • Cervix
       • Strong ring of muscle between lower end of uterus & vagina, keeps baby in place
     • Vagina
       • Muscular tube leads from cervix to outside
     • Penis
       • Pass urine & pass semen. Made of shaft & glans, shaft=main part, glans=tip at end=small slit to release urnine/semen
     • Urethra
       • Tube inside penis that carries urine & semen, there's a ring of muscle that ensures the urine & semen don't mix
     • Sperm Duct
       • Where sperm passes through to mix with fluids that are produced by glands, fluid provides sperm cells w/nutrients. Mix of sperm & fluids=semen
     • Testes
       • Makes male hormone testosterone and produces sperm
     • Scrotum
       • Bag of skin which stores testes
   • Stages of Growth for a baby
     • 4-5 Weeks
       • embryo=5mm, rudimentary heart started to beat, arms & legs=buds
     • 6-7 Weeks
       • Embryo=8mm, limb buds=look real, heart seen beating on ultrasound
     • 8-9 Weeks
       • unborn baby=foetus=2cm. Toes, fingers & major internal organs starting to form,
     • 10-14 Weeks
       • foetus=7cm, organs complete. By 12 weeks baby=fully formed
     • 15-22 Weeks
       • Mother feels movement. 22w=greasy, white protective film called VERNIX CASEOSA has begun to form. Foetus covered in fine, hair=LANUGO
     • 23-30 Weeks
       • Covered in vernix, lanugo=dissapeared. 28w+ foetus=viable
     • 31-40 Weeks
       • Becomes plumper, vernix & lanugo dissapear. Foetus= settles in head-down position
   • Foods to Avoid
     • Raw egg, unpasteurised milkl
       • Salmonellla could cause miscarriage or premature birth
     • Some types of fish eg swordfish
       • High levels of mercury cause delayed development in nervous system
     • Liver and Liver products
       • Too much Vitamin A can cause birth defects
     • Soft blue cheese, pate, prepared salads or ready-meals
       • Listeria found in prepared foods which aren't heated enough, Listeriosis (from listeria) can cause msscarriage, stillbirth, meningitis, pneumonia
   • Causes of Infertility
     • Genetics
     • Low Sperm Count
     • Your Hormones
     • Disease eg Polycystic Ovary dyndrome
     • Mutation or blockage of fallopian tubes

6. Areas Of Development

   • Physical
     • Gross motor Skills
       • The use and control of large muscles eg walking.
       • 15 months- walks independently; walks upstairs fordwards and downstairs backwards
       • 2 years- runs, walks on tiptoe, jumps, kicks ball (starts potty training)
     • Fine Manipulative Skills
       • The control and use of hands/fingers eg painting
       • 9 months- can use finger and thumb to grasp an object (inferior pincer grasp)
     • Motor development relates to the body
     • Sensory development relates to sign, hearing, touch,taste and smell.
   • Intellectual
     • The development of the mind/brain.
     • 15 months - Palmar grasp; crayon help half way up
     • 18 months- Primitive tripod grasp
     • 2-3 years Tripod grasp; good pencil control
     • Pre-lingustic
       • From birth-12 months
         • 6 months-echolalia (repetitive sounds)
         • 1 Year- Holophrases (one word)
         • Babies communicate their needs by crying
     • Linguistic
       • From 18 months onwards.
         • Single words become simple, then complex sentences.
         • 2 years- Telegraphic Speech (uses crucial words eg me want cake.
   • Emotional
     • Newborn- uses body to express emotion
     • 6 months- Separation anxiety begins, baby distressed if the main carer isn't there
     • 15 months- rapid mood swings
     • 2 years-egocentric, believes that the whole world should revolve around them.
     • 3 Years- cares for others and can empathise, may develop fears
   • Social
     • 12 months- understands basic commands
     • 3 years- willing to share and likes to be with other children.
     • 4-5 years- shares well and understands rules, less demanding of adult attention
   • Types of Play
     • Creative; use of imagination, eg dancing
     • Imaginative; made up games and scenarios
     • Physcial; the body is used in an active way, riding a bike
     • Manipulative; develops hand-eye Coordination and fine motor skills eg jigsaw.
     • Social; helps child lean to share.