Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Infants go through significant development milestones in the first three months of life. However, every child develops at their own pace, and parents should recognize that their babies can reach different milestones than others in the same period (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). In this stage, they transform from entirely dependent newborns to active and responsive babies. They get rid of most of their initial reflexes to acquire voluntary body control. For instance, it is normal to find them inspecting their hands, watching their movements and objects around them. Parents can expect growth in motor skills, hearing, vision, and communication.(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

The infants go through movement, visual and hearing, social and emotional milestones within the first three months. They try to move when lying on their stomachs as they raise their heads and chest. They also try to support their upper body using their arms while still lying on their stomach. Babies in this stage tend to stretch their legs out and kick on a lying position. They regularly open and shut their hands and push down their legs when their feet are against a firm surface like their parents’ laps (Brusie, 2021). They like bringing their hands into their mouth and taking swipes on suspended objects using their hands. When given toys, they grasp them firmly and shake them.(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

The infants experience a significant transformation in their visual and hearing from birth to the first three months. They watch faces intently and follow moving objects with their eyes, and they can recognize familiar faces and objects at a distance. They develop coordination of their eyes and hands. Babies in this stage are smiley, especially to the sound of their mother’s voice and play. They begin to babble and imitate particular sounds (Brusie, 2021). They also move their head towards the direction of a familiar voice or any distracting sound. Socially and emotionally, the infants at this stage begin to have a social smile and enjoy playing with people. They tend to cry when left alone or playing stops and become happy when their playing partner returns. They are more communicative and expressive with their face and body. They can also imitate other people’s movements or facial expressions.  (Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Caregivers should be concerned when the child fails to reach specific milestones after a particular period because it may imply medical or developmental problems that need special attention. They should be quick to approach their pediatrician if they determine that their infant is not responsive to loud sounds, does not notice their hands, does not smile at the caregiver’s voice, does not follow objects with their eyes by three months, and does not grasp and shake objects (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). They should also be concerned when the infant is not babbling by three months, does not move objects to the mouth, does not imitate sounds, move their legs down when the feet are against a firm surface, or move their eyes in all directions. By three months, the infant’s tonic neck reflexes should also be disappearing.(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Practices Caregivers Should Adopt to Facilitate a Healthy Development

Caregivers are pivotal to the infant’s development and achievement of all significant milestones after a specific period. Their relationships with the babies are the foundation of healthy development. Caregivers need to trust their capacity to meet their baby’s developmental needs. They should practice holding their babies and let the babies grasp their fingers and touch their faces to make their babies feel secure, safe, and loved (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). Caregivers should speak to their children regularly because simple conversations are fundamental to the infant’s language development. The caregivers can sing, read books, ask questions, or respond to their baby’s babbling. The frequency of speaking allows the baby to develop familiarity with the caregiver’s tone, voice, and emotions. The caregivers need to change their babies’ position often. They can hold their babies facing outward, place them on their stomachs and backs to play. Holding or placing the infants in multiple positions also allows the parents to closely supervise their responsiveness to noise, moving objects, uncomfortable positions, and their awareness of themselves.(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Caregivers should be quick to respond to their babies’ emotions, including tears. At this stage, infants communicate through crying, and caregivers need to identify their needs and meet them promptly. The babies can cry when they need a diaper change, food, or contact. Responding to these emotions quickly also helps build strong bonds with the baby. Parents need not worry about giving their kids too much attention, but be confident that they will be independent and settle down without their help. Loving attention is vital because it makes babies feel essential, valuable, and trusted to cope with their development changes. According to CDC (2021), parents should spend time praising their babies, cuddling and holding them, playing with them to help them remain alert and relaxed, and using toys to distract them. Most importantly, parents need to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally to build their capacity to take care of the babies. Caregivers should not neglect their needs because they have a newborn, and they should practice self-care regularly.(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

References

Brusie, C. (2021, November 6). Your 3-Month-Old Baby’s Development. Very well family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/your-3-month-old-baby-development-and-milestones-4172049(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 22). Child development. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/infants.html(Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, June 25). Infant and toddler health. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/infant-development/art-20048012 (Development Changes within 0-3 Months of Life Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/