Introduction to Infant growth and development

Course Content

Growth and development of an infant includes the provision of nutrition to assist in gaining weight to progress to predictable patterns in a predetermined sequence.

Just like percentile charts alerting professionals to any nutritional deficits and weight gains, an infant’s development relates to a “maturity” by navigating their world with a set of perceptual and motor skills. The acquisition of these skills is dependent upon caregiving, responsiveness to the infant’s needs, exposure to skill development (fine motor, gross motor, language) and repetition of skill practice.

Supporting parents/caregivers in understanding key milestones in development is key to healthy infant development. The important role of parents/ caregivers in assisting the infant in meeting these milestones in a time frame which is based on the individual infant will be discussed.

Learning Outcomes

In this session you will:

• Develop an understanding of the link between growth and development
• Understanding brain development and its role
• Understanding the importance of ‘attachment’ in development
• Supporting parents/caregivers in supporting growth and development