Growth + Development

Growth: an increase in some measured quantity such as height or weight

Development: complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities + capabilities

Continuous but not smooth

More rapid during infancy + puberty

Different rates for boys + girls

When referencing growth include

Weight

Length/height

At birth and between 6 + 8 weeks, a baby's head circumference will be measured to check the size + growth of the brain

Healthy infants will be approximately half their adult height by 2

Measurements help a health visitor to monitor a child's health

Infants will grow on average about 12cm and gain about 2.5kg between 1 + 2

Between 2 and 3 an infant will gain another 2kg and about 8cm more

The health visitor will carry out the measurement + plot results on a growth chart to ensure the child is meeting their milestones

Weight will rise steadily following the centile lines marked on their centile lines marked on their growth chart in a personal child health record

Development happens

From head to toe: infants control their head them develop control over their body to sit, have control over legs to crawl + walk

From the inside to the outside: infant learns to control movements in their body first then in their arms + legs until, they can control small muscles in their fingers

In the same sequence but at different rates

Holistically: areas of development are dependent on + influence each other

Can be seen as a journey as we process we reach key milestones which are referred to as developmental norms

Children pass through the same milestones but at different types