Infant Development

Strategies to Aid in Infant Development As new parents soon realize, the development that occurs during infancy is a period of rapid changes. Not only is a new child growing physically, but she is also developing cognitive, social, and emotional skills that will endure throughout her lifespan. However, it can be difficult to tease apart the different needs of an infant. It is our hope to aid in this area by providing a set of guidelines that will direct parenting strategies in a way that will foster healthy and successful development through this important stage of life. We will address the child 's physical and motor development, her cognitive needs, and her social/emotional skills in order to simplify the process. However, it is important to remember that each of these areas is like members of a "team," and it is important to consider all aspects of development to help your child grow successfully (Boyd and Bee, 2006). Cognitive development in the infancy of a child is a very critical and important time. It is during this time that the child 's, intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols. Knowledge of the world is limited but developing because it is based on physical interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence, or an awareness that objects continue to exist when out of sight, at about 7 months of age (Boyd and Bee, 2006). Also, during this time the child is starting to become more mobile and will start to explore things which will help the child to begin to develop new intellectual ideas and abilities according to Piaget 's cognitive development theory (Boyd and Bee, 2006). This stage is what he calls the sensorimotor stage, and it is fundamental in creating "schemes," from which the infant can begin to make sense of the world around her (Boyd and Bee, 2006). To create a better environment for the child to develop their cognitive ability, we recommend challenging the child 's abilities. Ideas

References: Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2006). Lifespan development: Second custom edition for Montana State University. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.