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However, the first year of Dzicka’s life is a period of strenuous work of the newborn’s organism. There are short periods of time during which the child acquires new skills – these are the so-called developmental leaps. What are they about? When to expect them and how to recognize them? What signs are cause for concern?
What is and what is the leap in development?
Development leap is a short period of time – from one week to several weeks – after which new skills appear in children. They are characteristic especially of the first years of age, during which they appear several times. They can also appear sporadically in later years. The new skills that appear in children are psychological and take place within the nervous system.
How to recognize developmental leap? Several new skills appear in the child. Development leap is usually preceded by a period of intense crying, anxiety and nervousness in the child. It is a nervous tension associated with changes taking place within the nervous system. Your child may feel a bit confused, may require more parental attention, may have difficulty falling asleep, and when they do, sleep may be restless. Sometimes it’s coming developmental leap is associated with the temporary loss of already acquired skills.
What are the developmental leaps in the first year of life?
As already mentioned, especially abundant in development leaps jest first the year of the child’s life. There are seven during this period jumping development. It is worth remembering that they may be slightly different than those described below.
The first developmental leap in babies, you can expect around the fifth week. Then, the awareness of the surrounding world is deepened. His curiosity appears, which manifests itself in attentive listening and looking. A smile and tears appear, and the child’s activity time increases.
When to expect the next one developmental leap? Seven, eight or nine weeks of age. This is when the ability to distinguish appears in children and memory is formed. After that developmental leap the child should raise his head, be able to roll over from his stomach to his back, hold objects, and make noises.
For another developmental leap it will come to wait until eleven or twelve weeks of age. Then the baby begins to notice small changes in the environment, such as the intensity of light. After taking this step, it should be able to roll over from its back to the stomach, sit down by its handles, and push itself off with its legs. The ability to make bubbles out of saliva should also develop.
Fourth developmental leap appears in the fourth or fifth month of life. This one is longer than the previous ones. The baby gains the ability to babble as well as the ability to see the causes and effects of various events. This developmental leap should result in the child acquiring the ability to crawl and manipulate objects. It should also react to its name and its view in the mirror.
Fifth developmental leap lasts about four weeks and occurs at six months of age. It is at this time that the previously mentioned sleep problems may appear – the child begins to feel the fear of the dark, there are also nightmares. Shyness towards strangers also happens. The skills that the child acquires at this time are better motor coordination, waving the hand to say hello and goodbye, as well as the tweezers grip.
Sixth developmental leap takes place between the ninth and tenth month of life. The child begins to think in terms such as adults, and is also able to express more complex emotions. This can be expressed in the ability to comfort, hug, take things apart, and be jealous of a parent.
Seventh developmental leap it is usually the eleventh month of life. Afterwards, the child should be able to imitate the sounds of animals, step backwards from the couch, and adjust items.
The above indicative timeframe cannot be treated rigidly. Remember that every child develops at an individual pace – certain skills may emerge sooner or later.