Here are 13 facts about the development of a child in the first years of his life that you probably did not know.
Did you know that babies triple their weight during the first year of life? What about the fact that during the first 5 years of life the child’s brain develops more than during the rest of his life?
Let’s take a look at a few facts about child development that might surprise you.
1. The child understands you even before he learns to speak
Moms love to talk to their newborn babies and it’s very good for babies. Listening to what you tell him or sing to him, the child learns a lot. During the first year of life, he already understands about 70 words. Even if he does not say them all, he understands what you are saying to him. So talk to your child as much as possible.
2. At preschool age, the child begins to understand his differences from others
The child screams: “Mine!” when a peer takes a toy from him. Young children are reluctant to share what is theirs. In addition, it should be remembered that at preschool age the child begins to realize himself as a separate person – he starts to develop his personality.
And this is good. He begins to understand that he is somewhat different from his friends and you. This is an important stage in the development of his cognitive sphere.
3. On average, a child triples its weight during the first year of life
Such growth in such a short time is unimaginable in an adult. When you get up in the middle of the night to feed your baby, remember that he needs it. Such rapid growth takes a large amount of energy and nutrients from him. If we continued to gain weight at the same pace as in the first year of life, by the age of 20 we would weigh 143 kilograms.
4. While in the womb, the baby can breathe underwater
The child begins to breathe even in the womb – at the 28th week of pregnancy. During this period of development, the lungs are not yet able to inhale oxygen – they are not sufficiently developed. The child gradually learns to inhale and exhale by exercising the respiratory muscles. At birth, the muscles are already sufficiently developed for breathing.
5. Most 1-year-olds can perform tasks equally well with both hands
You will probably be surprised to see your child use both hands to draw, hold a spoon, and do other things. In most children, the dominant hand is determined at the age of 2-3 years. In 90% of cases, this hand is the right one. Therefore, if your child is left-handed, you can be proud of him: there are few like him in the world.
6. Two-year-olds have twice as many neural connections as adults
Parents call the child’s two-year-old age terrible. The child throws tantrums for no particular reason, screams and fights, and even tries to provoke a tantrum in you. The brain of a two-year-old child has more than 100 trillion neural connections – at this age, the brain is more developed than ever in life.
Take advantage of this moment and try to teach your child everything you can. Remember that an adult has half as many neural connections as a two-year-old child.
7. Most likely, the child will not remember anything that happened to him until the age of 3
You spent all your family savings to celebrate your child’s birthday in style. You probably thought: “Nothing, but the baby will have memories for a lifetime.” However, if the child is less than three years old, most likely only you will have memories of this event. Until the age of three, the child’s memory mechanisms are not yet sufficiently developed.
Therefore, the events that took place during this period, he probably will not remember. What the child learns during this period will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his development, but he will not remember it.
8. When a preschooler closes his eyes, he thinks that you cannot see at that moment either
You may encounter such a strange situation: a child covers his eyes with his hand and enters the room to steal candy. You are in the room. The child thinks that you do not see him because he does not see you. It seems funny to adults, but the child really thinks so. He still cannot think logically and understands everything literally.
Therefore, it is better not to tell the preschooler phrases like: “What if everyone goes to jump from the bridge into the river, you’ll do it too?”.
9. A baby can experience fear while still in the womb
The baby may push or move in the womb because of fear. For example, he may be frightened by a loud sound. This can manifest itself starting from the 23rd week of pregnancy. Mom should not worry: it just means that the baby’s brain is developing normally.
10. Baby sees very blurry at birth
In the first days of life, a child can clearly see objects only at a distance of less than half a meter. Therefore, when you approach a newborn baby and talk to him, lean over him so that he can distinguish your facial features. Let the child look at white and black objects, bring them into the child’s field of vision. The child loves to look at everything new, and this is very important for his visual development. But new objects must be in the zone of his vision. When a child is six months old, his vision will become much clearer.
11. A baby in the womb can smell the same smells as you
Did you know that even in the womb, a child develops a sense of smell? The baby perceives smells thanks to the amniotic fluid in which it is located. In the third trimester of pregnancy, the baby smells even more strongly and can smell through the placenta.
12. Before the age of 4 months, the child does not feel the salty taste
Of course, at this age you are not yet giving your child salty foods. But you will probably be interested to know that the child would not even feel it. Taste buds, which are responsible for the perception of salty taste, develop only after 4 months. Interestingly, it is at this age that the child’s kidneys begin to absorb sodium. It turns out that everything in the human body is interconnected.
13. Children structure information in memory from the age of 7
A child can remember information at an early age, but only from the age of 7 does he use certain strategies for remembering – certain schemes and other tricks in order to remember something. This helps him remember more information, which will later be useful to him in the educational process or other life situations.
Little kids are amazing! During the first years of their lives, their parents not only teach them many things, but they themselves can learn a lot from them.