Download The First Year - Archbishop Hoban High School

The First Year
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The Developing Brain
In their first year, babies grow and develop new
skills. How the brain takes shape in a baby’s
first year of life has profound effects on the
baby’s life.
Newborns learn about the world primarily
through their senses----sight, hearing, smell,
taste, and touch.
Parts of the Brain
• Cerebrum – Controls functions such as
speech, memory, and problem solving.
• Thalamus – Controls expression of
emotion.
• Pituitary Gland – Hormones regulate
growth, metabolism, and sexual
development.
Parts of the Brain
• Brain Stem – Controls involuntary activities
such as breathing, heart rate, and blood
pressure.
• Cerebellum – Controls muscular
coordination and balance.
• Spinal Cord – Transmits information from
the body to the brain and from the brain
to the body.
How the Brain Works
• The brain is made up of billions of nerve
cells
– neurons
• Born with all neurons
• How neurons work (pg. 262)
1. Dendrites receive information from other
neurons.
How Neurons Work
2. The dendrites pass that information to the cell
body, where the information is processed.
3. The cell body sends an instruction to the body
through axons which transmit the instruction to
dendrites.
4. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are released
by the axon and cross the gap to the dendrite of
another nerve cell. That gap is called the
synapse.
How the Brain Becomes Organized
• Unique
– Organization is unique because it grows out of
the child’s experiences.
• Connections b/w dendrites and axons grow
stronger, a group of neurons becomes linked
together.
Speeding the Brain’s Work
• Axons
– Waxy coating
• Plays a role in learning
• Myelin makes it easier for axons to transmit signals
– Speeds their work.
Speeding the Brain’s Work
• All axons
• Some axons become coated with myelin as
the child grows.
– Cont. age 20
– Different times
• Axons
– Control skills such as motor abilities, vision, and
hearing
• Coating earliest
Speeding the Brain’s Work
• The rate at which axons receive this waxy
coating may explain why children have
difficulty learning certain tasks.
– Presence of myelin
• Learning much easier
• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode1/video.htm
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Rules to Build a Brain
• Keep it simple and natural.
• Match experiences to the child’s mental
capacities.
• Remember that practice makes perfect.
• Make sure the child is active.
• Provide variety, but avoid overloading the
child.
• Avoid pushing the child.
Handling and Feeding Infants
Pg.269
Feeding Schedules
• Newborn
– Eating and sleeping unpredictable
• Up 6-8 times—24 hours
• 2nd or 3rd month
– Regular pattern develops
• 3-4 times
• Eventually
– Sleep through the night
• 12 lbs.
Feeding
• 1st year
– Breast milk
– Formula
• Cow’s milk not recommended until 1 yr.
• Difficult for baby to digest
– Minerals in kidney’s cannot process
Feeding
• Warm bottle
– Stove top
– No microwave
Hot spots
• Cleaning bottle
– Sterilization
• Bacteria
New Foods
• Age 6 mo. Introduce new foods
– Don’t push new foods
– Breast milk & formula provide all nutrition
Solid Foods
• Cereal
– 1st
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Vegetable
Fruit
Meats
Milks
– Avoid until age 1
Other Infant Care Skills
• Bathing a baby
– Sponge bath
• Navel heals
• Sensitive skin
• Cradle cap
– Skin condition in which the scalp develops
patches of yellowish, crusty scales.
• Baby oil, lanolin: at night
• Wash cloth or soft hairbrush, shampoo: morning
Diaper Rash
• Diaper rash
– Patches of rough, irritated skin the diaper area.
– Painful raw spots
• Treatment
– Change diaper frequently
– Use a product with zinc oxide and cod liver oil,
protects against diaper rash, helps heal quickly.
Sleep
• Newborn
– 12-20 hours
• By 1st year 2-3 sleep periods
– Including naps
Spending Quality Time
• Looking Games
– Funny Face, Shadow Figures, Mirror, Peekaboo,
Hide-and-seek
• Listening Games
– Musical games, What’s That?, Mimic
• Baby Exercises
– Bicycle, Tug-of-war, Airplane