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5 Major Stages of Child Development
When children are in their growth phase, they go through a few distinct phases that can be easily segregated based on the stage and age they are in. These phases of growth have been documented to allow parents to understand their growing child better and also handle them accordingly. Based on this, parents can follow a few tips and tricks that will enable them to understand their child better and focus on their overall holistic growth.
Children go through a lot of changes physically and mentally and what occurs exactly during these phases is determined genetically. By reading about the different phases that a child goes through, you as a new parent will be able to provide him with the much-needed support to help him develop in a positive manner.
By taking note of these different stages and keeping an eye out for any sort of developmental habits, you will be able to understand your child better.
What Are the Stages of Childhood Development?
There are different stages of childhood development that have been segregated based on the age of the children and their progress. Each of these phases has distinct periods which require a different sort of parenting approach and once you read through them, you’ll be able to acknowledge these behavioural, physical and emotional traits in the early childhood development stages:
The stages of development in a child are broadly classified as:
Birth
Baby Development
Toddler Development
Pre-Schooler Development
School-aged children development
1. Birth
When the baby is around one-month-old, he is considered to be in the birth stage of his development cycle. Here, the baby is generally trying to make sense of the world around it and is very attached to the mother as she provides him food, shelter, and takes care of his other needs.
If you’re a parent who has an infant in this stage of development, you’ll be able to notice certain signs such as the baby holding his head erect and steady when you hold them upright.
Parenting tips
The baby will be at the stage where he is recognizing faces around him. He may begin to coo and babble as well by 2-4 months of age, so take note of the different sounds he makes at this age of development.
The baby will slowly learn to develop his motor skills by lifting his head while being on his tummy and will prefer looking at colours. So, pay attention and give them enough opportunity to explore. It is also important that you can give them at least 20 to 30 seconds of short tummy time sessions right from their 2nd week and gradually increase the time as they grow older.
Infants at this age will also begin displaying certain reflexes at this age such as opening his mouth, moving his head when you stroke his cheeks and trying to grasp the things you put in his hands.
2. Baby Development
Between the ages of one to twelve months, babies are in the “baby development stage” of childhood development. They begin to exhibit characteristics that are pertinent to this particular stage.
Babies during this age are able to now easily identify their parents and other close relatives and will feel at ease. They will also be more comfortable expressing themselves with time.
Parenting tips
Babies here will begin understanding their bodies a little bit better and will start improving their motor skills. Parents can provide them with toys that will help improve stimuli like sound, touch, and sight.
They will also be able to sit up when you prop them but may find it hard to balance. Ensure you’re able to strengthen their core muscles to help them do the same.
Babies also love putting things in their mouth as they begin teething at this stage of life. Make sure that you do not provide any harmful objects for them to insert into their mouths.
By the time they are in their 7-12 month stage, babies can understand names and other commonly used words. Try seeing if they respond to certain words at this age.
Kids love being in motion towards the end of this stage and will almost be able to sit up on their own. They will also try walking and building strength in their legs, so try helping them out.
3. Toddler development
Between one to three years old, children are in their toddler development stage. This is one of the early childhood development stages and kids begin showing parts of their personality here. It is important that you keep an eye out because they love to explore the independence bought on with the freedom of walking around.
Parenting tips
Kids at this age will begin understanding things like a bedtime routine and this gives them a sense of comfort. Make sure you stick to a disciplined timing of putting them to bed at this age.
As they can walk pretty much independently at this age, parents must keep an eye out if they wander or come in contact with hazardous items.
They might be clumsy, but they have decent motor skills now. Provide them with stationery like crayons or building blocks to aid their mental development at this stage.
Take some time out and talk to your child and develop their language speaking skills. They can begin to form short sentences that may be a bit incoherent, but with practice, they will improve.
4. Pre-schooler development
This is the age between 3 and 5-years-old, where the child is no longer a baby anymore. He is now able to do things such as run and have conversations. Parents need to help their child grow from a mental perspective and ensure that he is developing in kindergarten. You can talk to your child’s teachers and gauge the kind of activities that he enjoys at school.
Parenting tips
Kids at this age love talking about anything and everything under the moon. Keep talking and indulge in their little conversations.
Also, since they can now read, have a few books ready to help them better their pronunciation and creative skills.
Let them run around and get much-needed exercise in the evening as they are at an age where they have bundles of energy.
5. School-aged children development
School-aged children fall within the six and 12-year-old age bracket and at this age, they may tend to be a little annoying as they’re influenced by the world around them. However, if nurtured the right way, kids will begin showing traits of intelligence and thought beyond what is deemed capable of their age.
Parenting tips
Kids at this age have fully developed motor skills and you as a parent, need to find ways to channel that energy. See if they are interested in sports and make sure that they get exercise on a day-to-day basis.
Also, they begin to form peer relationships at this age, so make sure that you’re involved in the social development. Some kids may find it hard to communicate to new people, so be there for support in case they find it difficult to make friends.
They also begin developing secondary sexual characteristics at this age, so keep an eye out for the same.
Some kids can begin showing traits of independence at this age. As long as they’re able to take care of themselves, you can begin loosening the reigns a little and allowing them to make their own decisions.
Thus, early development stages of a child are a challenging time and will require parents to be on their toes at all times. Everything that a child sees, smells, and touches can influence their behaviour and it is up to parents to ensure that they are given an environment to develop. At home as well as outside home, kids will tend to experiment a lot, so don’t leave anything to chance.
At the same time, don’t forget to enjoy your little one’s behaviour and antics. This is the age when they are truly themselves without anything restricting them, so try to make sure that they have a childhood that is worth remembering.
Also Read: Importance Of Preschool Education For Your Kid Read more
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Alopecia Areata in Kids
Alopecia areata affects people of all ages but the incidence is higher among children. Children below the age of 5 years experience little or no emotional impact as a result of the disease, and so alopecia in babies is easy to deal with. However, as they grow up, accepting the disease becomes difficult for them, and it affects their self-confidence.
Video: Alopecia Areata in Children - Causes, Signs & Treatment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtDjDupfZGE
What is Alopecia Areata?
An auto-immune disease (a disease affecting one’s own immune system), alopecia areata results in patchy hair fall – hair falls off the scalp in patches, leaving bald spots. It is very uncommon in babies who are less than 18 months of age. While it can happen at any age the first signs are likely to appear later in childhood.
Millions of people around the globe suffer from this autoimmune disease.
In this disease, the baby’s immune system attacks her growing hair follicles. This leads to a shrinkage of the hair follicles. As a result, the hair growth slows down, and no hair grows out of the follicle for months or even years.
Alopecia areata does not mean that the child is unhealthy. It also does not come with any painful symptoms. It is characterised by hair loss in small patches, and the baby can even become completely bald. She can lose body hair as well, but that is rare. In most cases, your baby will recover most of the lost hair.
Alopecia Areata in Childhood
Although Alopecia areata is quite common, most people do not know exactly what it is.
Ages 5 & Younger
Children who are five years old or less do not really pay attention to how they look. They don’t care if they look different from other children of their age.
Children do not experience an emotional impact during this time. They might even find their hair loss as an interesting occurrence. Since other children of their age do not notice anything amiss either, the disease poses no major problem.
Ages 6 to 12
By the time children turn six, they will start noticing and differentiating between themselves and others. They start interacting with people and gain a self-awareness that makes them acutely aware of their physical appearance. By the time they turn twelve, they become aware of this condition and understand that people may treat them differently because of the disease.
This will most likely make a difference. Older children will find it difficult to accept that they have alopecia areata. They may experience a lack of self-confidence, and that may even affect their daily lives. The hair fall may be a source of friction among them and their friends or classmates too. Even children who have been suffering from this condition since they were babies, might become frustrated and may want to ‘fit in’ among the kids who do not have alopecia areata.
Causes
Alopecia areata occurs when your child’s immune system fails to work properly. The immune system attacks the hair follicles leading to hair fall. The hair follicles become weak and release the hair. However, it should be remembered that in most cases this damage is not permanent.
You do not need to worry if your toddler is suffering from alopecia areata. In most cases, childhood alopecia gets cured and hair starts re-growing. No fixed pattern is followed here and the symptoms differ from one patient to another. If your toddler is experiencing hair loss, it is advisable to consult a paediatrician for a complete diagnosis.
The doctor will be able to diagnose alopecia areata by checking the symptoms and conducting a few tests. Additional tests may be needed to check if the immune system has affected other organs of the child’s body.
Alopecia Areata is not contagious and children with the disease can mingle with other kids freely without any issues.
Symptoms
Here’s what you need to be on the lookout for to identify Alopecia Areata:
Hair falling from the child’s scalp in small and round patches
Bald patches leading to complete baldness
Hair loss from the child’s body
Diagnosis of Alopecia
It is important that you take the child to the doctor if you suspect that she may have Alopecia Areata. The doctors examine the scalp and the pattern in which the hair is falling to diagnose alopecia. They may pull out a few strands of hair and examine them under the microscope. They may take a sample of your child’s scalp too. The doctor may conduct blood tests to know if the child suffers from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, as these can lead to hair loss in children too.
Alopecia Areata Treatment in Children
While there is no cure for this disease, the doctor might recommend corticosteroids which help in promoting hair growth.
A great way to treat alopecia areata in toddlers is to ensure that your child is eating nutrient-rich food. Hair fall due to alopecia can be because of deficiency of nutrients.
What are the Effects of Alopecia
Children with alopecia are anything but sick. There is no pain associated with the hair loss and the disease is not contagious. Life expectancy is also not affected.
How to Parent a Child with Alopecia?
Ensuring that a child with Alopecia feels accepted and confident is a daunting task. Consider taking the help of professional counsellors who may be able to help in developing a positive image. Ask your child to trust you and to share everything that upsets her. If they experience any kind of teasing in school, do not hesitate to talk to the teachers and even the principal, if required.
Conclusion
Alopecia is neither life-threatening nor contagious. It does not have any painful symptoms that cause physical discomfort. The only noticeable symptom is the hair loss. This can be emotionally devastating for a child once they are adolescents. Parents may not be able to stop the teasing, but a parent’s support can provide a positive outlet so that the child can handle the emotional stress associated with it.
Also Read:
Baby Hair Loss
Home Remedies for Head Lice in Kids
Hair Loss in Kids Read more
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Age-Wise Movement/Physical Milestones of Toddlers
Your baby’s first steps are one of the most memorable events in your life as parents. As a guardian, it is very important for you to keep a track of your child’s physical development and movements. Here is an age-wise list of your toddler’s physical /movement milestones. This will help you to check your toddler’s progress.
Age One
By age one, your child, now officially a toddler, will begin to try moving on her own. She will be able to pull herself up into a sitting position with minimal or no assistance. She can crawl on the ground pushing her body forward with hands and feet. She will be able to stand albeit unsteadily, holding on to furniture. She may be able to stand on her own for a few seconds without support. She may even be able to take a couple of steps. Your one-year-old toddler will start to discover her fingers and their use. She may try to imitate you holding a pencil. During play time, you may notice that she may hold two toys and bang them together to produce sounds. She can remove and put things into a container.
Age Two
Your toddler has now officially entered the terrible twos. She would have most likely started to crawl about everywhere, and even have started to test the boundaries of her physical capacity. By age two, your child would have begun to walk without help from you. You will find that she is able to do multiple movements like pulling along a toy while walking, eating with her fingers or spoon while swinging her legs. She will be able to balance and carry lots of toys in her hands while walking. She will start to experiment with running. She will begin to use her toes to stand on tip toes to reach for something, or even to take a peek at something. In the playground, you will notice that she will now be able to kick a ball. Your child will start going up and down the stairs holding on the railing. You will find that your child will also start using her fingers. She might try to hold a pencil and start scribbling. She might use her fingers to grip a cup. Your child may start to put things in her mouth using her fingers, and also try to stack up things like a set of building blocks.
Age Three
By the age of three years, your toddler will most likely have outgrown the’ terrible twos’ and entered into the magical world of ‘make believe'. She will want to explore new ways to use her body. Your child should be able to climb up and down surfaces (at her height) easily with confidence, and without help. She can run easily without faltering for long bursts and can even pedal her tricycle without difficulty. She will be able to go up and down the stairs keeping one foot after the other on each step. In the play ground, she will be able to kick a ball with force as well as hop on one foot and catch the ball most times. She will be able to copy specific shapes as an attempt to draw a human with two arms and legs; in addition, she will be able to write alphabets in upper case.
Remember that these are the general developmental guidelines. Each baby is different, and you need not get alarmed. Consult your paediatrician and get him to assess your child’s progress during each visit. Read more
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Key Developmental Stages in Art for Pre-schoolers
Do you remember your artwork being displayed by your proud parents or an art teacher at school? If you do, you may have realised that art takes time to develop and that no two children develop the same way. Babies begin to learn art through scribbling at a tender age and it only blossoms when they are old enough to understand what they are doing. Let's look at some art development milestones in little ones.
When it comes to child development, psychologists talk about various developmental stages in a child’s life regarding all aspects of a child’s growth. Similarly, when it comes to art there are some key developmental stages too. These development milestones are crossed by each child in a particular sequential order, however the pace of each child differs as it is with any development milestone.
Let’s look at the 5 stages defined by researchers and psychologists:
1. Scribbling Stage
At first when a child is as young as 2 years of age, he is still curious about everything. He is exploring the world around him and registering images, shapes and colours. So when you give him paper and pencil, he will most likely move it in all directions, an act that is known popularly as scribbling. It may seem meaningless to the parent, but it is in fact a very important and necessary milestone for each child to go through. At first, your child may start with random scribbling, then move on to making some designs which have a specific pattern and then eventually try and write alphabets.
2. Pre-Schematic Stage
In this stage (from 3 years of age), a child starts drawing some specific shapes, symbols or objects. Their shapes and symbols may change continuously and erratically. Your child may also turn the paper multiple times in order to complete a shape. For e.g., in order to draw a square your child may turn the paper four times. By drawing these shapes the child is developing a schema for objects and things. By schema we mean he is building a visual image of all things and objects around him
3. Schematic Stage
By 6 years of age your child has formed a schema, by which we mean your child knows what a square, circle, house, etc. looks like and has also a visual image of it stored in his mind. In this stage the child uses a lot of base lines, straight lines to make a tree, house, etc. so the images look very stiff. As the child grows he learns to make multiple base lines and other complexities, to make an image look just as it ought to be. With handholding and correct guidance, any child can learn how to make creative images by this stage.
4. Transitional Stage
By now the schemas have developed and with correct guidance and your child’s creative skills have also developed. Your child will now attempt to produce his own art work. However, we may still find some traces of schematic stage, depending on the pace at which your child is learning art and his inclination towards it. For.eg. your child may draw a garden and children playing in the garden. However, the human images may look at little stiff.
5. Stage of Realism
In general, a child reaches this stage by 12 years of age. In the child’s drawings figures have a more natural representation and images start to look more real and natural in their appearance. At this stage the child becomes self-conscious about producing artistic and realistic art work.
Although there are defined stages for development, like each flower blossoms in its own unique way, each child blossoms in their own unique way and as parents it is our responsibility to give them that space and time for their development and growth. Read more
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Walking the lane of being a child to being a parent.

We have walked the lane of being a child to being a parent. Which is one of the best journey of life. However like any other journey, this journey too has some difficulties in the path.
Life has been a strange path, as a child we often felt that no one understood us, time should fly soon and we grow up to be a adult and be able to handle our problems ourselves.
However, when we grow up we realise that situation are worse now. When we grow up complications are more and handle situation are not all easy, everything and every decision and action envoles the reaction of another person. Thus handling all these are too much for one.
As an individual I always felt, what if my parents would have pushed me a bite more in academics than I would have score better and if they would encourage me some more for co-curriculam activities than I would have some extra skill too today. However, as a parent today when I try to push my daughter a bite more, I feel she maybe disappointed or unhappy with the pressure.
Is she happy to do the classes or doing to follow her parents instructions ?
Parent always feel the need to make their child the best among all, some parent may disagree with the above statement. However in some or other way they too make the child follow some rules or instruction set by them to be followed in the name of child betterment.
What should be the concern for a parent ?
The Child's action and reaction today ?
or
The Child's achievement and skills in future?
In making the future successful and skillful are we being fair to the childhood?
Many questions in the mind, various such similar dilemma in handling childhood and parenthood.
Let's share each other's thoughts and walk together in the lane of parenting. Read more
Dr Priyanka Kalra has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
11 hours ago
Q. I am having pcod problem.
At which day should I take pregnancy test
Dr Priyanka Kalra
Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
9 hours ago
A. after 2 weeks. do ultrasound n necessary tests after consulting a specialist. without proper check up we can't advise or help you.. Avoid shirt cuts when it comes to health if mother n baby. ok.
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
11 hours ago
Q. I am having pcod problem.
when should I take pregnancy test?
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
10 hours ago
A. after missed your periods you can wait for one week more ,then you can do a urine pregnancy test to know about the pregnancy result and consult with your doctor according to the result for medication
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
11 hours ago
Q. I am having pcod problem.
but having regular cycles below 35 days. some time it will extended upto 40 days.
so when should I take pregnancy test at home?
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
10 hours ago
A. If you have missed your periods you can wait for one week more or else you can do a urine pregnancy test to know about the pregnancy result and consult with your doctor according to the result for medication.
The best treatment to have Regular periods is by having a healthy lifestyle with regular daily walking or jogging along with mild exercise and meditation whenever possible. as medications will only act till you are taking them
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
8 hours ago
Q. Done my first routine blood test ..it shows thyroid border line.its my 6 week running as per USG.
but prior to that my thyroid level was always normal I did check up every year and got it normal .this time it shows borderline high in 6 week pregnancy.
is it something to worry.plz guide
Read moreDr Ghouse
Paediatrician
7 hours ago
A. it is better to follow your doctors advice for treating the thyroid deficiency. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
3 hours ago
Q. #asktheexperts
Best activity toys for 15 month old baby
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
3 hours ago
A. Toys which have light and also sounds so that is going to be a good option for you to use apart from the different kids have different interest some kids like to play with cars some like to play with something else so just have to try to figure out what your child likes to eat just check what your child is more inclined towards
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
3 hours ago
Q. how to gain weight 32weeks
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
3 hours ago
A. You need to have a lot of good proteins and that is what is going to be helpful have a balanced diet and good have good amount of proteins as well which is what is going to be beneficial and good weight gain for your child as well
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