The neonatal phase refers to period between birth when baby is 4 weeks old
Physical Appearance of the baby
o Newborn compared to defeated boxer: swollen, purple face, broad & flat nose,
swollen eyelids + eyebrow ridges
o Bodily proportions are different to adult
o Head takes up ¼ of total body size with neck muscles not too strong
o Babies develop jaundice because liver is still immature
o Newborn girls weigh 140 grams less than boys and can lose 10% of birth weight from
poor feeding
o Average length 45-56cm with 170 heartbeats per minute
o Physical well-being determined by Apgar Scale (quantitative evaluation of certain
physical characteristics of newborn baby)
o 1 min & 5 min after birth
o Evaluate FIVE aspects: body colour, heartbeat, reflex irritability, muscle tone,
breathing
o Colour, pulse, grimace, activity & respiration
o Maximum score 10/10
The Apgar Scale
SIGNS SCORES
0 1 2
Appearance Blue, pale Extremities blue, Completely pink
body pink
Pulse absent Less than 100/min >100/min
Grimace No response Grimace Cry
Activity Limp Moderate Active Motion
Respiration Absent Slow, irregular Strong Cry
FEEDING
1. 8-14 times a day with 1,5-5-hour interval
2. Breast vs bottle feeding
3. ☺ of breastfeeding
= antibodies in breast milk provide the baby with vital protection against
intestinal/respiratory illnesses + allergic reactions.
= nutrition stimulates brain growth + myelination of axons of neurons while cow milk
stimulates muscle growth.
=leaner at 1 and prevents being overweight.
, = sucking mother’s nipple instead of artificial nipple helps avoid malocclusion (where
upper + lower jaws don’t meet properly). Protects against tooth decay because of
sweet liquid
= no extra food until 6 months (iron easily absorbed from breast feeding)
= accept solid foods easier
= breast milk is sterile + available at correct temperature
= psychological advantage of feelings of security
= emotionally enriching experience
Perceptual Development
Other Perceptual Abilities: focus ability Depth Perception: protects child
improves rapidly within first few months. At 6 against. Babies use visual cliffs (simple
months = babies’ visual acuity is approx. 6/30 apparatus consisting of glass surfaces
+ at 11 months similar to adults. Perceptual play pit) babies crawling to deep end =
narrowing is becoming more specific to able to perceive depth. 6-14 months
familiar faces. Auditory perception = can perceive depth
develops rapidly reacting to 43 decibels + 34
decibels. Intermodal perc = mouth move +
sounds
Visual Constancy: objects appear same to us despite
variations in sensory input. Perceive colour, size,
shape of objects as unchanged inspite of objects
projected onto retina of eye. Proper perspective car
getting smaller but not shrinking.
Cognitive Development
• Jean Piaget divides cognitive development into 4 stages
• Sensorimotor stage is the first stage including cognitive functioning of the
infant including their senses + motor reactions
1. Sensorimotor Stage
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