Every baby born in the world begins life with a cry.

To a mother her babys first

cry is a wonderful sound, for it means she now has her own living baby. A baby can see
at birth, but he does not see well. When he is looking straight at something he does not
see it as it really appears but as a gray shadow. No baby sees perfectly until he is six
months old, although by the time he is a month old he can follow a light, faces and
sound with his eyes and at two months he will recognize a face. Nothing in life is as
important to a human being as being cared for when small by someone who loves him
and shows that love. A babys association with his mother is his first meeting with
another human being. How she cares for him through infancy (babyhood) and childhood
affects him all the rest of his life.

Babyhood extends from the end of the second week of life to the end of the
second year. It is often referred to as INFANCY.

The term baby may likewise suggest a helpless individual; hence, the word
toddler has been increasingly used to mean a baby that has achieved enough control
of his body to permit relative independence, (such as moving, feeding himself, etc.).

Characteristics of Babyhood

It is the true foundation age.

Babyhood establishes many behavior patterns, attitudes, and emotional
expressions. Thus, the established patterns in this time persist regardless whether good
or bad, beneficial or harmful.

It is an age of rapid growth and change.

Rapid growth in both physical and psychological aspects of a baby is observed
especially during the first year. Accompanying changes in body proportions are growth
in height and weight, which likewise are paralleled by intellectual growth and change.

It is an age of increasing independency.

Babyhood enables the baby to sit, stand, and walk and to manipulate objects as
the result of rapid development of body control due to increased independence. With
this comes an attitude against being babied. This protest, which takes the form of
angry outbursts and crying, develops into negativism.

It is an age of heightened individuality.

Babies are afforded the chance to develop themselves along the lines of their
interest and abilities through increased independence.

It is the foundation period of socialization.

Young babies are very egocentric but later the attitude diminishes, they show a
desire to belong to the group as evidenced by their not wanting to be left alone, by
demonstrating attention-seeking behavior and they also manifest attachment behavior
by developing a strong emotional ties with people they associate with.

It is the foundation period for sex-role typing.

Babies are already subjected to sex-role typing right after their being brought into
this world by being addressed in clothes with colors appropriate to their sex, or being
given toys, and etc., not absolutely.

It is an appealing age.

Babies bodies may be disproportionate but it is this characteristic that makes
them appealing. Gradually, as babies become capable of doing things for themselves
and their appearance becomes less appealing, they start giving adults a hard time since
the former become less easy to manage and more resistant to help from the latter.

It is the foundation period for creativity.

Babies nonetheless learn to develop interests and the attitudes that will lay the
foundations for creative behavior and for community and for conformity as well as
nonconformity to patterns set by others while they are incapable of doing anything and
not able to exercise control over their environment.

It is a hazardous age.

Illnesses and accidents which often lead to permanent disabilities or even death
are the most common physical hazard. Meanwhile, when poor foundations of the
various behavior patterns are established, results to serious psychological hazards.