Infant

Anterior fontanel
closes by 12-18
months

WAAA! I cry
to communicate
my needs.

I need breastmilk or
iron-fortified formula.
Dont overfeed me!
You can start me on
cereals and baby foods
at 4-6 months!

Hearing and smell well developed

at birth, prefer sweet tastes,
nearsighted at birth, distance vision
and ability to track with eyes
develops by 7 months.

I like to play with soft

toys, chew-rings, rattles,
brightly colored, highcontrast objects, and I
love to look at myself in
a non-breakable mirror!
(Solitary Play)

Cooing, babbling,
experimenting with
sounds; by 9 months
repeating syllables (da-da)

Arms and legs remain

flexed in early infancy.
Flaccid limbs are
ominous. Palmar and
plantar grasp reflexes
diminish by 3 months,
Babinski by 12 months.
Birth weight
doubles by 6
months, triples
by 12 months.

Gross Motor Skills:

--Head control by 3 months.
--Rolls from front to back at 4 months.
--Sits leaning forward at 6 months.
--Sits unsupported at 8 months.
--Pulls self to standing at 9 months.
--Cruises at 10-11 months, may stand
alone, can sit from standing.
--Walks holding on to someones hand
at 12 months.

Trust vs. Mistrust

0-6 mos. infants

grow ~1
inch/month
6-12 mos.
infants grow
~0.5 inch/month
Sleep patterns
vary, usually
sleep through
the night by 4
months. Most 12
month olds take
2 naps per day.

Im afraid of
separation from my
mommy (at 6 months)!
I also become afraid
of strangers around 8
or 9 months.

Fine Motor Skills:

--Strong grasp at 1 month.
--Grasp reflex fades at 3 months.
--Hold rattle voluntarily at 5
months.
--Transfers objects hand to hand
at 7 months.
--Develops pincer grasp at 9
months.
--At 12 months attempts to build a
two - block tower.

Toddler

Cognitive development
includes endless
exploration, trial and
error, and egocentric
thinking. Engages in
parallel play.

I like to eat finger foods, I

may eat lots one day and
nothing the next, I get on
food jags and may
become picky. Keep
offering me variety, and
brush my teeth!

NO, NO, NO!!! MINE! MINE!

I engage in parallel play, do not
understand sharing, and display
negativism to establish autonomy. I
often have TANTRUMS as a result
of my frustration over lack of
language skills.
Im pottytraining! I
should be dry in
the daytime by
3 years and
reach nighttime
dryness by 5.
Regressing is
common with
stress.
I like to play with dolls,
housekeeping toys, play
phones, rocking horses, ride-on
toys, finger paints, large
puzzles, large blocks.
I like to imitate you!!

Language:
-Uses 50 words by 2 years
--Echolalia, what and
why questions
-By 30 months, a toddler
can say about 300 words,
use 2 to 3 word phrases
Telegraphic speech
By 36 months, vocabulary
is 1000 words, can use
pronouns and pleurals
--Protruding abdomen
from underdeveloped
abdominal muscles.
--Bowleggedness
because the leg muscles
must bear the weight of
the relatively large trunk.
Gross Motor:
- 15 months
- walks without help
- 24 months
- runs
- walks up and down steps
one at a time
- 36 months
- climbs well
- jumps with both feet
- pedals tricycle

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Im afraid of strangers!
Im also afraid of the dark, loud
noises and strange animals!
Birth weight
quadruples by 2.5
years.
Height at 2 years is
roughly half of
expected adult
height.
Total sleep
requirements are
12 hours per day
during
toddlerhood,
decrease from 2 to
1 nap per day.
Need bedtime
routine!

Fine Motor:
- 15 months
- Builds a 2-block tower
- Scribbles spontaneously
- 18 months
- Builds 3 to 4 block tower
- Holds spoon and drinks
from a cup
- 30 months
- builds 8-block tower
- copies a cross

I have a vivid
imagination!
Monsters and
Fairies are
REAL!!

Preschooler
Body shape becomes slender,
graceful, agile, with good posture.
Develops sense of initiative by
succeeding in activities, planning,
making up games, etc. Imitative
& imaginative play are important.
Engages in associative play
(learns to share), needs contact
with age-mates.

WHY??? I am very
inquisitive! I can use
transductive reasoning, but
still cannot see the viewpoint
of others. Im a very concrete
thinker.

Preschoolers exhibit magical

thinking and believe their
thoughts are all powerful. They
may feel guilty and responsible
for their bad thoughts, which
sometimes coincide with a
wished event.

I still need the same good

variety of foods, but my caloric
needs decrease a littleI may
be a picky eater. Focus on the
social aspect of eating (table
manners, trying new foods,
helping with preparing), and
remember, I learn eating habits
from those around me!

Average 3 year old says 900

words, speaks in 3 to 4 word
sentences and talks incessantly.
May acquire 10-20 new words
per day. Average 4 year old
says 1500 words, tells
exaggerated stories, sings simple
songs, makes up songs.
Gross Motor Skills:
3 years:
- rides a tricycle
- climbs stairs
alternating feet
- stands on one foot at
a time for a few seconds
- broad jumps
4 years:
- skips
- hops on one foot
- catches a ball
-goes down stairs alternating
feet
5 years:
- skips on alternate feet
- throws and catches a ball
- jumps rope
- balances on alternate feet
with eyes closed

Initiative vs. Guilt

What are you going to do to me?

(afraid of bodily mutilation) Im
also scared of monsters,
strangers, loud noises, and the
dark!
Average growth
is 2.5 3 inches
per year.
Average weight
gain is 5 pounds
per year.
Average sleep is
11-13 hours/day.
Maintain
afternoon nap
through preschool
years.
Nightmares &
night terrors are
common.

Fine Motor Skills:

3 years:
- constructs a 3 block bridge
- copies a circle
-draws a cross.
4 years:
- laces shoes
- copies a square
- traces a diamond
- draws a three part stick figure
5 years:
- ties shoes
- uses scissors well
- adds 7-9 parts to a stick figure
- prints a few letters and
numbers
- prints her/his first name

School Age

I love to follow
rules!

Cognitive development
includes inductive reasoning,
logical operations, and
reversible concrete thought.
Able to see anothers point of
view, and begin to ask What
if?

Industry vs. Inferiority

I love to play sports and
engage in organized
group activities! I can be
responsible for learning
about safety and
protecting myself, and
about my health. During
this time, I begin to
develop a sense of
judgement.

Develops adult articulation

patterns between 7 and 9 years
of age.

JUST SAY NO! (Dont

forget to talk to me about
the use and abuse of
alcohol, tobacco, and other
drugs)

Peer relationships begin to

gain more importance.
Enjoy activities they can carry
through to completion. Gains
self esteem and develops body
image. Typical activites
include collecting and sorting.

My diet should be varied, Im

willing to try more new foods,
and my caloric needs diminish
according to my size. Im
learning the food habits Ill
keep into adulthood.
Im afraid of death (even
obsessed with it at times). I
know Mrs. Jones is out to
get me (intimidating
teachers, school failures). I
might also fear bullies and
kidnapping.

Gross Motor Skills:

- bicycling
- roller skating, rollerblading, skateboarding
- progressively improved
running and jumping
- swimming

Girls grow faster than boys and

commonly surpass them in height and
weight. During preadolescence (1013 years) a child commonly
experiences rapid and uneven growth.
Average growth is 2 inches/year.
Average weight gain is 4.5-6.5 lbs/yr
Average sleep requirement is 8-10
hours/night.

Fine Motor Skills:

- greater dexterity for crafts
and video games
- computer competence
- handwriting (printing in
earlier years, cursive
in later years)

Adolescent

Psychosocial development is
marked by developing a sense
of identity by adjusting to
body changes, conforming to
peer norms, and defining
boundaries with authority
figures.
Cognitive development
includes abstract thought,
complex thought patterns
and a systematic approach
to problems.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Hey, there, baby!
Wanna ride in my
car?

Well, there goes my sense of

judgement! Im INVINCIBLE!
NOTHING bad can happen to
ME! I like to take RISKS!
The way I look is VERY
important to me!
Im too busy to eat right! I like
to eat fast food, or whatever I can
grab as I run out the door. I may
be prone to deficiencies in iron,
folate and zinc.
I like hanging out with my friends,
talking on the phone, listening to
music, and I cant wait to DRIVE!

SAFETY education is a key

nursing function.
Adolescents are at
tremendous risk for bodily
injury from risk-taking
behaviors such as reckless or
distracted driving, firearms,
unprotected sexual activity,
smoking, drugs & alcohol
use, sunburn, and sports
injuries.
Problem-solving should be
taught to decrease violence
as a coping mechanism.

PUBERTY is the main developmental

milestone.
Body mass reaches adult size.
Sebaceous glands become active sweat
glands become fully functional
Hair growth in the axillae, breast
areola, genital and anal areas.
Body hair assumes characteristic
distribution.

Im afraid that Mary wont be my

BFF anymore, and Im afraid Joey
might break up with me cause Im
not pretty enough. And what if I fail
Biology? I wont get into Harvard!

No means no! I can learn to take

care of myself and protect myself in
uncomfortable situations. But
remember, peer pressure is very
strong at this time in my life!

Girls experience growth

in height, weight, breast
development, and
pelvic girth. Menarche
typically occurs 2.5
years after the onset of
puberty.

Males experience increase in

height, weight, muscle mass,
penis & testicle size. Facial
and body hair grows and
voice deepens.
The onset of spontaneous
nocturnal emissions of
seminal fluid is an overt sign
of puberty and is analogous
to menarche in girls.