News - Study: Nearly a Third of New Parents Know Little About Infant Development

When you're a new parent, you usually feel like there's more that you don't know than you do. You learn as you go, using your baby — and often stacks of parenting magazines and books — as your guide. But it's easy to forget what infants should be doing when and exactly what you can do to help encourage your little one to learn and develop.

That's why a group of researchers set out to figure out exactly how much new parents really do — and don't — know. They looked at information from a nationally representative sample of more than 10,000 parents, including a survey in which the moms and dads of 8- to 13-month-olds answered 11 questions about infant development.

What they found: Almost a third of U.S. parents knew very little about normal infant development, correctly answering only four of the 11 questions (about things like talking and potty training).

And the moms and dads who weren't up on what their children should be doing or how to stimulate their learning and development were far more likely to have "poorer quality interactions with a child and less cognitive stimulation" (like reading books, telling stories, and singing songs).

What This Means to You

From the minute they're born babies' bodies and brains are constantly growing. And there's plenty parents can do to help encourage and guide infants and toddlers from one developmental stage to another.

Here's a quick look at a few basic areas of child development that the researchers in the study addressed and what you can do to help your little one achieve certain key milestones:

Reaching for and grabbing things: Around 4 months old, many babies are successful at swiping and grabbing everything around them. To help encourage this exploration, place a favorite toy or soft ball in front of your baby during supervised "tummy time" (while awake) on the floor, while rocking in the infant swing, or while sitting on your lap. Put the object a little out of reach to encourage your baby to try.

And, since your little one's now able to get a hold of things, make sure to childproof and keep hazards out of reach.

Object permanence: Between about 4 to 7 months, babies begin to get a sense of object permanence — that something (or someone) can exist, even when out of sight. That new knowledge will prompt them to search for an object that's been partially hidden and to drop toys and other objects over the side of a crib or high chair to watch you retrieve them.

To help reinforce this concept:

Hide a toy — but don't hide it very well — and encourage your baby to find it.
Cover your face with your hands, then remove your hands and say, "Peekaboo, I see you!" As your baby gets older, vary the game a bit by hiding your face with a blanket and letting your baby pull it off, hiding around the corner, and showing your baby how to play, too.
Let your baby discover that his or her actions can make things happen. Provide toys that will move or make sounds (like baby musical instruments, busy boxes, or see-through toys that show motion).

Communicating

Long before babies can utter a word, they communicate their wants, needs, and feelings in all kinds of ways — through cries, sounds, expressions, gestures, and eventually words.

Here's a basic look at what to expect as they grow:

By 2 months old babies are often cooing (saying "ooh" and "ah").
By 6 months they're saying "ba, "da," and "ga," starting to babble ("babababababa"), and showing big smiles or other expressions of joy.
By 8 months, babies usually respond to their names — even if it's simply by looking in your direction when you call them. (All infants should respond to their name by 1 year old.)
By 9 months many are saying "mama" and "dada" (without really understanding what those words mean), as well as sharing back-and-forth smiles, sounds, or other facial expressions.
By 1 year many children can say one or two "first words" (in addition to "mama" and "dada") like "baby" or "ball," follow a one-step command (like "Bring me the book"), and use gestures (like pointing or waving bye-bye).

To help encourage your child's speech and language skills:

Reinforce your infant's sounds by repeating them.
Introduce new sounds and words and watch as your baby tries to imitate you.
Teach your baby sign language for basic vocabulary like "more" and "all done."
Use everyday situations to teach your infant the words for everything you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch together. Ask questions like "What's that?," pausing before you provide the answer and acknowledging your child's responses.
Recite and sing nursery rhymes like "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" and "Hey Diddle Diddle," repetitive word games like "This Little Piggy" and "Pat-A-Cake," and action songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Read to your child every day, starting as early as 6 months. Say the names of the objects, people, and animals as you point to them, and make the sounds of the animals and the objects in the book.
Be patient. Even after children are able to say certain words, it may be a long time before they're able to pronounce or use them the right way, which is perfectly normal and OK. So they may naturally say things like "wiss" instead of "fish" or "baw" instead of "ball."
Keep things simple but don't use "baby talk" — model correct pronunciation and grammar. Instead of correcting your child by saying, "Don't say XYZ," simply acknowledge what your child has said and repeat it in the right way.

Sharing

This is a skill that children don't master during infancy or even toddlerhood. It takes years for kids to really understand the concept of sharing and finally learn that it's OK to relinquish something they like.

Although babies and toddlers may enjoy having other kids around, don't expect them to "play" cooperatively with each other or to be enthusiastic about sharing toys.

To avoid fights with siblings or playmates over favorites, put coveted items in a separate place from the general play area. Offer praise and acknowledgement for making an effort to share, and be ready to redirect attention elsewhere before frustration over sharing turns into a tug of war.

Potty training

There's a controversial new movement that involves training babies to go diaper-free from birth, but the fact is that the vast majority of children aren't physically or emotionally able to take on the "big kid" step of potty training until they're between 2 and 3 years old (although some may start as early 18 months).

Signs that a child might be ready include:

showing interest in the toilet (sitting on a potty chair or watching a parent or a sibling in the bathroom)
staying dry for longer periods (usually for 2 hours or more)
connecting the feeling of having to go with peeing and pooping (like stopping an activity for a few seconds, clutching their diaper, or saying they need to go potty)
communicating that their diaper is wet or dirty

Of course, some kids are ready earlier or later than others. And boys typically start later and take longer to learn to use the potty than girls. If you're torn about when to start the toilet-teaching process altogether, let your child be your guide. Don't feel pressured by others (your parents, in-laws, friends, siblings, coworkers, etc.) to begin. It all depends on the child. Yours will let you know when he or she is ready.

There's a wide range of normal with most areas of early childhood development and kids learn, grow, and develop at different rates. At routine checkups, talk to your doctor about what your youngster should be doing at each age and stage, get advice on how to encourage it, and bring up any concerns — big and small — about your child's development.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: May 2008

Source: "A National Perspective on Parents' Knowledge of Child Development, Its Relation to Parent-Child Interaction, and Associated Parenting Characteristics," presented at the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 2008.