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Post-natal development refers to the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur after birth and continue throughout a person’s life. This development is generally divided into several stages, including infancy, early childhood, middle and late childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Each stage is characterized by distinct growth patterns and developmental milestones. In this unit, however, we will focus specifically on postnatal development from infancy through late childhood. This includes infancy, which spans from birth to two years; early childhood, from around two or three years up to six or seven years; and middle to late childhood, from seven to twelve years.
1. Infancy (0-2 years)
1.2. Sensory and perceptual development in infancy
Visual Perception
- By 3 months, babies can see clearly and notice colors.
- They show interest by staring at things.
- By 5 months, they can see shapes and facial features.
- By 6 months, they can recognize familiar faces like their mother’s and tell them apart from strangers or objects.
Hearing
- Between 8 and 28 weeks, babies can tell where sounds are coming from.
- They move their eyes or heads toward the sound.
- Smell
- Newborns can tell the difference between good and bad smells.
- Pleasant smells (like vanilla) make them happy, while strong or unpleasant smells (like alcohol or petrol) cause fast heartbeat or breathing.
Taste
- Babies can taste from birth.
- They prefer sweet tastes and suck more when milk is sweetened.
- They show dislike by pursing lips when given sour, bitter, or salty tastes.
Touch and pain
- Newborns respond strongly to touch, especially on sensitive areas like the feet, palms, ears, and eyes.
- They can connect what they feel with what they see.
- Babies feel pain, as shown by crying during procedures like circumcision, even at just a few days.
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