Did you know that babies triple their weight in the first year? Did you know that a child’s brain develops more in the first 5 years than any other time in their life? Read on and learn more amazing facts about your child’s development.
1. Your child understands what you are saying before they begin to speak
Mothers love talking to their babies and it’s great for them to hear you. They are learning so much listening to you talk about your day, or sing the ABC’s while you change their diaper. By the time your baby turns one, he probably understand about 70 words. Even if he only speaks a small amount, he knows what you are telling him. So keep talking to your baby!!
2. At preschool age, your child begins to see themselves as an individual
We’ve all heard our preschooler yell, “MINE!” when his friend plays with his toy. Sharing is definitely a hard thing for kids to learn. But remember, your child is becoming an individual! This is a good thing. He knows that he is separate from his friend and separate from you. It’s actually quite an achievement in his cognitive ability!
3. An average baby will triple his birth weight in his first year
Wow! Imagine if we did that! That’s a lot of growing! Just remember, in the middle of the night when you are feeding your baby whom you wish was fast asleep, he needs it! All that growing takes a lot of energy and a lot of nutrients. If we continued to grow at the rate we grew in the first year, we would be 315 pounds when we turned 20!!
4. Your baby can breathe under water while in Utero
While still in the womb, your baby begins to breathe at about 28 weeks. His lungs aren’t taking in any oxygen, they are just beginning to develop. He is beginning to practice, getting those muscles going. When he is born, those muscles are ready to breathe air!
5. Most 1 year olds are ambidextrous
Your 1 year old can use both hands equally and you think, Awesome! Most kids prefer one hand or the other by the time they are age 2 or 3. 90% of children will choose their right hand. So if you have a lefty on your hands, consider yourself lucky!
6. A 2 year old has twice as many neural pathways as an adult
Everyone loves the terrible twos! They throw tantrums, they kick and scream, and even make you wish you could through a tantrum! Your 2 year old has more than 100 trillion synapses, or brain connections; this is the most they will have in their lifetime. Take advantage and teach them all you know, or don’t know, since adults have half of the neural pathways your 2 year old has!
7. Your child probably won’t remember anything before the age of 3
You spent all that money on a trip to Disneyland for your toddler’s birthday… What great memories! For you, yes, but most likely not for your 2 year old. Before the age of three, children’s memory recorder isn’t fully operational. So the memories probably didn’t even make it in there. What your baby learns, definitely has a positive impact on her development, but she probably just won’t remember them.
8. When your preschooler covers their eyes they think you can’t see either!
Your son walks into the room with his eyes covered to sneak some cookies. He thinks you can’t see him because he can’t see you! To us it’s funny, to them it makes perfect sense. They can only imagine their own perspective on life. They can’t think logically yet, they think very literally. So don’t tell your preschooler to go jump in a lake, they just might!
9. Your baby startles in utero
I remember going swimming in my last trimester, using hand weights. One time I dropped one and when it hit the bottom of the pool, my baby jumped! Such a great sensation! After around 23 weeks, your baby begins to startle when she hears a loud noise. Her brain is developing normally and you don’t need to worry when this happens.
10. At birth, a baby’s vision is very blurry
When your baby is born, her eyesight is somewhere around 20/2400. She can only see clearly about a foot away. So get in close and talk to her. Provide black and white objects for her to see up close. She loves to see new things, and it’s very important for her visual development, but they need to be near her. By the time she is 6 months, she should be able to see at 20/20.
11. Your baby can smell what you smell
Did you know that your baby can smell while in your womb? Your baby’s sense of smell develops more because of the amniotic fluid he is in. In the 3rd trimester he can smell even more easily since at that point the scents can pass through the placenta.
12. Your Baby can’t taste salt until 4 month of age
Hopefully you’re not feeding your baby salt before 4 months of age, but interesting to know that your baby wouldn’t even be able to taste it if you did! At 4 moths, the taste buds that sense salt, develop. Your child’s kidneys also start to use sodium at 4 months of age. Interesting how they go hand in hand.
13. Children can organize information in their memory starting at age 7
Your younger child will be able to remember things, but starting at age 6 she can use strategies for learning to memorize. At age 7, she can then use patterns and other tricks to help her even more. Then she can remember that information better, later, like on test day!
Your child is amazing! I firmly believe that I am learning more from them than the other way around!