Happy Start Infant's Program: 4-12 months

By 4 months:

Physical development. Weight: 10-18 pounds; length: 23-27 inches; sleeps about 6 hrs. before waking during the night; sleeps 14-17 hrs.daily; lifts head and chest when lying on stomach; holds both eyes in a fixed position; follows a moving object or person with eyes; grasps rattle or finger; wiggles and kicks with arms and legs; rolls over (stomach to back); sits with support.
Mental development. Explores objects with mouth; plays with fingers, hands, toes; reacts to sound of voice, rattle, bell; turns head toward bright colors and lights; recognizes bottle or breast.
Social and emotional development. Cries (with tears) to communicate pain, fear, discomfort or loneliness; babbles or coos; loves to be touched and held close; responds to a shaking rattle or bell; returns a smile; responds to peak-a-boo games.

At this stage our Infant Program observes:

1) Young infants should not be together playing with older infants or toddlers; their interests are different, and different are the toys appropriated for each group age. We do not believe that young infants develop and learn by just copying older children's playing; the infant's true learning is achieved through an understanding of self and the things around him in a process from within out, and not by a chaotic imitation of others, from outside in.
Happy Start takes purposely a special area in the Child Care play-room or in any other place in the house which is totally baby proof, for the young babies to be. We provide interesting objects for baby to mouth and explore, like plastic measuring cups, plastic big size keys, colorful washcloths books, which are among the favorite toys. Easy-to-swallow objects should be out of the infant's reach. Babies should not be allowed to play with anything smaller than a button about 2 inches.
2) We respect the infant's natural schedule. Most babies will settle into a regular routine for eating, sleeping, and soiling their diapers, even though the schedule may vary depending on the baby. Some babies need to eat more frequently than others. Some will sleep through the night early on, others will continue to wake briefly well into their second year.
3) Part of the infant's learning is to talk to the baby; face the baby when talking to him so that he can see us and smile with us. We talk to the baby about everything we are doing with him, or about the familiar objects or the people around him. We may even babble back or echo sounds the baby makes much as we would in a regular conversation. Even though the infant cannot understand everything you say, he will be learning many words that will form the basis for language later on.

By 8 months:

Physical development. Weight: 14-23 pounds; length: 25-30 inches; first teeth begin to appear; drools, mouths, and chews on objects; reaches for cup or spoon when being fed; drinks from a cup with help; enjoys some finely chopped solid foods; closes mouth firmly or turns head when no longer hungry; may sleep 11-13 hrs. at night although this varies greatly; needs 2-3 naps during the day; develops a rhythm for feeding, eliminating, sleeping, and being awake; true eye color is established; rolls from back to stomach to back; sits alone without support and holds head erect; raises up on arms and knees into crawling position; rocks back and forth, but may not move forward; uses finger and thumb to pick up an object; transfers objects from one hand to the other; hair growth begins to cover head.
Mental development. Cries in different ways to say he is hurt, wet, hungry, or lonely; makes noises to voice displeasure or satisfaction; recognizes and looks for familiar voices and sounds; learns by using senses like smell, taste, touch, sight, hearing; focuses eyes on small objects and reaches for them; looks for ball rolled out of sight; searches for toys hidden under a blanket, basket, or container; explores objects by touching, shaking, banging, and mouthing; babbles expressively as if talking; enjoys dropping objects over edge of chairs or crib.
Social and emotional development. Responds to own name; shows fear of falling off high places such as table or stairs; spends a great deal of time watching and observing; responds differently to strangers and family members; shows fearfulness toward strangers; is friendly to family members; imitates sounds, actions, and facial expressions made by others; shows distress if toy is taken away; squeals, laughs, babbles, smiles in response; likes to be tickled and touched; smiles at own reflection in mirror; raises arms as sign to be held; recognizes family member names; responds to distress of others by showing distress or crying; shows mild to severe stress at separation from parent.

At this stage our Infant Program observes:

1) We believe in reading to the baby; Babies enjoy cuddling on a Provider's lap, looking at colorful picture books, and hearing the rhythm of a the Provider's voice. With time they begin to understand that words have meaning and can be used to identify objects.
2) We encourage older infants to feed themselves by offering pieces of banana and soft bread, slightly cooked baby-carrots and broccoli, square pieces of tuna sandwiches and string cheese.
3) We play peek-a-boo a lot, and older babies learn to do this themselves and enjoy this game for a long time.
4) We believe in giving the baby the freedom to move around. Young infants enjoy being on their back so they can kick, wiggle, and look around. Older infants need space and time to practice crawling, creeping, pulling up, and walking. Spending too much time in a walker, play pen, or infant swing may inhibit the development of these important skills.
5) We help the baby develop a sense of trust and security by responding to his cries. Feeling secure encourages your baby to try new things. We practice consistency, so the babies will know what to expect.
6) We believe that when someone new is around we should stay very close to our infants. We encourage strangers to approach them slowly. We introduce our infants, but let them explore someone new in the safety of our close presence. We discourage visitors (strangers) in our Infant Child Care for a long period of time. A long period of time could be close to 20 minutes.

By 12 months:

Physical development. Weight: 17-27 pounds; length: 27-32 inches; sleeps 11-13 hrs. at night; but may still wake up during the night; some babies will stop taking a morning nap, others will continue both morning and afternoon naps; begins to refuse bottle or wean self from breast during day; needs at least 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in-between; enjoys drinking from a cup; begins to eat finger foods; continues to explore everything by mouth; enjoys opening and closing cabinet doors; crawls well; pulls self to a standing position; stands alone holding onto furniture for support; walks holding onto furniture or with adult help.
Mental development. Says first word; says da-da and ma-ma or equivalent; dances or bounces to music; interested in picture books; pays attention to conversations; claps hand, waves bye, if prompted; likes to place objects inside one another.
Social and emotional development. Copies adult actions such as drinking from a cup, talking on the phone; responds to name; likes to watch self in mirror; expresses fear or anxiety toward strangers; wants caregiver or parent to be in constant sight; offers toys or objects to others, but expects them to be returned immediately; may become attached to a favorite toy or blanket; pushes away something he does not want.
Caution: Every baby is unique. His learning and growth rates differ from other children his age. If, however, your child is unable to do many of the skills listed for his age group, you may wish to talk to an early childhood specialist. If your child has special needs, early help can make a difference.