Child Behavior Flashcards
Behavior of a newborn?
- Sleeps 16-20 hours per day
- Periods of 1-4 hours asleep followed by 1-2 hours awake - Feeds every 2-3 hours
- Near-sighted (20-30 cm)
- Psychological relationship between parent and child
- Looks at and studies parent when awake; looks in parent’s eyes when being held
- Calms when picked up; responds differently to soothing touch
Behavior of 1-3 months old baby?
- Develops social smile
- Becomes more communicative and expressive with face and body
- Enjoys play time
- Self-soothing behaviors begin around 1 month (putting hands to mouth)
- Different cries for hunger, tiredness
- Sensitive to environment
- Recognizes familiar objects and faces
What is colic?
excessive crying for no apparent reason
- begin in 2nd or 3rd week
When does colic occur and for how long does it last?
- in an otherwise healthy and well-fed infant <3 months of age
- begins in 2nd or 3rd week
- paroxysms last for ≥3 hours per day and occurs on ≥3 days per week
- May persist until 3-4 months of age
Causes of colic?
Unknown etiology
- Possible GI vs neuro vs psychosocial factors
Treatment of colic?
Encourage “5 S’s:”
1. Swaddle (wrap in garments/clothing)
2. Swing
3. Suck
4. Shush (soft sound)
5. Side or stomach position (while awake)
Behaviour of a 8-12 month old child?
- Develops object permanence
- Has stranger anxiety and cries when caregiver leaves
- Enjoys imitating people in play and in gestures
- Starts testing parental response
- Explores objects in different ways
- First words
Behavior of a 12-18 month old child?
- Separation anxiety
- Learns by imitating caregivers, older children
- Individualization and autonomy developing
- Looks to parent for approval
- Engages with others for play
- Explores independently but will check in with caregiver
Describe the behavior of a 12-18 month child with secure attachment?
attachment will use the parent as a secure base from which to explore independently. Proud of her or his accomplishments, the child illustrates Erikson’s stage of autonomy and separation
Note: The toddler who is overly controlled and discouraged from active exploration will feel doubt, shame, anger, and insecurity
Problems in behaviour of a 12-18 month child?
- Infants/toddlers who avoid their parents at times of stress may be insecurely attached
- Young children who, when distressed, turn to strangers rather than parents for comfort are particularly worrisome.
- The conflicts between independence and security manifest in issues of discipline, temper tantrums, toilet training, and changing feeding behaviors
Behaviour of a 18-24 month old child?
- Shows signs of independence
- Says “No” - Begins to show difficult behavior
- Finds it hard to wait
- Temper tantrums begin around 18 months
- Can understand others’ emotions
- More comfortable with strangers
- Enjoys being around other children
- Make-believe (symbolic) play begins around 18 months
Describe normal toddler feeding?
- After one year of age, growth rate slows and appetite declines
- Food preferences develop
- As the child develops autonomy, may use eating or not eating as a means of defiance
- This usually improves by age 3
When do temper tantrums begin?
- Begin between 12-18 months
- Worsen at 2-3 years, then improve
What leads to temper tantrums?
During the toddler years, there is a change in how children process information.
1. They suddenly become more aware that their world can change.
2. They realize they won’t always getwhat they expect or want.
3. Their young minds are easily overwhelmed, and they don’t know how to cope with change or how to dealwith not getting their way
When do temper tantrums occur?
- Do not understand what you are saying or asking
- Are upset when others cannot understand them
- Do not know how to tell you how what they feel orwhat they need
- Do not know how to solve problems on theirown
- Are anxious or uncomfortable
- Are reacting to stress or changes at home
- Are hungry, tired
- Are jealous, want what other children have, orwant the attention others receive
- Are not be able to do as much as they think they can, such as walking, running, climbing, drawing, or making toys work
Managing temper tantrums?
- Encourage parents to stay calm and let the tantrum end itself
- Ignore minor non-dangerous displays of anger
- Allow ”cooling off” period after tantrum
- Positive reinforcements during non-tantrum times