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How Long is a Baby a Newborn?
Everyone knows that a baby is one of the greatest blessings one can have. The small bundle of joy, soft, tender, and pink – babies are precious. It is amazing how amazing biology works and being able to form a living being from cells and then turn it into a human being for 9 months inside a mother’s belly. In the 9 months of being inside the uterus, babies are gradually developing into these very tiny human beings waiting to be introduced to the world.
If you think that 9 months of carrying a baby is pure bliss well then you are quite wrong. While the baby is growing inside the mother, the mother will have to undergo difficult physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
In terms of the physical aspects, a pregnant woman will undergo physical changes such as weight gain since they are carrying a baby inside of them and they must eat in order to sustain the nutrients a growing baby inside needs. Next, their breasts would grow and be more tender due to some hormonal changes.
Some pregnant women will also experience hyperpigmentation. Some women might experience morning sickness and other discomforts. Some women also get easily exhausted with only minimal physical movement since it is quite heavy to be walking around with a growing baby inside of them.
In the mental and emotional aspects, they correlate with each other, some women are more hormonal than when they have their monthly periods. These hormones affect their moods and emotions and they tend to be more sensitive than ever.
But nevertheless, all of these challenges are all worth it once the baby is born and this small bundle of joy will also undergo its own sets of transitions and changes for its growth.
What are the Differences in the Stages of the Early Stages of Growth?
There are different stages of growth and in this article, you will be learning about the different stages of early childhood. There are multiple terms for a person who is continuously growing. For children or those who are still in their early stages of childhood, there are terms such as newborn, infant, baby, and toddler.
These are interchangeable and some may differ in meaning to other people. These terms are used as labels in accordance with the age of a person and an overview of the physical attributes, and development that comes along with the different stages of early childhood.
What are the differences between a Baby, Newborn, or Infant?
The terms, newborn, baby, and infant, are always being used synonymously but each word’s actual definitions are actually different from each other.
Newborn. The term “newborn” is used to refer to a tiny human being from birth up until the age of 2 months old.
Infants. The term, “infant” is a term used to refer to children who are from the age of birth up until they are a year (1 year) old.
Baby. As for the term, “baby”, it is a term used to refer to a child aged from birth up to the age of 4 years old. This term pretty much encompasses all the terms previously mentioned (newborn, infant, and toddler as well).
According to the Merriam – Webster dictionary, the term “newborn” is simply referred to a child who is freshly born. The Merriam – Webster dictionary then refers to the term “infant” as a child who is undergoing the first stages of life but does not really give another specific explanation or a specific range of age. As for the term, “baby”, it simply defines a child who is still an extremely young person.
The World of Organisation on the other hand explained that a newborn infant, or another term, “neonate” refers to a child who is still under 28 days old.
What Happens During their Growth and Development?
Starting from the early stages of growth, birth, and up to the first year of a child, babies have a very fast rate of growth and development. They learn multiple skills within this age range.
Babies will start to learn how to smile, laugh, and roll over on their own, they will also learn how to sit up on their own, and they will also learn how to wave, clap, and pick some objects up and these objects will they mistake for food sometimes since these babies seem to be perpetually hungry. Some children will also learn how to crawl on their own, and they will also babble some noises because they want to imitate what the other people are saying, but there are also some babies who will already start saying a few words.
This is the average time and age for most children in their early stages of life but every person has a different cognitive inclination so it varies as to when they will really start to learn certain skills such as talking. Some children may not know how to talk until they are 1 year old but others might already know how, or perhaps even before they turn 1.
Children at this age will also learn how to bond with the people who are taking care of them such as their parents. They will sometimes know how to understand their parents in their own way since children are pure instinct.
One of the number one sources of entertainment for babies is music. Babies are easily drawn to music which is why they are already exposed to nursery rhymes and familiarised with them. Some babies love commercials on television and they even try to imitate them. Some babies also love and enjoy playtime such as peek-a-boo. Babies also enjoy movement or thrills such as being lifted up into the air. Babies are easy to entertain and they are also curious small beings, they are also fun to be teased around with because of how hysterical and entertaining their reactions are.
The Takeaway
Not all babies are the same and their rate of growth will vary from one baby to another this is not something to be worried about although a parent could still ask some advice from a pediatrician for further reassurance regarding their children’s well-being.
