When do infants and young children develop their abilities? Three major development indicators

Infants and young children basically start to develop well at the age of 2. So, what are the various developmental indicators of infants and young children?

Development of various abilities of infants and young children

1. Growth and Development

After the age of 2, the baby's weight gain slows down, increasing by 2 kg per year on average, and the weight is about 14 kg at the age of 3. The growth of height also slows down, increasing by about 5 to 7 cm. By the age of 2 and a half, the baby has all the deciduous teeth, that is, 20 teeth. The teeth may grow unevenly or crooked at this time, but most of them will grow straight naturally later. Around the age of 2 and a half to 3 years old, it is the period of tooth decay, so you should pay attention to it.

When the baby's motor skills improve and he can sit, crawl, stand, walk, run and jump, his muscle tissue development accelerates, muscle fibers become thicker, and muscle activity and endurance increase.

2. Motor Development

At the age of 2, the baby can walk very steadily. He can control the movement of the center of gravity of his body and walk at a relatively steady speed. At about 3 years old, his walking movements will be more coordinated and the tension in his whole body will completely disappear. However, due to the lack of muscle strength, his ability to control his limbs is limited, so he still walks a little unsteadily. If there are obstacles on the road, he still cannot easily avoid them. At the age of 2, the baby can jump off the ground with both feet at the same time. At the age of 2 and a half, he can jump on one foot 1 to 2 times and can also go up and down the stairs step by step. At the age of 3, he can go up and down the stairs with both feet alternately, and can also jump down from a chair or a place higher than a chair.

Two-year-old babies have some strength in their hands and are more flexible. They can cut paper with scissors, throw a ball with their hands, put on shoes and undress by themselves, turn door handles, and eat with a spoon. Some babies of this age can already ride a tricycle, and some can play football, swing, and slide.

3. Language Development

At the age of 2, babies can not only name many objects, but also say short sentences consisting of two or three words, such as "the car is coming"; they can use the personal pronoun "I" and understand what adults say. At the age of 2 and a half, babies can say a relatively complete sentence, such as "Where did the car go?" or "What is this?" and sometimes they can talk to themselves. At about 3 years old, it is an important period for the development of oral language. At this time, the baby's language develops at an incredible speed, but because the nervous system is not yet fully developed, the regulation and control ability of the pronunciation organs and auditory organs is relatively poor, so there is a phenomenon of unclear and inaccurate pronunciation.

Although babies can use simple sentences to express themselves, their language is not yet coherent and complete, and they often speak in a mixed way. However, as long as people around them speak to their babies more often with the correct language and tone, their pronunciation and speech will gradually become more accurate. The development time of babies' language varies, some are early, some are late. A baby's late speech does not necessarily mean that his intelligence is not well developed. Therefore, you cannot force your baby to learn to speak. He will speak naturally when the time comes.

What should babies eat to nourish their brains?

1. Xiaomi

Millet contains more nutrients such as protein, fat, calcium, iron, vitamin B, etc., and is known as a brain-enhancing staple food.

Recommended recipe: Millet porridge

Millet can be cooked into porridge alone or with rice. When making porridge, boil the water and then put it into the pot, boil it with strong fire; when the rice oil floats, change to low fire and simmer slowly. When the rice oil increases and thickens into fat and the rice grains bloom, the porridge is ready (if you want to save trouble, you can grind it before boiling).

2. Eggs

Eggs contain more lecithin, which can increase the release of acetylcholine in the brain and improve children's memory and receptive ability. If children eat 1 to 2 eggs for breakfast every day, it can not only strengthen their body and brain, but also make them energetic in learning.

Recommended recipe: Shrimp and egg custard

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add a small amount of warm water and salt, mix with the dried shrimps, put them in a pot and steam them until cooked, then they are ready to eat.

Eating eggs can strengthen bones and muscles, increase calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D, and prevent rickets in children for babies over 12 months old.

3. Soy products

Soybeans are rich in high-quality protein and unsaturated fatty acids, which are the basic components for the growth and repair of brain cells. Soybeans also contain 1.64% lecithin, iron and vitamins, etc. Appropriate intake can enhance and improve children's memory.

Soy products mainly include tofu, which can be boiled in boiling water or fish soup, crushed with a spoon and fed to babies.

How old can babies eat salt?

When adding salt to your baby, you should follow the principle of no salt within 1 year old and less salt within 3 years old.

According to the latest "Dietary Reference Intake of Chinese Residents", it is not recommended to use any seasoning for infants under 1 year old, and for children aged 1-3 years old, it is only a little more than 1 gram per day.

◆ Babies under 6 months old already have enough natural salt from breast milk and milk to meet their body needs. At this time, there is no need to add salt to the baby's complementary food.

◆ Do not add extra salt to baby food for babies under 1 year old, because the salt in natural food can already meet the baby's needs. Adding extra salt may be harmful to the baby. After 1 year old, iodized salt can be consumed appropriately.

◆ Infants and young children are more sensitive to salt than adults. If the salt content in food is 0.25%, adults will find it bland, but babies will think it is very salty.

◆ For babies aged 1 to 3 years old, try to use as little salt as possible when cooking every day. Generally, the daily salt intake of children aged 1 to 6 years old should be controlled at around 1 gram, and no more than 2 grams (6 grams for adults), which is the size of a soybean.

What should babies eat to increase height?

Height-enhancing food 1: Black soybeans

Soybeans are widely recognized as high-protein foods, and black soybeans have the highest protein content. Black soybeans are low in calories, so eating more black soybeans will not make you fat. They can be cooked with rice or ground into black soybean milk. If your child dislikes black soybeans, you can feed them peanuts.

Height-increasing food 2: Eggs

Children generally do not resist eggs, especially the protein-rich egg whites. Eggs are high-protein foods and are perfect for growing children. Although the cholesterol in egg yolks is high, it is not a big problem as long as the number of eggs consumed per day is controlled. Eat 1-2 eggs per day.

Height-increasing food 3: Milk

If you want your child to grow taller, milk is an indispensable food. This is because milk contains calcium, a nutrient that is beneficial to bone growth. Drinking 3 cups of milk a day can provide the calcium necessary for growth. However, some children do not like the smell of milk. If your child does not like to drink milk, you might as well let him drink yogurt or cheese.

Height-enhancing food 4: Spinach

Spinach is rich in iron and calcium. Children who are growing and developing need to supplement iron and calcium, so they can eat more spinach. However, many children are very resistant to spinach. Children often don't like spinach that is made directly according to the taste of adults. So you can chop the spinach and mix it into the rice ball.