The first years of a human being are characterized by growth spurts, which mainly cover the period between birth and the eighth year of life. During these spurts, the child takes significant developmental steps.
What is a growth spurt?
The early years of a human being are characterized by growth spurts, which mainly cover the period between birth and the eighth year of life. A growth spurt is a jump in child development. Doctors distinguish between eight growth spurts in the first two years of life. An astonishing number of new abilities develop during this short period. The body acquires greater functionality and the senses also become better and better. The growth spurt can be very stressful for the child, sometimes causing pain. The multitude of experiences a baby has during this time can overwhelm him, making him crotchety or very clingy. Children often develop great hunger during the growth spurt. This natural need arises because the body now also needs more energy. All children, except premature babies, go through the same growth spurts and should be supported by their parents. Between weeks 5 and 26, the brain develops rapidly. New skills are added daily and all are visibly improving. If you consider that the baby learns countless skills in less than two years, you can imagine that it experiences stress as a result. The body changes dramatically. Parents should therefore hold their child in their arms frequently. Closeness and warmth make it easier for the baby to cope with each spurt. While a baby’s growth spurts are rather small, puberty is a serious growth spurt. It brings hormonal changes in particular. Some developmental steps also take a longer period of time and are not completed with one growth spurt.
Function and task
Most and most consequential growth spurts in humans occur during the first year of life. During this period, a close emotional bond develops between parent and child, which is very important for a stable psyche and later self-confidence. In the family, people get through highs and lows together, which strengthens cohesion. A growth spurt lasts for different lengths of time, ranging from a few days to three to four weeks. On average, it is over in three days. Weeks then pass before the next growth spurt. In the first growth spurt from the fifth week of life, the baby shows an increased appetite and must be breastfed more frequently. The second growth spurt takes place in the eighth week of life. Now the baby wants to stay close to the parents and begins to be unfamiliar. At three months, the third growth spurt takes place. All the baby’s organs, including his stomach, enlarge and he is very hungry. The fourth growth spurt begins around week 19 of life. During this period, which lasts almost 6 weeks, the baby learns that several actions flow smoothly into one another and can lead to amazing results. From week 26, the fifth growth spurt takes place, which many parents hardly notice because the previous one took all their strength. Now the baby has learned a lot physically, can usually turn, begins to crawl and babble. From the 37th week, the baby begins to move. This is also the time when it should learn the difference between yes and no. From the 47th week, the baby shows violent tantrums and gets more and more dexterity. From the 50th week, it is moody, often starts to be strange again and makes its first attempts to run. Depending on individual predisposition, a child can grow several millimeters during the night. The circumference of the head also changes in spurts. The first three growth spurts of the head are also enormous mental developmental leaps for the baby. Growth spurts are not only manifested in more body size. They occur throughout development, with puberty being a very extensive spurt.
Diseases and ailments
In human development, there can be delays or deep cuts in growth due to many influences. Impairments of the senses, such as impaired hearing or vision, can often be compensated for by glasses and hearing aids. Mental impairments are not always easy to recognize and require prolonged treatment. Often, prematurely born children have difficulty keeping up with their peers even after birth due to their developmental delay.In many cases, the differences dissipate over time. However, there are very strong disruptive influences on children that are determined by the environment. If children are aggressive, whiny, unfocused and restless for a long time, this may indicate a delay in their development. In older children, learning difficulties, problems with speech, and slowed thinking may also develop. Many illnesses can lead to noticeable impairments in development. Infectious diseases, but also accidents can hinder mental and thus physical development. The late effects are not always preventable. Developmental disorders are most noticeable in children with mental retardation or family impairment. Violence in the family, poverty, alcohol abuse, insecurity and excessive demands impair the healthy development of a child. The extent can even be considerable. It shows not least also in the physical development, well recognizable in the linguistic expression. Also, if there is violence among the parents, the child suffers social and various cognitive developmental impairments. Then mental health is affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result of social difficulties in the parental home, many children show aggressiveness, weaker cognitive development, concentration disorders and low readiness to learn. In these cases, child psychological treatment is recommended to relieve them of the anxiety of the experience and enable them to act with confidence.
