Observing and Understanding Infant Development

This assignment requires the student to observe and document the behavior of an infant over two days. The student is asked to identify and explain various aspects of infant development, such as social referencing, habituation, and fine motor skills. The assignment also involves reviewing relevant literature and incorporating key terms into the discussion. By completing this assignment, students gain a deeper understanding of infant development and how to support a baby's growth through observation and documentation.

Running Head: BABY DAY REPORT
Baby Day Report
Name
Affiliation
Instructor
Date

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INFANT SUMMARY
Introduction
The purpose of this assignment was to obtain a deeper understanding of infants and their
development process. Through a baby day observation session, I was able to get a first-hand
experience of various activities regarding the baby under observation which was crucial in
analysing the development of the baby as she interacted with the external environment. Abby is
the baby girl under observation. She is 23 months old, the third child in her family. The ethnicity
of the infant is not yet known. She was born in April 2016. The observation of the infant took
place at her day-care classroom at 6:43 PM on 28th March 2018. The child appeared healthy
with no information regarding her family thought it was clear that the family has three children
since Abby is the third born.
Comprehensive Questions
1. Sensory/perception and motor skills
Abby sensory and perception was well developed based on her touch, sight, and hearing.
When at the class, she was able to see objects such as the toys ranging from different colors. She
was able to focus on the toys and reach for them as she pulled down all the toys from the basket
and started picking the ones which interested. The developed fine motor skills could be observed
as she showed hand preference by picking and handling objects (Putting Children First, 2008,
p.3). Her head was steady when doing different activities with the good ability to walk and run
alone without support as seen when she took a toy to Alberto (classmate), which indicates that
her gross motor skills are well developed

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2. Piaget-Cognitive Development
Abby had a great desire to explore as seen when she tried to talk on the phone handed
over to her by Professor Wilson. The grasping of the child was good as she was able to pick the
phone to answer the fake call. The girl is also seen holding on and chewing the gum bear.
According to my observation, the child is in the last stage of Piaget’s sub-stages of sensorimotor
development which is mental representation (Ormrod, 200, p.2). The reason is that first, the girl
is 23 years. Majority of the babies in this sub-stage are aged 18-24 months. The stage can also
be confirmed through the child’s actions of imitating Professor Wilson when he clapped. The
child’s sign of habituation was observed when she first reacted to the sound in the room by
looking around, then she got used to sounding proceeded to ignore the sounds (Kim & Wogalter ,
2009, p.1612)
3. Socio-Emotional Development
Abby’s social skills were well developed as she interacted with other infants like Alberto
when she gave him some toys to play. The infant can be said to be a securely attached baby
because of her happy response when she met her siblings. Abby did not seem to fear strangers in
the room as she interacted with strangers like Professor Wilson, although she responded much
better to family members. The child showed a development of social referencing when she
imitated her mother by removing her jacket and shoes when they entered the classroom (Walle,
Reschke, & Knothe, 2017, p.246).
4. Language Development
The infant’s language development is progressive. Apart from the babbling sounds as
seen when she looked at the whole class and uttered the “eh, eh”, the girl’s expressive language
was developed as seen when she told her mum “go and bring it” referring to the toy she had

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thrown away. The infant’s receptive language had also developed (Kid Sense Child
Development, 2017). She was able to understand words as seen when Professor Wilson asked
her whether she would like to talk on a phone. She understood the words and proceeded to pick
the phone.
5. Temperament
Abby’s temperament can be defined as flexible. The child seemed to adapt easily to the
new environment as she did not express any signs of fear or discomfort when she noticed
strangers. She was able to adapt fast and proceed with her daily activities undisturbed. The
flexible temperament was also evident due to her approachable nature (Allard & Hunter, 2010,
p.3). She did not appear scared when Professor Wilson approached her to pick the phone. The
temperament activity level of the child was high as she engaged in different activities. She was
either picking toys from the basket, arranging toys, clapping, running towards Alberto, walking
with her siblings or talking to Professor Wilson. These activities indicated high energy in the
infant.
Conclusion and Impressions
After observing Abby, some of the general skills that the baby possessed include the
ability to grasp and reach objects, run, walk alone and pick small things with her forefinger or
thumb among other skills. I feel that the child’s development process is quite good based on her
age. I think that observing Abby triggered the sense of refocusing on children and their world.
Throughout the observation, I was able to explore how children have no power, their dependence
on adults and vulnerability. I have learned that when working with children, key aspects are lost
by failure to have time for analytical and reflective practice which gives one a venue where he or

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she can evaluate or challenge his or her work. I dearly enjoyed the time I spent observing Abby,
as it turned out easier than I expected.
Self-evaluation
1. What do you think was the purpose of the assignment?
The purpose of this assignment was to obtain a deeper understanding of infants and their
development process
2. What did you learn from practicing in the assignment?
I have been able to learn about children’s growth and language development. I have also had an
opportunity of understanding how children react to the world and crucial factors to consider
when assessing your child’s development process.
3. What was the most valuable achievement(s) through doing this assignment?
I feel that my observation on how children are powerless, vulnerable and constantly depend on
adults for their safety, development, and well-being was the most valuable achievement.
4. What was the greatest strength you brought to the assignment?
Some of the greatest strength I brought in include the ability to deliver analytical and reflective
practice on the development of the child as well as understanding how children interact with the
surrounding environment.
5. What was the greatest challenge you brought to the assignment?
The most significant challenge was the challenge to observe some of the least observable traits,
activities, and responses of the infant

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6. How could this assignment be designed to better support your learning?
I feel that the assignment design is well designed to suit the needs of the practice.
However, I would request that the baby day observation is conducted in two days. The reason is
that on the first day, there could be some factors which could have been affecting the baby to
behave in a way which she would not otherwise behave. Having a two-day observation practice
will be essential to ascertain certain behaviours like crying, anger, fear, trust and other
behaviours.
7. Based on the rubric, how would you grade your work?
I feel like I earned 48 out of 50 on this assignment because I have a clear introduction by
stating the goal of the assignment as well Abby’s background information. I also adequately
answered the five questions using at least 3 key terms in each question. My conclusion clearly
connects the theory to observation with a clear checklist and detailed observation notes. I also
have adhered to a stated format of the paper as well references with correct spelling and
grammar. I have ensured that my self-evaluation is comprised of clear and complete sentences.

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References
Allard, L., & Hunter, A. (2010, October). Understanding Temperament in Infants and Toddlers.
Child Care Bureau, 1(23), 1-6. Retrieved April 8, 2018, from
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb_23.pdf
Kid Sense Child Development. (2017). Receptive Language (understanding words and
Language). Kid Sense. Retrieved April 8, 2018, from
https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/understanding-language/receptive-
language-understanding-words-and-language/?print=pdf
Kim, S., & Wogalter , M. (2009). Habituation, Dishabituation, and Recovery Effects in Visual
Warnings. PROCEEDINGS of the HUMAN FACTORS and ERGONOMICS SOCIETY
53rd ANNUAL MEETING, 53(1). Retrieved April 8, 2018, from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a617/152779b056a5139a2a89c08a107ffa979ae0.pdf
Ormrod, J. (2007). PIAGET’S SENSORIMOTOR STAGE. PiagetSensorimotor, 1(1). Retrieved
April 8, 2018, from http://cursa.ihmc.us/rid=1LQJS60B5-1YF4ZY6-
1L75/4_PiagetSensorimotor.pdf
Putting Children First. (2008, December 8). Fine Motor Skills. Supporting Children's
Development - Fine Motor Skills, 1(1), 3-5. Retrieved April 8, 2018, from
http://ncac.acecqa.gov.au/educator-resources/pcf-articles/Supporting_children
%27s_development_fine_motor_skills.pdf

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Walle, E., Reschke, P., & Knothe, J. (2017, June 17). SOCIAL REFERENCING. Defining and
Delineating a Basic Process of Emotion, 9(3), 245-252. doi:Defining and Delineating a
Basic Process of Emotion

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