Developmental leaps – what are they?

As new parents, we often focus so much on our new role that we forget how important the first year of life is for an infant. However, a toddler coming into the world has many more challenges than parents – even when motherhood is new to them. He or she is getting to know the whole world from scratch, learning new things day by day and experiencing stimuli he or she has never encountered before.

Developmental leaps are nothing more than stages of mental development in children. If they are noticed in infants, it’s a sign that the nervous system is developing properly – the baby is acquiring new skills from month to month. In some children these changes are more visible, and in others less so. It all depends on whether they proceed rapidly, which usually involves a noticeable change in mood, or rather slowly and calmly.

Plooij’s theory

Frans Plooij is a Dutch psychologist and behavioral biologist who was the first to share a theory he noticed about developmental leaps in children. The results of a study he conducted with his wife, Hetty van de Rijt, were published in 1992. They showed that children for the first twenty months of life have so-called periods of sudden regression. It was determined that there are specifically ten of them, and each precedes the acquisition of a new skill in a child. On the Internet you can find many calendars showing at what period the said regression should occur. According to this theory, the countdown should start from the planned date of delivery, not the actual date of birth.

Anxious regression

Regression usually manifests itself in irritability, insomnia, crying, a strong need to be by mom’s side and a general deterioration of mood. Such a period lasts about a week and is often confused with colic or various health ailments. Parents think about the cause of such a condition, try various ways, go with the toddler to doctors, but to no avail. The child at this time just needs a lot of understanding, because he is simply frightened by the newly learned skills – he does not understand why he began to feel different emotions or see and know more than before.

During a crisis, it’s a good idea to help with infant cones or stuffers, which will make it easier for the little one to calm down and fall asleep. These items are designed precisely to replicate as much as possible the place where the baby was before birth – that is, in the mother’s belly, where it was very cozy, warm and safe. A noteworthy solution is also a mascot designed for children from the first day of life. It is worth buying it even before the baby is born and put it in the bed so that it can absorb the smell of the parents’ body – this will be extremely reassuring for the
baby.

The first month of a baby’s life

The first developmental leap occurs between the fourth and fifth week of life. This is an extremely exciting time for parents in particular. During this period, the baby sleeps most of the day, but this does not mean that there are no changes in its development – on the contrary! After the first month of life outside the mother’s belly, the newborn acquires many valuable skills:

– is able to
recognize the sound of mom’s voice;
– is able to locate where the sound is coming from;
– begins to smile gently, but unconsciously;
– is able to locate where the sound is coming from.br />- makes a variety of sounds in addition to crying;
– differentiates crying to signal what the specific reason for his displeasure is;
– holds his head up to three seconds.

Lack of new skills – what to do?

After the jump, the infant begins to spend more time awake and keeps his eyes on mom and dad’s face. However, it is important to remember that not every child develops at the same pace. Plooyi’s theory assumes a specific time frame, which does not always coincide with the actual pace of development of all babies. However, you should not worry about this, but present and consult your concerns with your pediatrician. He will determine whether there are any reasons for concern, or whether our little one simply needs a little more time to develop skills.

Although Ployoi’s theory is very interesting and supported by quite a few parents, the topic is still completely ignored in medical textbooks. Despite this, however, it is worth knowing that such a thing exists – perhaps it will help to understand certain behaviors of the child or be an interesting point of reference at the beginning of motherhood. However, do not assume that the reason for crying and irritability is a developmental leap – the first reaction should always be to check the health of our baby.