Growth spurts in infants week by week up to one year. Calendar, calculation by date of birth

At certain age stages, a sudden change in behavior is considered physiological in infants. In their work, child psychologists and pediatricians use the term “growth spurts” to refer to such phenomena.

Regardless of the measures taken by the parents, the child is able to overcome these crises on his own. Despite this, pediatric doctors strongly recommend that adults study the nature of such jumps and make the maximum effort to help a growing person cope with the increased emotional and mental stress.

What are growth spurts, features of the condition

Growth spurts in infants are an uncontrolled radical change in the child’s behavior, his daily routine and the way he interacts with “his adult”, which occurs with a certain frequency. Such stages in the formation of a growing person’s personality are also called developmental leaps.

This is due to the fact that the main reasons for such changes are:

acquisition of new skills by the baby;
rapid physical development of the child;
change in the psychological climate in the family.

The rapid physical development of children under one year of age is one of the reasons for the occurrence of crisis periods, the so-called “growth spurts.”
If the first 2 reasons for the occurrence of growth spurts can be considered natural, then changes in the family environment are rather negative for the child’s psyche, despite the development of his nervous system in as a result of the circumstances overcome.

The restructuring of the psychological state also entails physical changes, the “side effect” of which is developmental leaps.

Physical and mental development of personality occurs spasmodically. Sudden changes provoke an emotional outburst, which may take a baby from 7 to 21 days to cope with in the first year of life.

During the transition to a new stage of development, the child feels:

Alarming. For example, when at 8 weeks a baby begins to identify patterns, he may at first be afraid of surrounding objects.
Emotionally unstable . From the stress he experiences, he alternately cries and laughs.
Lonely . During growth spurts, children in the vast majority of cases begin to test the strength of their connection with their parents, demanding more tactile and emotional contact from them.

Features of this condition

As practice shows, it is quite difficult to predict when the next developmental leap in a child will occur. Crisis periods are characterized by suddenness. Even in the evening the little one is in a great mood, he plays and is quite happy, but the very next day he is capricious, whining and does not let his mother take a step. The crisis also ends suddenly. Your child’s mood improves dramatically and everything falls into place. It is interesting to note that after the next growth spurt, newborns and infants often exhibit some kind of skill. For example, he begins to hold a spoon or stack cubes on his own. This is an undoubted reward for parents for sleepless nights and difficult daytime hours.

There are many different calendars of growth spurts in children, with which you can calculate growth spurts based on the date of birth of the baby, but you should not rely entirely on any of them. Each baby is individual, so a crisis stage can happen at any time.

We also suggest reading an article on the topic of baby’s head size by month. All the necessary information is here.

How to determine the period of growth spurts and development

Growth spurts in infants are easier to overcome if parents can recognize them based on a number of signs:

Increased baby's appetite. Despite the already established feeding regime, the child during this period suddenly begins to demand food chaotically. Moreover, he does not always eat his quota, but most often consumes only 1/3 of the entire portion, the size of which is determined by the age recommendations of pediatricians.
Changes in daily routine and accompanying sleep disturbances . Depending on the nature of the baby, during the period of developmental leaps, he may begin to sleep longer and more often, or, conversely, his sleep may temporarily become intermittent and short.
A growing person becomes more capricious

, requires constant attention and cries more often. Such changes in the child’s condition are associated not only with the fact that most of the time he remains dissatisfied with his condition - hunger and lack of sleep, for example, but also with the possible presence of painful sensations in the joints and bones. Developmental leaps are accompanied by active growth of children's bodies, which provokes discomfort, and with a lack of vitamins in the child's body, acute attacks of pain.
The emergence of a new skill . Moreover, a new skill will not always be obvious to parents. For example, when a growing person learns to distinguish the entire spectrum of colors and shapes at any distance, for the mother he remains at the same stage of development, while in fact it is as if he is being born again, discovering the world around him.
Changing the length of the legs and increasing the size of the palms. Such changes are most typical for infants during periods of developmental leaps. Other physiological changes associated with these stages include narrowing of the joints, widening of the shoulders (in boys) and increase in the size of the hips (in girls).

If the child is truly experiencing a growth spurt, then the above signs will be permanent, lasting for 1-3 weeks.

Otherwise, such changes in the condition of the baby do not indicate its growth, but the onset of an illness or lack of breast milk (if the mother has decided not to supplement the baby with artificial formula).

Psycho-emotional development of children

Have you noticed that at some times your little one becomes more capricious and requires more attention? This happens due to the fact that the psychological development of children is not always closely related to physiological growth. The child simply does not understand what is happening to him, cannot control his emotions, so he expresses them in the form of crying and hysterics. In addition, he may refuse to eat or constantly demand the breast, “hang” on his arms, and sleep poorly. Mommy is worried, nervous, is her baby sick, or maybe he is teething or has a tummy ache? In fact, we may well be talking about a so-called growth spurt.

Whims are explained by physiological discomfort in infants, because now they are experiencing unpleasant sensations that arise due to stretching of blood vessels and muscle tissue. The development of the nervous system also requires significant energy expenditure.

Faced with such a state of the baby, parents must be patient, because it is also not easy for the child at this time. Moreover, crisis periods usually last no more than a week, most often several days.

Duration of growth spurts and development

Growth spurts in infants, depending on age, can last from 3 to 21 days.

The speed of overcoming the crisis stage depends on:

The presence of a psychologically comfortable environment in the family. The child sees the parents happy, attentive and gentle towards each other.
No accompanying physical changes. For example, a growth spurt will become protracted if the child is teething at this time or the immune system is fighting a virus that has entered the body.
Relationships with “their adult,” the person with whom the baby spends most of his time. If the mother pays enough attention to the child, then it will be much easier for him to survive changes in his physical and mental state than if he is left to himself all the time he is awake and is ignored by his parents.

No less important during developmental leaps is the emotional state of the child's parents . If adults are stable, understand what is happening to their baby and help him in every possible way to alleviate the condition, then the growing person, adopting their confidence, will cope with the restructuring of his body in the shortest possible time.

Parents will be able to remain calm during a time of crisis for their children with the help of:

Studying the basic physiology of children's and adult organisms. This will allow adults to understand which skill their child is most likely to become accustomed to at this time.
Analysis of works and comprehensive studies of child psychologists related to the age of their infants. This knowledge will make it possible to understand the psychological state of the child and competently “contain” his emotions.
Work with the stability of your own state. Get enough rest and visit a psychologist if necessary.

How should parents behave during this period?

Specific recommendations from child psychologists and pediatricians on how parents should behave during growth spurts look like this:

Calmly accept current events. After mom and dad are convinced that their baby is going through a crisis and does not need to be examined by a doctor, they should stop worrying and look for deviations in the development of their own child until the situation is completely stabilized.
Do not change already established habits in the child’s life . For example, do not give up breastfeeding, do not exclude planned naps.
Eliminate excessive strictness and exactingness towards the baby. Do not force him to fall asleep at a specific time, loyally shifting it to a more comfortable time for the child; feed on demand, avoiding acute hunger in a growing person.
Do not indulge your child's whims thoughtlessly . If a mother, avoiding her son or daughter’s crying, unquestioningly fulfills all the children’s “demands,” the leap in development will certainly develop into a change in the child’s behavior pattern. He will become less obedient, will begin to fall into hysterics more often when he encounters resistance from adults, and will begin to manipulate. To avoid this, parents should not prevent the baby’s emotional outbursts, depriving him of the opportunity to get rid of psychological stress, but help him cope with stress, distract him, talk as much as possible, trying to end the crying with words as soon as possible.

It is important for parents to understand that they will not be able to avoid problems associated with their child’s developmental leaps. Changes in psychological and physical terms are natural stages of personality development, accompanied by increased emotionality and stress on the part of the fragile child’s psyche.

Races in children after one year

As soon as the baby turns one year old, another growth spurt awaits him. And along with it, unpleasant manifestations:

the baby eats little;
the mood changes sharply - either he becomes very upset, cries for insignificant reasons, or stares dreamily at some thing;
is capricious and clings to mom, especially if she often leaves sight;
he becomes shy;
constantly carries with him his favorite toy or any other thing that is dear to him;
does not obey parents;
demands that they play with him and come up with new entertainment for him.

This stage in a child’s development also brings worsening sleep. The baby begins to have difficulty falling asleep, practically does not sleep during the day, and at night he constantly wakes up and begins to look for his mother. In the morning he may wake up earlier, although he does not get enough sleep.

You just need to survive such leaps in a child’s development. And we should not forget that during such periods the child is really uncomfortable, he is very vulnerable, so he needs to be supported and treated with understanding.

Why are growth spurts called crises?

Growth spurts in infants are usually associated with periods of crisis, as children have difficulty coping with changes in their lives.

For their fragile nervous system, even a minor change in external circumstances poses a great burden:

Time zone change. Regardless of the duration of stay in it.
Changes in weather conditions. It is especially difficult for her weather-dependent children.
New place of residence.
Change of climatic conditions.
Adjustments to the usual daily routine. A little person notices and reacts sharply even to changes to which parents do not attach any importance, for example, a change in the location of the crib.

Mastering a new skill can be compared to a child’s next birthday, when he re-learns the details of the world around him. The dissatisfaction of a growing person with the fact that he again has to adapt to changing circumstances is quite understandable and justified.

In conditions of a radical restructuring of the baby’s usual way of life, the source of stability is “his adult,” most often the mother. That is why, in moments of crisis, a child requires constant presence in the arms of his parents, so he can remain confident that their emotional connection has remained unchanged and strong, despite all the minor life changes.

At such moments, it is important for parents to remember the main feature of the development of the child’s psyche and body - “one step back - two steps forward.” This means that a kind of temporary regression in the formation of personality, the maturation of a little person, after a small amount of time is always replaced by significant progress.

How to use the crisis calendar

There are 2 types of crisis calendars – general and individual. The general calendar implies a weekly chart of the most likely changes in a child’s behavior, based on human physiology. The most difficult periods of personality development are observed in all people at approximately the same age interval.

There are 8 major growth spurts in the first 14 months after birth. Considering that in the first year of life the development of a small person occurs as rapidly as possible, the crisis phases of growth are short-lived and quickly replace each other.

When using such a calendar, the key point is to correctly determine the starting point. If a woman carried the baby for 1 week, then the progress of its growth should be analyzed according to the general scheme, starting 1 week earlier than the starting point.

If the child was born premature and the birth took place, for example, 2 weeks before the expected date, the count must be carried out starting from the day 2 weeks later than the starting point.

In the second case, when using an individual crisis calendar, the calculation of jumps will be more accurate, since it is formed taking into account the date of birth of the little person. You can create such a calendar online, using free services on the Internet.

Instructions for using such a chart are provided by the developers, and usually include explanations of the pictures drawn in the column for a specific week of the baby’s first year of life.

For example, the depicted sun at the 21st week of the life of a child born on January 8, 2021, indicates that the baby will show itself on the “sunny” side during this period, while a cloud at the 12th week warns parents about the beginning of the crisis stage.

Symptoms of growth spurts in boys and girls under one year old

Parents should prepare for a crisis in advance. To do this, you need to clearly know the symptoms of this condition. Let's look at them:

A sharp increase in appetite. Due to the fact that the rapid growth of the body requires more energy expenditure, the child may constantly demand to eat, even at night.
Irritability, tearfulness, moodiness. The baby does not show such emotions on purpose. Even in the absence of fever and other manifestations of the disease, the baby may experience severe discomfort during this period. Its muscle fibers and blood vessels stretch very quickly, which causes discomfort.
Difficulty falling asleep. Sometimes it is almost impossible to put a baby to sleep, and methods of calming that previously worked flawlessly are now ineffective. Your son or daughter wakes up from every rustle, sleeps little and lightly.
The toddler refuses to eat. The crisis stage is not always accompanied by an increase in appetite. Some children, on the contrary, refuse to eat and drink.
The baby literally “hangs” in the arms, does not let go of his parents even a step, and cries if he is left alone.

During the growth spurt, it is important for mom and dad to behave correctly. You can’t be too strict, because it’s already hard for the baby. You shouldn’t indulge your child in everything, so he will understand that everything can be achieved with tears. Remember, now the little man needs support and protection. Very soon the difficult time will end and everything will fall into place.

Calendar of developmental leaps in children under one year old

The growth spurts experienced by a baby in the first year of life can be compiled into a single table - a calendar:

A week of a child's life	Expected behavior of the baby during this period
1 – 4	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
5	1st growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
6	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
7	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
8 – 9	2nd growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
10	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
11	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
12	3rd growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
13	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
14	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
15 – 19	4th growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
20	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
21	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
22	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
23 – 26	Fifth growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
27 – 30	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
31	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
32 – 33	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
34 – 37	6th growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
38	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
39	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
40 – 41	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
42 – 46	7th growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.
47 – 48	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
49	Favorable time. The child smiles and is in a good mood most of the time he is awake.
50	Neutral time, without pronounced crises.
51 – 55	8th growth spurt. The child is restless and requires increased attention.

When evaluating the table, it is important to understand that periods of developmental leaps do not imply that the baby is constantly in a stressful state. During this age period, the child is most prone to emotional outbursts and is dependent on surrounding circumstances.

Knowledge of such periods will help parents calmly approach the upcoming difficulties, confidently helping the little person cope with the crisis.

Physiological development of children from birth to one year

Girls and boys are born at approximately the same height and weight. Up to a year they grow rapidly, adding 1-2 cm and approximately 150-300 g every month. In the table you can find the norms for the weight and height of babies up to 12 months.

Of course, you cannot focus only on these indicators, because each child develops individually. If minor deviations are observed and the pediatrician sees no reason to worry, there is no need to sound the alarm. If deviations in height and weight gain are severe, the baby should definitely undergo a thorough medical examination.

How to help your child

To help a little person overcome a developmental leap as quickly as possible, child psychologists recommend that parents:

Set priorities correctly. Put cooking and mopping into the background, devoting the maximum amount of quality time to your child.
Give the baby as much tactile contact as possible. Carry in your arms, hug, kiss, stroke.
In moments of increased anxiety of the child, hum a calm melody and, in a gentle timbre of your voice, assure him that everything is fine, because “his adult” is nearby.
Replenish your own energy resource. When it is depleted, adults themselves become irritable, emotional and unable to provide stability to a child going through a difficult life stage.
Change the environment or in various ways moderately saturate the growing person with positive emotions. For example, with a 2-month-old child, it is advisable to spend time with the whole family in nature, while a one-year-old child will be more pleased to communicate with peers or play in an entertainment center.

Any growth spurts in infants that frighten parents so much are, in fact, a natural process of growing up, a consequence of a person’s adaptation to life in the real world.

Although adults' understanding of the mental and physiological processes occurring in children's bodies during periods of crisis can minimize stress for both parties, it is important to remember that each child develops according to an "individual plan."

This idea also explains that parents should select ways to provide psychological assistance to a little person at such stages solely taking into account the character traits of their beloved baby.