lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
NUR 283 Peds Exam 1 Study Guide: Growth and Development Insights | Actual verified
study Complete Solutions | 2026/27 Updates | 100% correct | Galen
Peds Exam 1 Study Guide
Growth and Development: Newborn/Infant
Description: Period from birth to 28 days of age
- Infancy: Period from birth to 12 months
- Growth: ↑ in physical size
- Development: The sequential process by which infants & children gain various skills & functions
- Maturation: ↑ in functionality of various body systems/developmental skills
Growth and Development
Physical growth, maturation of body systems, and gross and fine motor skills progress in an orderly and sequential fashion
Timing varies from infant to infant but the order in which developmental skills are acquired is consistent
- Exhibit significant learning in psychosocial, cognitive, language and communication, and social-emotional
domains
- Adequate growth & development -> indicative of the newborn/infant health
- Demonstration of achievement of developmental milestones is gathered by
- Health Hx
- Asking parents or caregivers if skill is present & when it was attained
- Have infant demonstrate skill
- Nurse may elicit skill from infant
- Screening tools
- Ages & Stages Questionnaire
- Infant Toddler Checklist
- Infant Development Inventory
- Parents' eval of developmental status & developmental milestones
- Assessing growth & development in the premature infant
- Use infant’s adjusted age to determine expected outcomes
- Subtract # of weeks that infant was premature from infant’s chronologic age
- Ex: a 6-month-old who was born at 28 weeks’ gestation was born 12 weeks early (3 months), so subtract 3
months from their chronologic age of 6 months to obtain an adjusted age of 3 months
- An infant would demonstrate healthy growth if they were the size of a 3-month-old, and they should be
expected to achieve the developmental milestones of a 3-month-old rather than a 6-month-old.
- *Ill or premature infants may show delayed acquisition of physical growth & developmental skills
- Weight
- Avg: 3.400kg/7.5lb at birth
- Males are heavier than females
- Lose 5-10% of body fat over 1st week of life
- Gains 20-30g/day
- Regain birth weight by 7-10 days of age
- Infants double their birth weight by 4-5 months
- Triple their birth weight by 1 year of age
- Length
- Avg: 50cm/20in
- Infants grow fast over first 6 months
- Length ↑ by 50% by 12 months - Head circumference
- Avg: 35cm/13.5in
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- ↑ rapidly during first 6 months
- ↑ by 10cm from birth to 1 year of age Physiologic Changes - Neuro
- Rapid development occurs during the 1st year of life
- Brain growth & spinal cord myelination
- Progression of involuntary movement to voluntary control
- Immature vocalizations & crying -> ability to speak, indicates maturation of neuro system - States of
consciousness
- 1. Deep sleep: Sleeping with eyes closed and no movement
- 2. Light sleep: Sleeping with eyes closed; rapid eye movements and irregular movements may be noticed
- 3. Drowsiness: Eyes may close or be half-lidded; the infant may be dozing
- 4. Quiet alert state: The infant’s eyes are wide open, and the body is calm
- 5. Active alert state: The infant’s eyes are open; body movements occur
- 6. Crying: The infant cries or screams, and it is difficult to gain the infant’s attention
- Brain Growth
- Head circumference of the infant is reflective of their brain growth
- Grows rapidly over first 2 years
- By 6 months: brain is less than ½ of adult weight
- By 12 months: brain is 2.5x their birth weight
-
-
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- Anterior fontanelle closes at 12-18 months (can close as early as 9 months, normal if developmentally
appropriate)
- Myelination of spinal cord
progresses first 2 years
- Reflexive behaviors become
purposeful actions during early
infancy
- Reflexes
- Primary
- Disappear over first few
months except Babinski
(gone around 1 year)
- A reflex being present
beyond expected
timeframe -> neuro
abnormality
- Protective/ Postural
- Develop after primitive
reflex disappears
- Maintain infant’s
equilibrium & posture
- Remain throughout the
infants life
Development of protective reflexes & disappearance of primitive
reflexes => Healthy neuro
- Respiratory
- Continuously matures over 1st year of life
- RR: 30-60 -> 30-20 in 12 month old
- Irregular breaths w/ pauses
- Respiratory pattern becomes regular & rhythmic as infant matures
- Resp system does not mature until 7 y/o
- Lack of IgA in mucosal lining of upper respiratory tract -> freq infections in infancy D/T immature system
Infants:
- Nasal passages are narrower.
- Trachea and chest wall are more compliant.
- Bronchi and bronchioles are shorter and narrower.
- Lsrynx is more funnel-shaped.
- Tongue is larger.
- Significantly fewer alveoli.
- CV
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- Heart doubles in size over 1st year
- HR ↓ from 120-140 in newborns to 100bpm in a 1y/o
- BP ↑ over first 12 months of life
- Avg: 60/40 -> newborn
- 100/50 -> 12 month old
- Newborns & infants are more susceptible to heat loss as peripheral capillaries are closer to skin’s surface
- Thermoregulation becomes effective over the 1st year of life
- Peripheral capillaries able to constrict (cold) & dilate (heat)
- GI
- Teeth
- Most toothless at birth & during the first month.
- Natal teeth = present at birth; neonatal teeth = appear within first 28 days.
- Can be ssociated with birth anomalies - First primary (deciduous) teeth erupt between 6–8 months
- Eruption order:
- Lower central incisors → upper central incisors.
- 12 months avg: 4–8 teeth
- Gums swell during eruption
- Later replaced by permanent teeth in childhood
- Digestion
- Immature at birth.
- Saliva production: small amts first 3 months w/ low ptyalin
- Gastric digestion occurs from hydrochloric acid and rennin - Small intestine ~270 cm at birth;
reaches adult length by ~4 years - Stomach capacity:
- At birth: 0.5–1 oz
- By 1 year: can hold 3 full meals + snacks - Digestive enzymes:
- Trypsin: sufficient amts for protein digestion at birth.
- Amylase: for complex carbohydrates & Lipase: for fat digestion -> deficient until ~5 months - Liver:
- immature at birth.
- Can conjugate bilirubin and secrete bile after ~2 weeks
- Medication conjugation remains immature during first year
- Gluconeogenesis, vitamin storage, protein metabolism also immature
- Stools
- Meconium: The first stool from newborn, dark green/black & sticky formed from amniotic fluid in utero
- Transition stools begin after first few days of life -> yellowish/tan
- Formula fed babies -> peanut butter consistency
- Breastfed babies -> looser, seedy, yellowish
- Newborns product 8-10 stools/day or as few as 1 stool q1-2 days
- Frequency decreases after newborn period; several days w/o stool can be normal if soft.
- Immature GI system may cause grunting/crying/straining during bowel mvmt in the infant -> normal unless
stool is hard/dry
- Color can change with diet & food intake
- GU
- Infants have a higher % of total body water than an adult -> susceptible to dehydration
- Over first 12 months of life: ECF decreases & ICF increases
- Frequent urination w/ low specific gravity
Immature renal structures
GFR, tubular secretion, reabsorption, renal perfusion are reduced
-
-
NUR 283 Peds Exam 1 Study Guide: Growth and Development Insights | Actual verified
study Complete Solutions | 2026/27 Updates | 100% correct | Galen
Peds Exam 1 Study Guide
Growth and Development: Newborn/Infant
Description: Period from birth to 28 days of age
- Infancy: Period from birth to 12 months
- Growth: ↑ in physical size
- Development: The sequential process by which infants & children gain various skills & functions
- Maturation: ↑ in functionality of various body systems/developmental skills
Growth and Development
Physical growth, maturation of body systems, and gross and fine motor skills progress in an orderly and sequential fashion
Timing varies from infant to infant but the order in which developmental skills are acquired is consistent
- Exhibit significant learning in psychosocial, cognitive, language and communication, and social-emotional
domains
- Adequate growth & development -> indicative of the newborn/infant health
- Demonstration of achievement of developmental milestones is gathered by
- Health Hx
- Asking parents or caregivers if skill is present & when it was attained
- Have infant demonstrate skill
- Nurse may elicit skill from infant
- Screening tools
- Ages & Stages Questionnaire
- Infant Toddler Checklist
- Infant Development Inventory
- Parents' eval of developmental status & developmental milestones
- Assessing growth & development in the premature infant
- Use infant’s adjusted age to determine expected outcomes
- Subtract # of weeks that infant was premature from infant’s chronologic age
- Ex: a 6-month-old who was born at 28 weeks’ gestation was born 12 weeks early (3 months), so subtract 3
months from their chronologic age of 6 months to obtain an adjusted age of 3 months
- An infant would demonstrate healthy growth if they were the size of a 3-month-old, and they should be
expected to achieve the developmental milestones of a 3-month-old rather than a 6-month-old.
- *Ill or premature infants may show delayed acquisition of physical growth & developmental skills
- Weight
- Avg: 3.400kg/7.5lb at birth
- Males are heavier than females
- Lose 5-10% of body fat over 1st week of life
- Gains 20-30g/day
- Regain birth weight by 7-10 days of age
- Infants double their birth weight by 4-5 months
- Triple their birth weight by 1 year of age
- Length
- Avg: 50cm/20in
- Infants grow fast over first 6 months
- Length ↑ by 50% by 12 months - Head circumference
- Avg: 35cm/13.5in
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- ↑ rapidly during first 6 months
- ↑ by 10cm from birth to 1 year of age Physiologic Changes - Neuro
- Rapid development occurs during the 1st year of life
- Brain growth & spinal cord myelination
- Progression of involuntary movement to voluntary control
- Immature vocalizations & crying -> ability to speak, indicates maturation of neuro system - States of
consciousness
- 1. Deep sleep: Sleeping with eyes closed and no movement
- 2. Light sleep: Sleeping with eyes closed; rapid eye movements and irregular movements may be noticed
- 3. Drowsiness: Eyes may close or be half-lidded; the infant may be dozing
- 4. Quiet alert state: The infant’s eyes are wide open, and the body is calm
- 5. Active alert state: The infant’s eyes are open; body movements occur
- 6. Crying: The infant cries or screams, and it is difficult to gain the infant’s attention
- Brain Growth
- Head circumference of the infant is reflective of their brain growth
- Grows rapidly over first 2 years
- By 6 months: brain is less than ½ of adult weight
- By 12 months: brain is 2.5x their birth weight
-
-
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- Anterior fontanelle closes at 12-18 months (can close as early as 9 months, normal if developmentally
appropriate)
- Myelination of spinal cord
progresses first 2 years
- Reflexive behaviors become
purposeful actions during early
infancy
- Reflexes
- Primary
- Disappear over first few
months except Babinski
(gone around 1 year)
- A reflex being present
beyond expected
timeframe -> neuro
abnormality
- Protective/ Postural
- Develop after primitive
reflex disappears
- Maintain infant’s
equilibrium & posture
- Remain throughout the
infants life
Development of protective reflexes & disappearance of primitive
reflexes => Healthy neuro
- Respiratory
- Continuously matures over 1st year of life
- RR: 30-60 -> 30-20 in 12 month old
- Irregular breaths w/ pauses
- Respiratory pattern becomes regular & rhythmic as infant matures
- Resp system does not mature until 7 y/o
- Lack of IgA in mucosal lining of upper respiratory tract -> freq infections in infancy D/T immature system
Infants:
- Nasal passages are narrower.
- Trachea and chest wall are more compliant.
- Bronchi and bronchioles are shorter and narrower.
- Lsrynx is more funnel-shaped.
- Tongue is larger.
- Significantly fewer alveoli.
- CV
, lOMoAR cPSD| 65448581
- Heart doubles in size over 1st year
- HR ↓ from 120-140 in newborns to 100bpm in a 1y/o
- BP ↑ over first 12 months of life
- Avg: 60/40 -> newborn
- 100/50 -> 12 month old
- Newborns & infants are more susceptible to heat loss as peripheral capillaries are closer to skin’s surface
- Thermoregulation becomes effective over the 1st year of life
- Peripheral capillaries able to constrict (cold) & dilate (heat)
- GI
- Teeth
- Most toothless at birth & during the first month.
- Natal teeth = present at birth; neonatal teeth = appear within first 28 days.
- Can be ssociated with birth anomalies - First primary (deciduous) teeth erupt between 6–8 months
- Eruption order:
- Lower central incisors → upper central incisors.
- 12 months avg: 4–8 teeth
- Gums swell during eruption
- Later replaced by permanent teeth in childhood
- Digestion
- Immature at birth.
- Saliva production: small amts first 3 months w/ low ptyalin
- Gastric digestion occurs from hydrochloric acid and rennin - Small intestine ~270 cm at birth;
reaches adult length by ~4 years - Stomach capacity:
- At birth: 0.5–1 oz
- By 1 year: can hold 3 full meals + snacks - Digestive enzymes:
- Trypsin: sufficient amts for protein digestion at birth.
- Amylase: for complex carbohydrates & Lipase: for fat digestion -> deficient until ~5 months - Liver:
- immature at birth.
- Can conjugate bilirubin and secrete bile after ~2 weeks
- Medication conjugation remains immature during first year
- Gluconeogenesis, vitamin storage, protein metabolism also immature
- Stools
- Meconium: The first stool from newborn, dark green/black & sticky formed from amniotic fluid in utero
- Transition stools begin after first few days of life -> yellowish/tan
- Formula fed babies -> peanut butter consistency
- Breastfed babies -> looser, seedy, yellowish
- Newborns product 8-10 stools/day or as few as 1 stool q1-2 days
- Frequency decreases after newborn period; several days w/o stool can be normal if soft.
- Immature GI system may cause grunting/crying/straining during bowel mvmt in the infant -> normal unless
stool is hard/dry
- Color can change with diet & food intake
- GU
- Infants have a higher % of total body water than an adult -> susceptible to dehydration
- Over first 12 months of life: ECF decreases & ICF increases
- Frequent urination w/ low specific gravity
Immature renal structures
GFR, tubular secretion, reabsorption, renal perfusion are reduced
-
-
