CHILD 210: Child Development Online Brigham

Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Your name: (Beatriz García de Ackermann)

Instructions
Respond to three letters from each chapter, giving appropriate advice. Draw information from
the chapter while formulating your response, and make sure to use correct terms and definitions.
Reference information you use from the textbook by citing the page number in APA formatting. If
you use information from outside the textbook, make sure it is credible and generally supported by
the medical and scientific community with appropriate citation for the website or video. Avoid
anecdotal evidence or opinion. Your written responses should be 2200-2500 words minimum, no
maximum, cumulatively (Including the original Dear Abby letter). This word count is for the entire
assignment (NOT per answer). You will answer a total of three questions per chapter, so
nine in total for each unit.

Dear Abby,

My baby was 6 pounds at birth and now, four months later, weighs about 9 pounds. The doctor
said his weight is in the 20th percentile. My husband and I are both large people so I was a little
surprised. I’m breastfeeding and have not yet introduced any supplements or solids. Should I be
concerned? Most of the growth he has experienced seems to be in his head. Does the head grow
at the same pace as the rest of the body? If it’s because of the brain, why does it grow so much in
early childhood? After all, he hasn’t learned that much yet.

Tiny in Tallahassee (Chapter 5, Letter 1)

Dear Tiny in Tallahassee,

I would say that you don’t need to worry too much yet. Infants typically double their birth
weight by four months. You baby is only a few pounds off of there. Half of all babies will weigh in
below the 25th or above the 75th percentile; most of them would be fine if they always ranked
relatively high or low. A baby that is always growing at the 20 th percentile is growing normally.
Baby fat is stored to keep the brain nourished. It nutrition is temporarily inadequate; the body
stops growing but not the brain. The norms are average; individuals vary. When a baby is born
their brain is already 25 percent of its adult weight. The brain grows very rapidly in the first
years of life. By age two it is almost 75 percent of adult brain weight. There is a lot of developing
going on with the brain after birth to get ready for all of that learning to happen.

Dear Abby,

My newborn daughter seems to sleep all the time. Sometimes she wakes up just long enough to
eat. Is that normal? The worst part about it is that she is more likely to be awake at night than
during the day. My friend says I should not let her start any bad habits and should be insistent
on a schedule where she eats during the day and sleeps at night. I’ve tried to let her cry it out a
few times, but it seems to be hard on all of us. Also, she seems to sleep better when she sleeps
with us. Is this OK? Is it dangerous for her to sleep with us? Lastly, is it better if she sleeps on
her stomach or her back?

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Tired in Tennessee (Chapter 5, Letter 2)

Dear, Tired in Tennessee,

A newborn baby spends most of their time sleeping. They can sleep about 15 to 17 hours a day.
Hours of sleep will decrease rapidly with maturity. The norm per day for the first two months is
about 14 ½ hours; for the next three months, 13 ¼ hours; for 6 to 17 months, 12 ¾ hours.
Develop mentalist agree that insisting that infants conform to the parent’s sleep-wake schedule
can be frustrating to the parents and difficult for infants, whose brain patterns and digestion are
not ready for a long night’s sleep. Parents reaction to infant’s sleep shapes the baby’s sleep
patterns. Being a newborn, she would wake up to eat in the night because the newborn body is
not ready for a long neighs sleep. Co sleeping is becoming more common. There are advocates
for and against it just like everything else. Co sleeping can be good if you are breastfeeding
because it is easier, but so is sudden infant death. So you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Manufactures have designed “co-sleepers”, which fit on the side of the bed, allowing newborns
to be safe but also next to parents. Adult beds unlike cribs are often soft, with comforters,
pillows that increase a baby’s risk of suffocation. So be careful if you do decide to do this.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy infants be places on
their backs for sleep, as this is the safest position for an infant to sleep. Putting your baby to
sleep on their back decreases their chance of SIDS, which is responsible for more infant deaths
in the United States.
Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

I’m worried about my infant son. I think something is wrong with his eyes. They don’t seem to
be connected right. One eye seems to look one direction and the other eye another direction.
Also, he doesn’t look at things unless they are really close. Does it sound like he has vision
problems? I’m in the dark on where his other senses should be also. What should I look for? I
do, however, think his fine motor skills are doing fine because he has a strong grasp and will
already move his legs in a stepping fashion if I hold him up so he can pretend to walk. My
husband just thinks it’s reflexes, but I thought those had more to do with sucking. How old are
they before they sit up, crawl, or begin to walk?

Cockeyed in Colorado (Chapter 5, Letter 3)

Dear Cockeyed in Colorado

When infants are born, their senses are working and up to beat. Vision is one that is not at
developed as the others, so infants can see anywhere around 4-30 inches in front of them. So be
patient, his vision is still forming, growing, and expanding as he or she is growing and learning!
When he is around 14 weeks of age, his binocular vision will be and should be fully developed.
As for his motor skills, a child will naturally want to move his legs when being held in that
position. At about 9 months old, your son will start to try out standing and walking. Your child
sounds like he is developing well, so don’t worry too much. I would encourage you to do some
more research so you will know more about their developing senses and reflexes!
Sincerely, Abby

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Dear Abby,

My wife is breastfeeding our daughter. I know it is less expensive, but it also seems to have some
drawbacks. It’s hard to breastfeed in every setting, and I sometimes feel left out of the loop. I’m
worried if we don’t introduce a bottle soon, our daughter will get to the point where she won’t
take a bottle. In addition, it’s hard to measure how much breast milk a baby is getting. Is it
possible that they won’t get enough? My wife says breastfeeding helps the immune system. Is
that throughout breastfeeding or just in the beginning, when the milk is thin and more yellow?
Are there other benefits or drawbacks to breastfeeding? I’ve heard of mothers breastfeeding for
two or three years. How long is recommended?

Feeding in Fort Worth (Chapter 5, Letter 4)

Dear Feeding in Fort Worth,

Yes, breast milk is good even after the first three days. Compared with formula based on cow’s
milk, human mil is sterile; always at body temperature; rich in iron, vitamins, and other newly
discovered nutrients for the brain and body. Babies who are exclusively breast-fed are less often
sick. This is true in infancy because breast milk provides antibodies against any disease to which
the mother is immune and decreases the risk of allergies and asthma. There are a lot of benefits
for the baby and the mother, as well as the family. Some benefits for the baby are balance of
nutrition and it adjust to age of baby, less infant illness, stronger jaws fewer cavities. For the
mother it is easier bonding, reduces risk of breast cancer and there is less stress on a father
especially at night. Pediatricians agree that it is clear and incontrovertible that human milk is
the best nutritive substance for infants during the first year or more, with other easily digested
foods should be added by at least six months. You will know if you baby is getting enough if she
is gaining back her initial weight loss after birth and continues to gain weight.
Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

I’ve heard that many childhood illnesses have been almost eliminated, and that you’re more
likely to get the disease from the immunization than the environment. What immunizations are
still recommended? At what age should infants begin receiving immunizations? I’ve heard that
immunizations might be linked to autism or SIDS. Is that true? How can I keep my baby safe?

Immunized in Indiana (Chapter 5, Letter 5)

Dear Immunized in Indiana

Well, to understand vaccinations you should know that in a healthy person who has not had a
particular disease, a small dose of inactive virus stimulates antibodies, the same antibodies that
the immune system produces to prevent recurrence of a contagious disease, is injected typically
in their arm. It is still suggested the children get vaccinated for measles, mumps, whooping
cough, smallpox, pneumonia, polio and rotavirus. Infants start their vaccinations at 2 months.
No vaccinations do not cause autism is linked with AND and chromosomal errors. Vaccinations
cannot be linked to SIDS either. The best way to keep your baby safe is to listen to your doctor’s

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

advice, get him/her vaccinated, and don’t worry too much! You will be a great parent. (Pp. 148-
150)
Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

My infant son used to put anything in his mouth, but now he seems to be more selective. He
won’t even take a bottle unless the nipple is a certain shape. And his rooting reflex seems to be
gone. Is it normal for children to become picky? My friend says it’s tied to his cognitive
development. If so, what other indicators can I look for to chart his cognitive progress? Are there
certain milestones I should look for? How can they really tell if children are learning, since
children don't have the language skills to express themselves?

Learning in Los Angeles (Chapter 6, Letter 1)

Dear Learning in los Angeles

Your child’s learning show that he has adapted, and his developing a habit. Habits are extremely
hard to brake in children especially when is satisfies a need for comfort. The progressive steps to
the cognitive development of your child are the primary, secondary, and tertiary circular
reaction stage, which Jean Piaget put together. Your child is the primary circular reaction stage,
but the secondary circular reaction stage will begin around be 4 months approaching the tertiary
circular reaction stage by his 1st birthday, and this stage will last about a year. There are 2 steps
in each stage connected in development for each stage. At the second stage it is more about
memory, it can make experiences of joy for your child. Something they might do is the act
grabbing at your hair over and over again. Children often have a goal in their acts at this stage.
After they learn the natural reaction to their actions, they attempt to choose and anticipate what
will happen. I would not worry about whether you child is learning, unless, his development
does not match these average cognitive developments because your child is adapting to live,
which is a sign of intelligence, making millions of mental connections. Have fun and enjoy your
son.

Sincerely, Abby

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Dear Abby,

How old are children before they learn to speak in full sentences? I know children all over the
world learn to speak their own language, but is the process for learning language similar for all
children? My husband thinks learning English takes children longer than most of the other
languages. What are some of the key milestones in learning language that I might look for? Does
it help or hurt if I speak baby talk to my baby? My son is almost 18 months old and hardly says
anything, and when he does speak, it’s usually just a single word. Is that typical? I would
appreciate any ideas you might have for helping me teach my child to speak.

Babbling in Baltimore (Chapter 6, Letter 2)

Dear Babbling in Baltimore,

A child should be speaking in full sentences by the age of 24 months. The timing of language
acquisition varies, but although timing varies, the sequence is the same worldwide. Some key
milestones that you could be looking for are as follows, 6-10 months they should be babbling,
including both consonant and vowel sounds repeated in syllables. 10-12 months comprehension
of simple words; speech like intonations; specific vocalizations that have meaning to those who
know the infant well. 12 months first spoken words that are recognizable. 13-18 months slow
growth of vocabulary, up to about 50 words. 18 months three or more words learned per day.
Much variation. 21 months should be first two-word sentences. 24 months multiword sentences.
Baby talk does foster learning. Infants begin to recognize words that are highly distinctive. Not
only do infants like child directed speech they like alliteration, rhymes, repetition, rhythm, and
varied pitch. At 18 months that is pretty typical that he is only say single words he will not really
be putting words together till about 21 months and not putting multi sentences together till
about 24 months.

Sincerely, Abby

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Dear Abby,

Yesterday I had such a fun time playing with my baby. It was almost like we were dancing. I'd
smile and then she'd smile. I'd make a noise and then she'd make a noise. We played the same
game today, and she acted like she had never done it before. Is it normal for babies to have such
a poor memory? Are there certain things that they are more likely to remember? Are there
things that I can do to help my baby’s memory? Come to think of it, I can barely remember
anything from my own preschool years. Could it be genetic?

Forgetful in Flagstaff (Chapter 6, Letter 3)

Dear Forgetful in Flagstaff,

A certain amount of experience and a certain amount of brain maturation are required in order
to process and remember anything. Repeated reminders are more powerful than single
reminders and that context is crucial, especially for infants younger than nine months. AS a
child gets older they will retain information for a longer time than when they are younger and
with less training and reminding. So if she is younger than nine months she might not
remember the game or the toy that you did the day before. No it is nothing genetic with memory
at that young of an age. Infants have difficulty storing memories in he first year because people
normally store memory-using words and you are not speaking at that young of an age. I think
they only thing that you can do as far and help you babies memory is make sure that you have a
happy health baby and have them in a good environment.

Sincerely, Abby

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

Dear Abby,

I've heard a lot about teaching babies sign language. Does that make children slower or faster at
learning spoken language? Do children become too dependent on signs? I have a niece who is
deaf. How will her language learning abilities compare to a typical hearing baby?

Signing in Sacramento (Chapter 6, Letter 4)

Dear Signing in Sacramento,

Baby sings are simple gestures that help a baby to communicate. It helps so that parents can
communicate with their baby. It really alleviates frustration between a parent and a child. They
have found that baby signs do not affect a child in learning spoken language and that there may
even be a facilitating effect on them learning to speak. They found that children that used baby
signs that their language developed better and sooner and their convictive skills were better. The
study that I saw showed that long-term benefits showed the IQ was higher for the children that
were baby sign children. The baby sing children that were tested were about 14 points higher on
the IQ test then the non-baby sign babies. As far as you niece if she is learning sign language, she
will also follow the sequence of word by word, then sentences of increasing length and
complexity. So, she should learn at the same rate as a typical hearing baby.

Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

My daughter used to go to anyone, but now she cries and acts scared of almost anyone outside of
our family. I'm worried about it because I need to go back to work soon, and I'm afraid that child
care will be a disaster. She was scared of Santa and wanted nothing to do with him. Is there a
certain age when stranger wariness and separation anxiety are more common? My husband

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

believes my own anxiety over leaving her is contributing to the problem. Is that possible?

Anxious in Alaska (Chapter 7, Letter 1)

Dear Anxious in Alaska,

Stranger awareness can last till the child is about 14 months old. Many one year old not only fear
strangers but also anything unexpected. Santa Clause remains terrifying until a child is about
three years old. She will grow out of just don’t force her in to anything that she does not want to
do. I think that any time that we are stress our children can feel it. The environment in which
they are in does make a difference and children can feel a lot more then we give them credit for.

Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

How old are babies before they experience fear or other emotions? It seems to me that fear is a
learned emotion. Are all emotions tied to cognitive development? When my daughter looks in
the mirror, she acts as if a stranger is looking back at her. How old are children before they
become more self-aware? Is self-awareness required for other emotions to develop?

Clueless in Connecticut (Chapter 7, Letter 2)

Dear Clueless in Connecticut

At about nine months fully formed fear in response to some person, thing or situation emerges
and then rapidly becomes more frequent we well as more apparent. Two kinds of fear are
obvious; stranger wariness and separation anxiety. Emotions start early in a infant, birth they
have crying and contentment. Six weeks social smile, three months laughter and curiosity, four
months full responsive smile. Four to eight months’ anger will show. Nine to fourteen months

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

fear or social events. 12 months fear of unexpected sights and sounds and then 18 months self-
awareness; pride; shame and embarrassment. Some emotions that are learned thru culture are
pride, shame, embarrassment, disgust and guilt. Self-awareness is a foundation for emotional
growth. At about 18 months they will test to see if weather their mirror image will meet their
fingers and so on. The realization that one body, mind and activities are separate fro those of
other people arise. Babies that are between 15 – 24 months show self-awareness, by touching
their own noses with curiosity and puzzlement. The set of emotions that are closely tied to
cognitive development, particularly self-recognition and an understanding of acceptable and
inacceptable behavior are embarrassment, shame, gilt and pride.

Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

I've heard that if you are too strict with babies it can cause problems with their psychosocial
development. Is it true that they can become fixated on certain issues or stages if you're not
sensitive enough or don't give them enough freedom? What happens if they become fixated? Are
most of the theories in agreement about how to respond to young children? My brother says it's
just a bunch of psycho mumbo-jumbo that is unsupported by research. Any thoughts?

Issues in Iowa (Chapter 7, Letter 3)

Dear Issues in Iowa

Child development is a science, and theories need a lot of evidence to hold status of its name.
The main theory that I think that you are referring to is what Freud holds as the Psychoanalytic
theory, which says that there are drives that come with healthy development. The first of which
is the body part of the mouth, driving the child to breastfeed, for this fundamental to a child’s
life. The second has to do with the anus. If one is forced to wean of breastfeed or begin toilet,
training too son, there are fixations on these pleasure points. Some cases have found that when
children are weaned out of whatever stage they are in too soon they will have problems with that

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Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

stage later in life. For example, the people that are fixed on their oral development are found
eating, drinking, chewing, biting, or talking excessively, additionally, those that are denied the
personal right to settle with their anal needs are seen to be seek deep control of every aspect of
their life, since they were unable to choose the time of their learning of how to learn for
themselves.

All of these are theories held to be true.

Sincerely, Abby

Dear Abby,

I work at a child care facility. I'm worried about a child that is left in our care. When his mom
drops him off each morning, it seems he’s unsure of how to act. Sometimes he looks confused
and upset. Other times he cries hysterically or hurts himself. His mother seems a bit cynical
about his behavior and laughs about it. How would I know if he has an attachment problem? He
started coming here when he was very young. Does child care create attachment problems?
What advice would you give for preventing or correcting attachment problems? Can it be fixed at
any age? If he becomes attached to me, will that make it even more difficult for his parents to
form an attachment? I’ve heard synchrony is important to forging bonds with children. What is
synchrony and why does it help?

Cautious in Catalina (Chapter 7, Letter 5)

Dear Cautious in Catalina,

So the different types of attachment are as follows; secure attachment is a relationship in which
a child obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his caregiver. Next, we have
insecure-avoidant attachment, which is a pattern of attachment in which a child avoids

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Young
Unit 2: Dear Abby Letters University-
Idaho

connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not o care about the caregiver’s
presence, departure, or return. Third we have insecure-resistant/ambivalent attachment and it
is a pattern of attachment in which anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when a child becomes
very upset at separation from the caregiver or both resists and seeks contact on reunion. Last,
we have disorganized attachment, which is a type of attachment that is marked by a child’s
inconsistent reaction to the caregiver’s departure and return. Attachment is a reflection of a
universal trait, as expressed in evolutionary theory. Childcare does not create attachment
problems. Some things that might help with attachment disorder are routine. They may find
comfort in their environment. Try and understand the child and what makes them comfortable.
Synchrony is a coordinated, rapid, and smooth exchange of responses between a caregiver and a
child. Synchrony does help it affects verbal IQ, behavior adaption and moral cognition. There
are direct associations between mother-infant synchrony and the learning of empathy in the

child, according to studies done by the Department of Psychology at the Gonda Brain Sciences
Center at Bar-llan University.

Sincerely, Abby

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