Baby
A baby is a human who is younger than about 1 or 2 years old.
Different words are used for a baby at different stages of growth. These words are not used in the same way by everyone. For example, the word infant may be used until a baby can walk, or only until the baby is one year old. A baby from birth to about 3 months old is sometimes called a newborn. Babies born early are called premature, babies born late are called post-term, and babies born at the right time are called full-term. The word infant comes from Latin: where infans means "not able to speak".[1]
At birth, parts of a baby's skull are not yet hard bone. These soft areas are called "soft spots". As the child grows, the bones join together. During birth, a baby’s head can change shape as it moves through the birth canal. This usually goes back to normal after a short time.
Some religions have ceremonies after a baby is born, such as baptism, where the baby is covered with water.[2] When a baby learns to walk, it is usually called a toddler. This is usually between one and three years of age. Sometimes a baby dies before or during birth. A baby that dies before birth is called a miscarriage, and a baby that dies during birth is called stillborn.
The benefits of touch to a human being are the results of many experiments with babies as young as four months old. Some researchers have studied babies that receive positive touching, such as stroking or cuddling, as opposed to negative touching, such as poking, pinching, or tickling. Researchers found that babies that were positively touched cried less and were vocalising and smiling more, while babies who were negatively touched had been linked with emotional and behaviour problems later in life. Additionally, in societies where there was more positive physical touching, there was a significantly lower incidence of violence in adults.[3][4]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com. 2011.
- ↑ "Baptism | Christianity". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ↑ Field, T. (2002). "Infants' Need for Touch". Human Development. 45 (2): 100–103. doi:10.1159/000048156. S2CID 144155181.
- ↑ "Daily precautions for childcare".
Other websites
[change | change source]- Baby Pictures Archived 2013-04-05 at the Wayback Machine Newborns, Infants and Toddlers
- Kids Height/Weight Calculator Archived 2016-12-26 at the Wayback Machine by Parenting Nation
- Baby Foods Guide Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Benefits of Organic Baby Food
- Baby Stroller Archived 2017-06-16 at the Wayback Machine by Stroller List
