Breastmilk Formula Perfect balance of vs Not as efficiently nutrients digested Nutritional content Contains colostrum depends on proper Easily digested and preparation absorbed No colostrum Infant determines amount Not well tolerated by all Free babies No prep time no Pediatrician caregiver sterilizing bottles perfect determines amount temp etc 54 200 per month Mother must be available or provide pumped milk Prep time varies Uncomfortable at first Anyone can feed the Others may feel left Fromout March of Dimesbaby Brain Development The Developing Cortex The infant s cortex consists of four to six thin layers of tissue that cover the brain It contains virtually all the neurons that make conscious thought possible Prefrontal cortex The last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex the area for anticipation planning and impulse control Senses at birth Parts of cortex dedicated to the senses develop rapidly Visual Acuity Newborns see some colors but mostly they detect brightness and movement 20 240 nerves muscles cones and lens of the eye are still developing Visual discrimination acuity develops rapidly Prefer mom s face within days By 2 3 months can track movement have good color vision match voices to faces discriminate faces from their own vs other ethnic groups By 4 5 months 20 60 acuity hand eye coordination binocular vision and depth perception By 6 months 20 40 vision time to get an eye exam Visual Seeing is least mature in newborns Focus 4 30 inches Binocular vision As visual cortex matures Improved shape recognition Visual Scanning improves Face preference From birth infants like faces bias toward patterns with more elements in the upper than lower half More attention to eyes and internal features From paying attention to real faces infant learns To recognize and prefer their own mother s face 12 cumulative hours To prefer the type of face they see most often To understand the significance of different facial expressions http www youtube com watch v apzXGEbZht0 list PLACDD4E261232F48D http www youtube com watch v M2I0kwSua44 list PLACDD4E261232F48D index 21 Visual Sensory Perceptual Capacities The Orienting Response Infant turns head toward a sight or sound Visual Tracking eye movements follow track a moving object http www youtube com watch v HDDVqEa MpY Newborns don t track smoothly until 2 to 3 mos Hearing Hearing most advanced at birth Already developing in last trimester of pregnancy Hearing Sensory Perceptual Capacities Auditory localization Newborns turn toward sounds Sensitive to human voices may be an innate preference that aids bonding Tracking evidence Back to sleep caveat Taste and Smell Functions at birth Rapidly adapt to the social world Related to family and cultural preferences Taste Smell Sensory Perceptual Capacities Sensitivity to taste and smell develops before birth Newborns can detect odors grimace responses Newborns prefer the smell of breast milk over formula By 2 weeks can differentiate mother s scent calmed by familiar smells they associate with pleasant experiences may turn away from strangers with strong unfamiliar odors Moving and Perceiving Touch and Pain Touch Sense of touch is acute in infants Although all newborns respond to being securely held soon they prefer specific touches Pain and temperature Pain and temperature are often connected to touch Some assume that even the fetus can feel pain Others say that the sense of pain does not mature until months or years later Why do they put everything in their mouths Touch Infants learn about the environment through active touch Oral exploration dominates initially Around 4 months of age manual exploration gradually takes precedence over oral exploration Survival and Well Being Infants need stimulation Playing Varied sensations If too much stress Overabundance of stress hormones damages later brain functioning Infants need protection Shaken baby syndrome the motion ruptures blood vessels in brain and breaks neural connections Malnourishment Creates stunting in growth See this when there is war Eg Afghanistan Then brain may not develop normally The Brain Children who grow up in an impoverished environment may show depressed brain activity and brain growth Biological mechanism to protect brain during malnutrition Called Head sparing Brain is last part of body to be damamged by malnutrition Video TED TALK Alison Gopnik What do babies think http www youtube com watch v cplaWsiu7Yg 18 minutes