From conception to the age of 6 years old before starting elementary school, children can be divided into five stages: fetal, neonatal, infant, early childhood and preschool, each with its own developmental characteristics and health care priorities, and there are close connections and links between each stage at the same time.
Fetal period
From the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period to birth is about 40 weeks and 280 days (the actual pregnancy period is about 265 days, because ovulation occurs around the 15th day of the menstrual cycle). A child born at 37 to 41 weeks of gestation is considered full-term; if the pregnancy is less than 37 weeks at birth, it is considered premature, and if it is more than 42 weeks, it is considered premature. The average weight of a full-term baby at birth is 3,000 grams and its length is about 50 cm; if the birth weight is less than 2,500 grams, it is considered a low birth weight baby, and if it is more than 4,000 grams, it is a huge baby. Preterm birth, premature birth, low birth weight, and huge babies are all abnormalities and should be actively prevented. Fetal health care is actually the pregnancy health care of its mother.
Neonatal period
It refers to the period from the birth of the fetus to 28 days after birth, including the day of birth, which is 28 days. This period is the period of adaptation of the new life to the external environment, and is also a vulnerable period of life where problems are likely to occur.
① Pay attention to warmth: keep the room temperature at 22 ~ 26 ℃ (bathing need to reach 25 ~ 28 ℃), so that the body temperature is maintained at 36 ~ 37 ℃; if the heating conditions are not good, you can use the “kangaroo” warming method (the mother will hold the newborn on the chest, direct skin contact, with clothes or quilt cover the newborn); but also should not be overly warm. Pay attention to regular ventilation of the room to keep the air fresh.
②Breastfeeding: early contact, early sucking and early opening of milk should be implemented as early as possible within one hour after the birth of a newborn, which is not only beneficial to the mother’s early secretion of milk and the prevention of dehydration and hypoglycemia in newborns, but also ensures that the baby gets colostrum rich in nutrients and disease-fighting substances. There is no limit to the number of times you can breastfeed each day, and you can feed whenever you want, but not less than 8 times, called “feeding on demand”, which helps to promote milk secretion, reduce the occurrence of mastitis and neonatal jaundice in the mother, and meet the needs of the child’s growth and development. In addition to breast milk, do not feed any other dairy products and drinks, that is, “exclusive breastfeeding” until 6 months of age and then start to add complementary foods. Most of the cases can be solved by consulting the pediatrician. For children who do not have enough breast milk, they should choose a high quality formula for newborns under the guidance of a pediatrician.
③Physiological weight loss will occur after birth, generally falling to the lowest point on the 3rd to 4th day after birth (the range of decline is 3% to 9% of birth weight), and recovering to the birth weight on the 7th to 10th day after birth. If the weight loss exceeds 10%, or does not return to the birth weight on the 10th day after birth, go to the hospital for examination.
If the jaundice appears within 24 hours of birth and gradually worsens, and there are symptoms such as refusal of breast milk, less crying, less movement, vomiting and poor spirit, it may be pathological jaundice and should be seen immediately.
⑤ Normal newborns should gain more than 600 grams in weight and more than 2.5 cm in length at full term.
⑥Normal full-term newborns do not need calcium supplementation, but should be supplemented with 400 international units of vitamin D daily from birth (doubled to 800 international units daily for premature babies) to prevent rickets and promote growth and development.
(7) Ensure 16-20 hours of sleep daily.
(8) Promote mental development through skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, facial and verbal communication, and the use of brightly colored, sound-emitting toys to stimulate the newborn’s sensory perception.
⑨ Newborns should receive the first dose of BCG and hepatitis B vaccine on the day of birth and the second dose of hepatitis B vaccine on the 28th day of life; free health checkups and consultation guidance should be conducted once in the community or township health center one week after discharge and once at full term.
In addition, according to national regulations, newborns should be screened for genetic metabolic diseases such as hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria, and hearing screening after birth.
Infancy
This refers to the period from birth to the age of less than 1 year, which is the 1st growth spurt of children (the 2nd spurt is in early adolescence) with rapid growth and development. For example, when a child reaches the age of 1 year, the weight increases 2 times (about 9 kg), the length increases 0.5 times (up to 75 cm), the head circumference increases from 34 cm to 46 cm, and the chest circumference grows from less than the head circumference to about equal to the head circumference; the milk teeth start to erupt at 4-10 months (if they have not erupted at 10 months, you should seek medical examination, and if they have not erupted at 12 months, the eruption of milk teeth is delayed).
①Exclusive breastfeeding within 6 months, including breastfeeding on demand within 3 months of age, no less than 8 times a day; gradually regular feeding from 4 to 6 months of age, every 3 to 4 hours, about 6 times a day.
②If formula is used for feeding, the formula should be prepared in strict accordance with the product instructions, avoiding too dilute or too thick, and do not add extra sugar; the daily feeding amount: about 500-750 ml for infants within 3 months of age, and about 800-1000 ml for infants between 4 and 6 months of age.
(3) When the infant reaches the age of 6 months, the infant should be fed at night.
③Infants should add complementary foods when they reach 6 months of age to make up for the lack of breast milk. The food should be pureed, from one kind of food to many kinds, and each kind of food should be tasted twice a day for 3-4 days, and the infant’s spirit, sleep, bowel movement and skin rash should be observed until the infant is used to the taste, and no abnormal digestive function or allergic symptoms appear before adding another kind. The order of adding complementary foods is: iron-fortified cereals (can be mixed with milk), root vegetables, leafy vegetables, and fruits. Do not add salt, soy sauce and other condiments; do not eat foods that are too sweet or greasy, and develop the habit of eating a clean diet; eat as little sugary foods as possible to prevent dental caries and obesity. Food should be spoon fed to help train swallowing function. Breastfeed five to six times a day with 800 to 1000 ml of milk.
At the age of 7-9 months, children should transition from pureed food to minced food, including animal food such as meat, eggs, fish and shrimp and soy products, and gradually start to self-feed with “strip” or “finger” food; breastfeed 4-5 times a day with 800 ml of milk. The amount of milk is about 800 ml, 30-50 grams of iron-fortified rice flour, thick porridge or noodles, 25-50 grams of chopped vegetables and 20-30 grams of fruits; in particular, you should start adding pureed meat, liver and animal blood to prevent iron deficiency anemia. During this period, children can sit on a high chair with a fence and eat with adults; at 10-12 months of age, they can learn to drink from a cup, eat by themselves with a spoon, eat crushed, diced and finger-shaped food, and eat 50-75 grams of soft rice or pasta, 50-100 grams of crushed vegetables, 50 grams of fruit, 25-50 grams of animal liver, animal blood, fish and shrimp, chicken and duck meat, red meat (pork, beef, lamb, etc.) daily , 1 egg. Drink milk 2 to 3 times a day, 600 to 800 ml of milk. Eat with adults at the same table 1 to 2 times a day. This is good for training the chewing function, promoting hand-eye coordination and independent living ability; it also helps language development and interpersonal communication skills.
④ Continue breastfeeding until 24 months of age. As long as the amount of milk consumed meets the above requirements, calcium supplementation is not needed; supplementation and iron supplementation are also not needed if supplementary foods are added to meet the above requirements.
(⑤Be active outdoors for more than 2 hours a day.
⑥Start to help infants practice crawling after they reach 6 months of age; communicate and play more with infants to promote their development.
(7) Vaccinations should be given on time: polio vaccine once at 2, 3, and 4 months of age; polio vaccine once at 3, 4, and 5 months of age; hepatitis B vaccine for the third time at 6 months of age; leprosy (measles) vaccine and encephalitis B vaccine once each at 8 months of age.
(8) Free health checkups and counseling at community or township health centers once at 3, 6, 8 and 12 months of age; routine blood tests at 6 to 8 months of age.
⑨ Ask the pediatrician to monitor the physical growth of the infant with a growth monitoring chart and assess the infant’s neuropsychological development level in terms of perception, gross motor, fine motor, language, and social adaptive behavior.
Early childhood
This refers to the period from 1 year to less than 3 years of age. During this period, the physical growth rate begins to slow down, and at 2 years of age, the weight increases by 2.5 to 3.5 kg (4 times the weight at birth, about 12 kg) and the length increases by 10 cm to 85 cm. The total number of milk teeth within 2 years of age is 4 to 6 times the age of the month,
The total number of teeth is about 16, and by 2.5 years of age, all 20 teeth are in place. At the age of 3 years, the weight is about 14 kg and the length is about 95 cm.
Breastfeeding can be gradually weaned until about 2 years old; the diet gradually tends to be a family diet, but the food should be small, varied and light in taste; 350-500 ml of milk, 1 egg, 50 grams of animal food, 100-150 grams of cereals, 150-200 grams of vegetables, 150-200 grams of fruits and 20-25 grams of vegetable oil should be consumed daily. Young children should eat home-cooked food with less salt and easy to digest, encourage them to eat by themselves with a small spoon, eat meals on time, control snacks, and eat less high-sugar, high-fat and fast food; encourage drinking plain water, and drink less or no sugary drinks and carbonated beverages; develop oral hygiene habits of rinsing after meals and brushing teeth in the morning and evening (toothpaste, especially fluoride toothpaste, is not advocated for under 3 years old).
②Still supplement with 400 international units of vitamin D daily.
③Toddlers can walk alone at 15 months, walk up steps at 18 months, and run and jump at 24 months, and peer interaction has increased significantly; therefore, we should provide more opportunities and conditions (such as games, imitation exercises, pictures, etc.) to encourage them to move more and promote the development of large and fine body movements; we should let them read more pictures and newspapers, listen to stories and learn children’s songs, and encourage them to talk more and ask questions to promote language development and interpersonal communication skills.
④Prevent various accidental injuries, such as burns, drowning, falls, suffocation, animal bites, insect stings, traffic accidents, etc.
⑤ Develop good hygiene habits such as not drinking raw water, not eating raw and cold food, washing hands before and after meals, etc. Do not go to public places in winter and spring or when diseases are prevalent; isolate people with colds and bronchitis and cough at home. Seek medical attention when symptoms of disease appear.
(6) Receive one dose each of the diphtheria vaccine and the mumps vaccine (MMR and rubella vaccine) at 18 to 24 months of age; receive the encephalitis B vaccine at 2 years of age; receive the hepatitis A vaccine at 18 months of age and at 24 to 30 months of age.
(7) Receive free health checkups and counseling guidance at community or township health centers once at 18, 24, 30 and 36 months of age; and have blood tests at least once at 18 and 30 months of age, respectively.
Preschool period
It refers to the period from the age of 3 to the age of 6 before children start school. During this period, children’s physical development is growing steadily, with an annual weight increase of about 2 kg and height increase of 5 to 7 cm.
①The daily intake should be 300 to 400
ml of milk and milk products, 180-260 grams of cereals, 120-140 grams of meat and egg animal food, 25 grams of beans and soy products, 200-250 grams of vegetables, 150-300 grams of fruits, and 25-30 grams of vegetable oil. The daily diet can be arranged for 3 main meals, 2 to 3 dairy and nutritious snacks, and control snacks between meals. Food should be diversified, pay attention to the meat and vegetables, alternating coarse and fine grains, to ensure the intake of vegetables and fruits, to maintain a balanced nutrition; to eat regularly, there should be one to two additional meals outside the three meals. Snacks, desserts, cold drinks and beverages should be limited.
②Ensure sufficient sleep and time for outdoor activities; ensure 10 hours of sleep at night
and go to sleep before 10 pm; there should be 2~2.5 hours of nap during the day. ③ TV should not be watched for more than 1 hour a day, and not more than half an hour each time continuously.
The distance between the eyes and the screen when watching TV should be greater than 5~7 times the diagonal of the screen.
④ Pay attention to eye hygiene, protect eyesight, and measure eyesight regularly from the age of 4 years old at the latest, once a year. If a 4-year-old child’s visual acuity is less than 0.6 in one eye, or less than 0.8 at the age of 5-6, or if the difference in visual acuity between the two eyes is 2 lines or more, he or she should seek medical attention promptly; any abnormalities found should be corrected promptly.
⑤ Pay attention to make children maintain correct sitting, standing and walking posture and prevent spinal curvature and other abnormalities.
⑥Cultivate children’s independence and self-control, and form good learning habits, such as eating, washing hands, brushing teeth, dressing and undressing, going to the toilet and defecating independently at age 3; learning to fold the quilt, make the bed, organize and keep their toys and books at age 4; children learn to organize their school bags, stationery, books and other items at age 5 and 6, so as to lay a good foundation for entering school.
(7) Children are vaccinated once at age 4 with polio vaccine and once at age 6 with DPT vaccine (in some areas, polio vaccine, DPT vaccine and MMR vaccine are also given at age 6).
(8) Free health checkups and consultation guidance at community or township health centers once every six months to a year to detect problems and correct them in time.