Early childhood development

hapter 3-4: The First Two Years (Mind, Body, and The Social World) Discussion Topic This weeks chapters focus on key aspects of development during infancy and the preschool years. Youll explore how children grow physically, how their thinking and communication skills begin to take shape, and how social bonds and personality traits first emerge. As you engage in this weeks discussion, consider how early caregiving decisions and developmental milestones can influence a childs growth. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Participation Requirements Your initial post must be a minimum of 200 words and can be submitted up until the assignment due date. You are required to respond to at least two peers. Your responses must add value to the discussion. Simply saying “I agree” or repeating what your peer has already written will not be accepted. Instead, your replies should offer new insights, ask thoughtful questions, share relevant experiences, or respectfully challenge ideas. You may incorporate a YouTube link, GIF, picture, or video record your response but it must support your point. You must explain why it is meaningful to the discussion. Do not simply say, “I think this video explains the topic well.” Be specific about what the media adds to the conversation and how it was helpful in deepening your understanding. Peer responses must be completed at least three days before the assignment due date. Responding to classmates on the final day of the discussion does not allow enough time for meaningful conversation and will result in a zero for that portion of the assignment.———————————————————————————- ———————————————————————————- Respond to the following questions: ———————————————————————————- ———————————————————————————- Should infants share a bed with their parents? Why or why not? At what age is bed sharing appropriate? If youve ever observed a young child playing, what stood out to you about how they think, communicate, or solve problems through play? Have you witnessed a child struggle to keep up with peers in any area of development (this can be physically or socially)? How did the adults around them respond, and what do you think helped or hurt the situation? What advice would you give to a friend whose baby was not meeting the typical developmental milestones (physically or socially) based on your personal experiences or observations? What would be your top tip for supporting healthy growth in the early years? Post text editor——————————————————————————————————————————————————– Yasmin Ennafii-Massa 9 hours ago, at 3:19 PM NEW Whether infants should share a bed with their parents is something a lot of couples debate over. While some parents like bed sharing, there are many safety concerns with sleeping in the same bed as you baby. On one hand, it helps the baby feel comforted, makes nighttime feeding easier, and helps everyone get more sleep. On another hand, the safety issues are very alerting being that it could cause SIDS or one could suffocate their baby. Because of this, many doctors recommend keeping the baby in the same room but in their own crib instead of laying them in the bed with the adult. Bed sharing is more appropriate when children get older because they are more mobile and aware of their surroundings and how to react quicker. For most families, allowing an older child to sleep in the parents’ bed due to sickness, nightmares, etc. is safer. When watching young children play, it is interesting how they figure out things. They often like to use actions, sounds, or simple words while problem solving, and it all makes sense in their heads. I have also seen children struggle to keep up socially or physically. When adults respond with patience and encouragement instead of anger and pressure, it usually helps the child feel more confident when problem solving. If a baby was not meeting typical milestones, I’d suggest asking for professional help. Most people do not think it will be efficient, but they are professionals for a reason. Supporting the child and staying with them the whole way through the process is the best way to make a difference! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————– NEW VERONICA MENSAH-BELLEY Feb 1, 2026 2:21 PM NEW It’s a personal decision for parents on whether to share a bed with their infants or not, and at times, culture plays a part. Infant-parent co-sleeping is good for infant care, as it involves periodically checking on the baby and feeding throughout the night. As read in the chapter book, co-sleeping, as practiced by Asians, Africans, and South Americans, and the practice of infants sleeping in a crib in their own rooms, practiced in traditional North American homes, are both for safety reasons. Some parents use monitors to keep an eye on their infants when they are in another room. With my experience as a mother of three, my first child, who was born in Africa (Ghana), was a bed-sharer because that was the tradition. If the bed is not big enough to contain all three, then the husband would rather move out than the infant. With my other two, whom I had in the USA, there was bed-sharing and co-sharing. I never tried a different room because my mom advised me to have my babies in my room for safety reasons. From what I have learned from both cultures, I would prefer for my infant to sleep in his/her crib with nothing around him/her and to be in my room for easy feeding and monitoring in order to prevent unfortunate happenings like SUIDs. Depending on each child’s developmental milestones, such as rolling over, head lifting and control, and moving arms and legs, an infant may start sharing a bed at 3 months. A three-year-old’s emotional display caught my attention as I watched her play with another child. I’ve seen her comfort a child with a hug and, at another time, observed her with a dejected expression, as if she wanted to console another. Her emotional expression stood out to me. Children normally feel that everything is theirs. I witnessed two toddlers, both wanting to swing at the same time, on a playground. One parent stepped in and told them to learn to share and take turns. The parent then asks her child to help give a push to the other child. Afterward, the two children had fun, alternately pushing each other while the other swung. The fact that the parents made sure both kids were working on something at the same time without having to wait to take turns, in my opinion, helped the situation and is a great way to teach them to share and be patient for their turn. If a friends child is not meeting the typical developmental milestones, I will first advise her to be patient, because the universal chart serves as a guide; however, every child is unique and reaches his/her milestones at his/her own pace. I would advise her to seek medical advice for early intervention if needed. My tip for supporting healthy growth in early childhood is to create an environment free of drugs and alcohol, to keep up to date with all immunizations, to show love and care, to eat a balanced diet, to rest well as a new mom breastfeeding, and to get help if needed. Also, to start building vocabulary, speak to your child and allow them time to respond with cues. ———————————————————————————- ———————————————————————————- NEW Latrenda Bryant Jan 31, 2026 6:45 PM NEW As a 46-year-old woman without children of my own, my perspective comes from watching my nieces and nephews and other children in my life. I believe bed sharing is a personal choice. While it can support bonding and make nighttime care easier, I think there are safety concerns with infants, especially related to sleep risks. From what Ive observed, room-sharing without bed sharing often feels like a safer option during infancy. Bed sharing seems more appropriate when a child is older and able to move, communicate, and regulate themselves better, such as during toddlerhood. When I watch young children play, Im always impressed by how much they communicate and problem-solve through imagination. Play is how they explore emotions, test ideas, and understand the world. Ive seen children struggle to keep up socially or physically, particularly with language or confidence. The most helpful adult responses were patient, encouraging, and focused on support rather than comparison. Pressure or frustration from adults often made things harder. If a friend were worried about developmental milestones, I would encourage them to trust their instincts and seek guidance early without panic. Every child develops differently. My top tip for healthy early growth is creating a loving, responsive environment through play, conversation, and emotional support. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————– discussion 2. SEPERATE DOCUMENT PLEASE ——————————————– What are some methods you can use to find out who might be in your audience, better known as your audience profile? What type of information would you want to find out about your audience before you give a speech in public? How can you effectively adapt to your audience? —————————————————————————————————————————————————— I SHOULD HAVE 4 SPERATE DOCUMENTS BY THE TIME YOUR DONE