Newborn development

The mother of a 11-month-old has come to the clinic with concerns. She reports to the nurse that her baby's "soft spot in the front" is now gone. The nurse assesses the infant and notes the fontanel has closed. What response by the nurse is most appropriate? -"The soft spot or fontanel has closed." -"This closure of the fontanel is very premature and warrants some further testing." -"This may signal your baby's calcium levels are elevated." -"We will need to do additional neurological testing to make certain your infant is developing normally."

"The soft spot or fontanel has closed."

The mother of a newborn reports she does not think her baby likes his formula since he spits up after only taking a small amount. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate? -"Babies do not each much." -"Your baby's stomach is small and can only hold about 1/2 to 1 ounce at birth." -"You need to make certain to burp him more frequently." -"It is too soon to determine a milk intolerance."

"Your baby's stomach is small and can only hold about 1/2 to 1 ounce at birth."

The infant weighs 7 lb 4 oz (3,248 g) at birth. If the infant is following a normal pattern of growth, what would be the expected weight for this child at the age of 12 months?

21 lb 12 oz (9.9 kg)

An infant is breastfed. When assessing her stools, which findings would be typical? -Stools of breastfed infants are usually harder than those of bottle-fed infants. -Breastfed infants usually have fewer stools than bottle-fed infants. -Breastfed infants are less likely to be constipated than bottle-fed infants. -Stools of breastfed infants tend to have a strong odor.

Breastfed infants are less likely to be constipated than bottle-fed infants.

The nurse is assessing the 10-month-old infant. The nurse notes the anterior fontanel has closed. What initial action by the nurse is indicated? -Document the findings as normal. -Review the birth records of the infant to see if there were any other anomalies. -Notify the infant's physician. -Measure the infant's head circumference.

Document the findings as normal. The anterior fontanel most often closes between 12 and 18 months of age. It may normally close as early as 9 months of age. The closure of the fontanel at 10 months of age, while somewhat early, does not signal any health issues for the infant.

The nurse is educating the mother of a 6-month-old boy about the symptoms for teething. Which symptom would the nurse identify? -Running a mild fever or vomiting -Choosing soft foods over hard foods -Increased biting and sucking -Frequent loose stools

Increased biting and sucking

The student nurse is caring for a 2 1/2-week-old in the newborn intensive care unit. Which term is most accurate when discussing this client? -Newborn -Infant -Child -Baby

Newborn

Which developmental milestone would the nurse expect an 11-month-old infant to have achieved? -Sitting independently -Walking independently -Building a tower of four cubes -Turning a doorknob

Sitting independently

Which milestone would you expect an infant to accomplish by 8 months of age? -Sitting without support -Creeping on all fours -Pulling self to a standing position -Being able to sit from a standing position

Sitting without support

A father asks you what symptoms he can expect with normal teething in his infant. What would you tell him?

The child's gumline will be tender.

A teen mom asks the discharge nurse if it is okay to sleep in bed with her baby. She says her mom always did it with her siblings and it seemed okay. How should the nurse respond?

The nurse should enforce that bed sharing is sometimes a positive experience if the parents are safe and responsible. When done properly, the effect can be positive on infant nutrition and physiology. The other responses do not promote safety or educate the teen.

The nurse is assessing the sleeping practices of the parents of a 4-month-old girl who wakes repeatedly during the night. Which parent comment might reveal a cause for the night waking? -They sing to her before she goes to sleep. -They put her to bed when she falls asleep. -If she is safe, they lie her down and leave. -The child has a regular, scheduled bedtime.

They put her to bed when she falls asleep. (If the parents are keeping the child up until she falls asleep, they are not creating a bedtime routine for her)

The nurse is performing an assessment on a 8-month-old infant. The infant's medical history notes that he was born at 32 weeks' gestation. The infant is progressing normally. At what adjusted age should the nurse expect the infant's developmental accomplishments?

To determine adjusted age, the nurse subtracts the number of weeks that the infant was premature from the infant's chronological age. The infant who was born at 32 weeks' gestation was 8 weeks or 2 months premature. To determine the adjusted age, the nurse subtracts 2 months from the chronological age of 8 months: 6 months.

The mother of an infant asks you when to begin brushing her son's teeth. Your best response would be:

as soon as the first tooth erupts.

During a well-baby visit the mother of a 3-month-old infant tells the nurse that she does not understand why her baby continues to spit out food during feeding of solid foods. What is the best response by the nurse? (REFLEX?)

"Infants still have a tongue protrusion reflex until 4 to 6 months so they can't help but push out the solid food."

The mother of a 1-month-old infant voices concern about her baby's respirations. She states they are rapid and irregular. Which information should the nurse provide? -The normal respiratory rate for an infant at this age is between 20 and 30 breaths per minute. -The respirations of a 1-month-old infant are normally irregular and periodically pause. -An infant at this age should have regular respirations. -The irregularity of the infant's respirations are concerning; I will notify the physician.

The respirations of a 1-month-old infant are normally irregular and periodically pause.

The student nurse is reviewing the records of a pediatric client. Which statement about the client's progress indicates the need for further instruction? - "Maturation refers to the child's increases in body size. -"Development refers to the increase in skills the child demonstrates as they grow and age." -"Increases in body size are referred to as growth." -"Both growth and development are influenced by heredity."

MATURATION REFERS TO AN INCREASE IN FUNCTIONALITY OF VARIOUS BODY SYSTEMS OR DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS. Growth refers to an increase in physical size. Development is the sequential process by which infants and children gain various skills and functions. Heredity influences growth and development by determining the child's potential, while environment contributes to the degree of achievement.

The nurse is assessing the oral cavity of a 4-month-old infant. Which finding is consistent with a child of this age?

No teeth

What is the correct amount of wet diapers a mature infant should have each day?

An infant should have 6 to 8 wet diapers/day

The nurse is assessing the neurological status of a 10-month-old infant. Which findings does the nurse determine to be abnormal when performing this assessment? Select all that apply. -The infant turns to the right side, searching with mouth, when the right side of the cheek is stroked -The infant demonstrates reflexive sucking when nipple or finger is placed in infant's mouth -The infant reflexively grasps when the nurse touches the palm -The infant fans and extends the toes when the nurse strokes along the lateral aspect of the sole and across the plantar surface of the foot -With sudden extension of the infant's head, the arms abduct and move upward and the hands form a "C"

The primitive reflexes (root, suck, palmar grasp, moro) should be absent by 10 months of age. The Babinski reflex persists until 12 months of age so the presence of this reflex would be considered a normal finding in the 10-month-old.