First three years of a child’s life: most critical for mental, physical development

The first important lesson that all parents planning to have a family is to know that pregnancy and the first 36 months of their child’s life is the best time to make a child happier and smarter. During this time the brain develops rapidly compared to other years. At birth, the head circumference is about 35 centimeters. By one year old, it grows to 46 cm, a gain of 11 cm, and by three years old, 47.5, a gain of 1.5 cm from one year old; for an adult man, 57.7 cm, and an adult woman, 56.4.

The head circumference of newborns to 36 months old grows by 12.5 cm on average. From 36 months to 60 months (five years old) the head size grows only by 4.5 cm. And from five years old to 16 years old, the growth is 5.7 cm.

When you bring your baby to a pediatrician or a family physician, the head size is measured every routine check-up up to three years old.

Your physician will also feel for the soft spot of the head or fontanel if it is open or close early. This easy measurement can predict the chance of failure in school or delay language development.

If there is no soft spot (the fontanel) or it is closed before six months old, an x-ray of the head should be done to check if the skull bones are fusing early which can result in limitation of brain growth. Early closure of the skull bones is called craniosynostosis and if not surgically corrected can lead to language delay or mental retardation.

The first patient that I discovered with early closure of the skull bones is a boy of about 10 months old. He was the son of a Filipino-American mother who attended one of our Christmas parties in Bangor, Maine, US.

It was my practice to feel the soft spot of babies that I meet even in social events. The boy had a closed fontanel and the suture of the skull bones felt bumpy. I recommended to the parents that a skull x-ray be done as soon as possible.

The result of the skull x-ray showed craniosynostosis. I scheduled him at once to see a neurosurgeon and surgery was done. He is now in his late 40s and doing productive employment.

The second patient was a four-month-old baby who had a closed fontanel whom I saw for a routine check-up. The skull x-ray also showed premature closure of the skull bones. Surgery was done a few months later.

Because of the rapid growth of the brain and the influence of the environment in acquiring language, the first 36 months of life are critical in building advanced vocabulary for a successful school experience.

Children whose parents are professionals usually have higher IQ because they hear about 2,100 words per hour compared to parents who are getting welfare checks who say only about 600 words per hour.

However, it is not only the number of words that an infant or toddler should hear but also the manner of talking with them. Advanced cognitive and language development happens effectively if there is a give-and-take conversation and enthusiastic interactions between the parents, grandparents, childminder, and the child.

Children who are exposed to parents who are frequently fighting, arguing with each other, or verbally and physically abusive usually result in children who are destined to fail in school and even be at a high risk to commit crimes.

Those children who grew up with dysfunctional parents are also prone to depression, smoking, obesity, delayed reading, school failure, and suicide.

Leonardo Leonidas,

Tufts University School

of Medicine