Page 558 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

1. Physical
a. Height increases by 1 inch per month in
the first 6 months, and by 1 year the
length has increased by 50%.
b. Weight is doubled at 5 to 6 months and
tripled at 12 months.
c. At birth, head circumference is 33 to 35
cm (13.2 to 14 inches), approximately 2
to 3 cm more than chest circumference.
d. By 1 to 2 years of age, head
circumference and chest circumference
are equal.

e. Anterior fontanel (soft and flat

in a normal infant) closes by 18 months
of age.

f. Posterior fontanel (soft and flat

in a normal infant) closes by 4 months
of age.
g. The first primary teeth to erupt are the
lower central incisors at approximately
6 to 10 months of age. Children at risk
for development of dental caries
should see a dentist 6 months after the
first tooth erupts or by 1 year of age.
h. Sleep patterns vary among infants; in
general, by 3 to 4 months of age, most
infants have developed a nocturnal
pattern of sleep that lasts 9 to 11 hours.

2. Vital signs (Box 18-6)

3. Nutrition

a. The infant may breast-feed or bottle-
feed (with iron-fortified formula),
depending on the mother’s choice;
however, breast milk is the preferred
form of nutrition for all infants,
especially during the first 6 months.
b. Exclusively breast-fed infants and
infants ingesting less than 1000 mL of
vitamin D–fortified formula or milk
per day should receive daily vitamin D
supplementation (400 IU) starting in
the first few days of life to prevent
rickets and vitamin D deficiency.

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