Chapter 30-Key Facts About Newborns and Infants

Newborn or neonate age range

Birth to 28 days.

Infant age range

28 days to 1 year.

Ruddy skin in newborns

Due to visible blood circulation through a thin layer of subcutaneous fat.

Acrocyanosis

A bluish discoloration of the hands and feet due to a temperature drop.

Vernix caseosa purpose

It protects the skin; it is a thick, cheesy, white substance found in skin folds.

Lanugo

Fine, downy hair covering the newborn's body.

Anterior fontanelle closure

Between 12 and 18 months.

Posterior fontanelle closure

Around 2 months.

Plagiocephaly

A condition that describes an asymmetric skull in newborns.

Neck lengthening in children

At 3 or 4 years of age.

Macula maturation in infants

Develops at 4 months and mature at 8 months

Binocular vision development in infants

4 months.

Vision acuity of newborns

Farsighted (20/200 vision).

Newborns response to sound levels

Loud sounds at 90 decibels.

Pinna position during otoscopic exam

Down and back.

Increased ear infections in infants

A wider, shorter, and more horizontal Eustachian tube.

Drooling onset in infants

Around 3 months.

Deciduous teeth eruption

Between 6 and 24 months.

Primary gas exchange organ before birth

The placenta.

Foramen ovale closure

Within the first hour after birth to adjust to breathing.

Ductus arteriosus closure

About 10-15 hours after birth.

Normal pulse rate for a newborn

120-160 bpm.

Persistent acrocyanosis after warming

Suggests a congenital heart defect.

Weak or absent femoral pulses in newborns

Indicates coarctation of the aorta.

Umbilical cord vessel count

Two arteries and one vein.

Anal patency indication in newborns

Passage of meconium.

Hip dislocation test in newborns

Ortolani test and Barlow's sign.

Newborn spine shape

C-shaped.

Motor control maintenance in newborns

Spinal cord and medulla.

Adult nervous system capacity at birth

25%.

Nervous system reaching 90% capacity

By age 7.

Color distinction in infants

By 8 months.

Olfactory sense development at birth

Fully developed.

Differentiating mother's smell

At 2 weeks.