Healthy Child Development: The First 2000 Days

The phrase, The First 2000 Days, refers to the period of time between the birth of your child and when they start kindergarten.  These early years are the most critical time in a child’s development.

During these early years, your child will go through many stages of development.  Physical growth is the most obvious but the child must also develop emotional and social skills.  Raising a child is one of the most important things you will do.  For such an important endeavour, it is wise for you to find reliable sources of information.  By that we mean, information that is based on recent research.

Healthy Child Q and A

As part of our Mission, to help parents/child caregivers promote healthy early childhood development in the first 2000 days, we post a series of common questions with answers based on reliable resources. The questions will focus on the social, emotional and psychological aspects of becoming a parent. The answers provide approaches that support healthy social, emotional and psychological development of newborns, infants, older babies, toddlers, and preschool children.
Different sources divide the ages and stages of childhood into categories. Usually, a newborn refers to a baby from birth to 2 months. Then, the infant stage may be considered from 2 months to one year. For many, the term “toddler” is used for ages 1-3 years
We will use these divisions of ages:
NEWBORN: birth – 2 months
INFANT: 2 – 6 months
OLDER BABIES: 6 – 12 months
TODDLERS: 1 -3 years
PRESCHOOLERS: 3 – 5 years

Please note: our information is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are concerned about your baby’s health or development, consult your healthcare provider. If you have an urgent concern, rely on local acute care resources; urgent care clinic, emergency room, or 911.

To learn more about healthy child development in the First 2000 Days, visit our page of Resources