Infants
Level of Understanding and Developmental Stage
- Self-focused;
beginning to see himself or herself as separate
from the
parent.
- Minimal understanding of time.
- While
people or things may go away, they are always
expected to come
back. When a parent leaves or is absent, the
child may cry or act out to
make the parent return.
- Understand being hurt
or sick, but not the concept of illness.
Helping Them Cope
- Familiar surroundings and people mean security.
- Try
to maintain their normal
routine. If changes
occur, explain it to the
child in a way that they can understand the
impact. For example, you might
say: “I feel bad today and need to rest,
so I can’t play with you right now.”
- Provide
as much love and attention as you can; hugs
are very reassuring.
- Reassure the child that
they are healthy and that it is not their fault
their
parent is sick.
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