A very young child who is not yet old enough to talk or walk.
Child under 1 year of age, or not yet able to walk.
An infant; a child before it begins to walk. The birth weight of most normal infants is between 6 pounds and 8V2 pounds with a broad average of 7V4 pounds. The newborn baby loses weight during the first two to five days but this is regained by the seventh to tenth day. The first stool passed by the baby is of a greeny-brown color and is called meconium, and although its appearance may frighten the mother it is quite normal. The average newborn baby is approximately 20 inches long and the circumference of the skull is 13V2 inches. There is a deficiency in the skull bone on the top of the head where the brain is covered only by the scalp. It is called the anterior fontanels, and automatically closes by the time the baby is 18 months old. If the fontanelle bulges unduly, other than during bouts of crying, it indicates an increase in intracranial pressure. A dehydrated baby has a sunken fontanelle.