Behavioral, Social, and Intellectual Development
The rate of behavioral, social, and intellectual development varies considerably from infant to infant. Some infants develop faster, although certain patterns may run in families, such as late walking or talking. Environmental factors, such as lack of sufficient stimulation, can slow development; conversely, stimulation can hasten development. Physical factors, such as deafness, can also slow development. Although a child's development is usually continuous, temporary pauses may occur in the development of a particular function, such as speech.
Crying is one means of communication. Infants cry because they are hungry, uncomfortable, distressed, and for many other reasons that may not be obvious. Infants cry most--typically 3 hours a day--at 6 weeks of age, usually decreasing to an hour a day by 3 months of age. Parents generally offer a crying baby food, change the diaper, and look for a source of pain or discomfort. If this does not work, holding or walking with the baby sometimes helps. Occasionally nothing works. Parents should not force food on a crying infant, who will readily eat if hunger is the cause of his distress.
 See the table An Infant's First Year: Developmental Milestones.
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