Infant

Generally, an infant is a human being between birth and 1 year of age. An infant can be defined as a young child who is not yet able to walk or talk. People normally use this term for children under one year of age. Even though infants can be older than that. An infant is distinguished from a baby by being less developed and needing more care. Infants can’t do things that an older child or adult can do such as eating by themselves, walking, speaking clearly, and holding objects.

An infant is considered as a young, immature child who has just begun to walk. Infants are different from babies in that they have already learned to develop fine motor skills. And do not need assistance with most daily activities. A baby, on the other hand, is an infant who cannot yet walk independently.

In other words, an infant is a human being from the time of birth to the beginning of the second year. An infant includes a fetus, an unborn baby, or a newly born baby that is not capable of independent existence. A premature child may be considered an infant as long as he/she meets all other definition requirements.

Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines neonates as infants for up to 28 days. Full-term infants as those between 28 days and 1 year. And late preterm infants as those between 32- and 37-weeks’ gestation. Infants represent an important group in the population because they are at the highest risk of death. There are almost 3 million deaths per year in infants under 4 years old.