Exclusive Breastfeeding and Motor Development of Children Under Five Comparative Studies in Toddlers in the Region of Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Children are the most valuable asset to any nation as they are the future. If children are not in good health (both physical and mental), it is certain that the nation will suffer. It is, therefore, important to pay attention to and prioritize the child’s developmental needs. Many children experience disturbance in their development process for some reason or other. For example, children might experience speech delay, motor skills disturbance or in establishing social relations. All these phenomena show the need for a comprehensive understanding of the child’s development (Pusponegoro, 2006). Child’s development is any changes that happen at the time of: infancy toddlerhood (age 0-3 years), early childhood (ages 3-6 years) and middle childhood (ages 6-11 years) (Santrock, 2011). The development of early childhood (ages 3-6 years) is different from the other ages. At this developmental period, the children are in the active mode with high exploration tendency, and a lot of movement, hence it needs to give the most appropriate stimulation. At this time, the closest environment is very important in determining the optimization of child’s development (Soetjiningsih, 2001).