Jean Piaget
1896–1980 · SwitzerlandSensorimotor stage
Psychologist who mapped infant cognition from reflex to symbolic thought.
Infant science bridges paediatrics, psychology, and public health.
Key figures translated observation and trial data into frameworks parents and clinicians still use.
Eight guides worth knowing
Mary Ainsworth
1913–1999 · USAttachment types
Identified secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized infant attachment patterns.
Diana Baumrind
1927–2018 · USParenting styles
Though studied older children, her authoritative framework influenced infant guidance discourse.
T. Berry Brazelton
1918–2018 · USNeonatal assessment
Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale clinician who taught reading infant cues.
Penelope Leach
b. 1937 · UKInfant development
Your Baby & Child linked research to practical month-by-month guidance.
William Sears
b. 1939 · USAttachment parenting
Pediatrician who coined AP acronym — babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding emphasis.
Gwen Dewar
b. 1960s · USParenting Science
Anthropologist who evidence-reviewed infant sleep and cognition for public site.
WHO Nutrition
1948– · GlobalComplementary feeding
Sets global standards on exclusive breastfeeding duration and infant nutrition.
Together they shifted infant care from schedule-driven behaviourism toward relationship-centred developmental support.
Keep exploring
More in Developmental stages
👶
Newborn
The first 28 days after birth — physiology, bonding, feeding rhythms, and the shift from womb to world.
Evidence 88 🧸Toddler
Walking, talking, and testing limits — the toddler years blend motor explosion, language bursts, and autonomy struggles.
Evidence 85 ✏️Preschool
Imaginative play, peer entry, and executive function growth define the preschool years before formal schooling.
Evidence 82 📚School Age
Industry, friendships, and academic skill-building mark middle childhood between toddler chaos and adolescent identity work.
Evidence 78 🧑🎓Teenager
Brain remodeling, identity formation, and increasing autonomy define adolescence — risk and capability both rise.
Evidence 80