Cephalocaudal trend

The cephalocaudal trend is the prenatal growth from conception to 5 months when the head grows more than the body. It is also the trend of infants learning to use their upper limbs before their lower limbs. The proximodistal trend is the prenatal growth from 5 months to birth when the fetus grows from the inside of the body outwards. When referring to motor development, the proximodistal trend refers to the development of motor skills from the center of the body outwards.

References

• Berk, L. E. (2008). Infants, children, and adolescents (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.