Human life is full of stages. A human offspring develops throughout his life and as he grows, the English language starts to name them differently. Most of these terms are often used interchangeably in day-to-day life but if we get into deep, you’ll know that even the most common interchangeable terms have their meanings and differences. One such pair is of the “child” and the “baby”.
Child vs Baby
The main difference between a child and a baby is that the term child is used to refer to someone who is still in his childhood phase i.e., someone who is below the age of 12. On the other hand, the term “baby” is used to term someone who is an infant.
Biologically speaking, the term child is someone who is in between the stages of conception and puberty. Anyone whose age is between 0 to 11 or 12 is considered a child. The time when a human offspring starts to develop sexual characteristics i.e. marks the onset of puberty, he/she stops being referred to as a child.
The term baby is the synonym of the word infant. In Latin, the term infant means someone who is unable to speak or can’t speak. Similarly, someone who is just born and isn’t able to speak is called a baby. When a baby starts to develop some cognitive processes along with motor development skills, he or she is termed as a child. Usually, offspring between 0 to 2 months are called babies.
Comparison Table Between Child and Baby
What is a Child?
In terms of biology, a child is an individual who has just been born and is going to grow till teenage. Some whose period of conception has begun and is developing till he reaches the age early stages of pre-puberty. As a general rule or a matter of fact, a child is a person under the age of majority, otherwise known as a minor or a pre-teen. A child may also refer to a relationship with a parent such as sons and daughters of any age. There is no difference between a child and an infant, a toddler, a baby, or a teen; the term is more like the sub-class of a parent.
The term child is someone who is in between the stages of conception and puberty. Anyone whose age is between 0 to 11 or 12 is considered a child. The time when a human offspring starts to develop sexual characteristics i.e. marks the onset of puberty, he/she stops being referred to as a child. In several countries, a person is still considered a child even when he or she is above 12. Anyone who cant vote is considered a child in several countries. The term “child” is very vast and can be used in different ways. For example, the person would be still be considered as a child for their parents, even if his/her age is 40 years old.
What is a Baby?
A baby is truly God’s gift, who grows up to become his beautiful little child. A baby, infant, toddler, kid, etc., are all terms for a young child or a baby. The term baby is the synonym of the word infant. In Latin, the term infant means someone who is unable to speak or can’t speak. Similarly, someone who is just born and isn’t able to speak is called a baby. When a baby starts to develop some cognitive processes along with motor development skills, he or she is termed as a child. Usually, offspring between 0 to 2 months are called babies.
Unlike the term “child”, the term “baby” is more of a phase than a stage of life. The “baby” phase lasts for a short period (2 months) and that is why it can’t be considered a stage of life. In this phase, the child develops an attachment to the mother. This attachment happens only when the mother provides nourishment to the baby along with a keen sense of comfort. In the baby phase, all the unlinked neurons start connecting and after connecting, the childhood phase starts where a baby transforms into a child.
Main Differences Between Child and Baby
- A child is a person whose age is between 0 to 12 years whereas a baby is someone whose age is in between 0 to 2-3 months.
- A child refers to someone who is still in his childhood stage whereas a baby refers to someone who is, however in his childhood stage, in the infancy phase.
- A child recognizes everyone in the family irrespective of the fact of they provide him nourishment or not whereas a baby only recognizes his mother or someone who provides both nourishment and comfort.
- A child can walk, jump, grab, run, etc. whereas a baby cannot do most of the things on his own but can grab little things. This is because of the curiosity a baby has.
- A child can also be referred to as a pre-teen whereas a baby can also be called an infant or a newborn.
Conclusion
Children are the most beautiful and cutest thing on this planet. Even though every kid is different but according to the division in psychology made by Jean Piaget, the period of conception till the teenage, a lot of development occurs which differentiate between the two most commonly interchangeable topic – a child and a baby. A child refers to someone who is still in his childhood stage whereas a baby refers to someone who is, however in his childhood stage, in the infancy phase. A child can walk, jump, grab, run, etc. whereas a baby cannot do most of the things on his own but can grab little things.
References
- https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CDRlspRDeboC&oi=fnd&pg=PR16&dq=baby+and+a+child&ots=kqp-5SqinM&sig=o4kx8pSV3dnxTURDh77Q_76EALM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=baby%20and%20a%20child&f=false
- https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.21.1.455