🎯 The bones of an infant: Their structure, formation and requirements for their growth and development.

🔸 What is a bone?

A bone is a living tissue that makes up the body's skeleton.

• The skeletal (bone) structure of an infant comprises of about 270 to 300 bones at birth. At a full maturity, they number reduces to around 206 bones.

• Some bones in an infant are a build-up of cartilage, a type of connective tissue that is tough but flexible. Other bones are partly made of cartilage and partly made of bone tissue.

• The flexibility feature of the cartilage allows the infant to curl up in the womb/uterus during the gestation period and to pass through the birth canal during delivery. It also provides a scaffold for bone formation.

• Later as growth continues, the cartilage is gradually replaced by bone tissue through a process called ossification; which begins around the eighth week of embryonic development.

• The bones fuse gradually reducing the number of bones in adulthood; eg., the bones in the skull fuse together to close the soft spots called fontanelles.

🎯The Structure of bones:

Most bones are made of several layers of tissue:

• The outer surface of bone is called the periosteum. It is a thin, dense membrane that contains nerves and blood vessels that nourish the bone.

• Underneath the periosteum is compact bone; the smooth, hard layer that is seen in the skeletal illustration. It provides strength and support to the bone.

• Within the compact bone are many layers of cancellous/spongy bone; a porous tissue that contains spaces filled with bone marrow, blood vessels and nerves. It helps to reduce the weight of the bones and stores minerals and blood cells.

• The innermost part of some bones is the bone marrow. This is a soft, jelly-like tissue that produces red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

🎯 Formation of bones in an infant.

• The process if bone formation brings into harmonious involvement of two types of cells: i.e., osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

• Osteoblasts; cells that build new bone tissue by secreting a matrix of collagen and minerals and converts cartilage into bone during ossification.

• Osteoclasts; cells that break down old or damaged bone tissue by releasing enzymes and acids and helps in the regulation amounts of calcium and phosphorus in the blood by releasing or absorbing the from the bone.*

🔸Bone formation is effected by various factors; such as hormones, vitamins, minerals and mechanical stress.

1. Hormones; e.g., growth hormone, thyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and sex hormones influence the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts and affect the growth and development of bones.

2. Vitamins:e.g., vitamin D, vitamin C and vitamin K are essential for the absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus, which are the main minerals in bone tissue.

3. Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and fluoride are needed for the formation and maintenance of bone tissue. They aid in nerve and muscle function and blood clotting.

4. Mechanical stress; e.g., weight-bearing exercise, gravity and muscle contraction stimulate bone formation by increasing blood flow and activating osteoblasts.

🎯 Requirements for growth and development of (infant) bones:

• To ensure optimal growth and development of bones in infants, some requirements include:

Adequate and effective Nutrition;

•A well balanced diet that provides sufficient calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals for bone formation and maintenance.

Sunlight or supplementation with vitamin D;

•To enhance calcium absorption and prevent rickets, a condition that causes softening and deformity of bones due to vitamin D deficiency.

Prevention of infections or diseases;

• Some infections may affect bone health, they include:

Osteomyelitis(bone infection)

Leukemia(cancer of blood cells).

Osteogenesis imperfecta(brittle bone disease)

Osteoporosis (bone loss).

Regular exercise;

•Most recommended, is physical activity that involves weight-bearing exercises, such as crawling, walking or jumping, to stimulate bone growth and strength.

Avoidance of injuries/bone trauma ;

•Injuries to bones, such as falls, accidents leads to damage or fracture of bones.