A child first labels the household pet cat as a "cat" and then generalizes this label to other animals that look like it.

孩子先把家养的宠物猫称为“猫”，然后把这个称呼扩大到其他看起来像猫的动物。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

Of course, approaching the child first can bring its own headaches, too.

当然，先接近孩子本身也会带来麻烦。

youdao

Man is a child first, after which he attains his youth.

人开始时是个小孩，然后他长成一个年轻人。

youdao

Helen was their first child. Until she was a year-and-one-half old, Helen Keller was just like any other child.

VOA: special.2009.11.08

Peter was the first child of his father's second wife and thus a potential threat to the ambition of the relatives of the first wife.

彼得是他父亲与其第二任妻子的长子,因此对第一任妻子的亲戚们而言,彼得是他们的一个潜在威胁

耶鲁公开课 - 欧洲文明课程节选

Merry arrived seven years after her mother had her first child and she was quite a Christmas gift.

VOA: special.2009.12.21

Because we believe it entirely conflicts with the aim of putting the child first.

BBC: Childcare ratios 'could hit nurseries in poor areas'

He says that when a marriage starts to break down, the unspoken question is: who will seize the child first, the mum or the dad?

ECONOMIST: A dark side to family life in Japan

The "Wrap Treatment" consisted of orderlies binding a child first in two sheets soaked in ice water, then two dry sheets, followed by waiting for days without food and drink until the body warmth dried the sheets.

NPR: Opera About Nazi Atrocity Shown In Austria