Watching your baby outgrow their clothes, start cooing and babbling, learn to crawl and put all the unwanted things in their mouth, utter their first ‘dadda’ or ‘mamma’ is quite something! These are the moments that make all the sleepless nights and tiresome days worth it!

But your baby is also growing in ways that aren’t so easy to spot, but just as important. Your baby’s emotional development will grow by leaps and bounds during their first year. And how do they do it? By watching you – their parent.

Read along as we take you through the steps that help shape them into the person they become when they grow up.

The new member

Right from birth, babies look for comfort and support from their parents and caregivers. This could mean you holding your baby, cradling, and cuddling to help create a bond. From their very first month, your baby will be learning to trust someone (YOU!) to take care of them.

They can’t put their ‘baby emotions’ in a language we can understand yet, but when your baby is crying or fussy, it is a clear indication that they are not comfortable and need your warmth, love, care and attention. You’ll teach them how a loving relationship works, and how to get along with others.

As your baby becomes more alert and aware of their surroundings, make eye contact with them often. Talk with them as if they could talk back, with natural conversational pauses and with a lot of expressions. They’ll learn the rhythm of conversations and how to tell someone’s emotion from seeing yours.

The imitator

At 3 – 6 months, your baby will enjoy imitating your expressions and learn how to respond to people this way. Make a big silly face, give them a huge smile, raise your eyebrows, encourage them to do the same. This is also the period when you will catch your baby’s first true smile.

“My baby has always been quite jovial. I was lucky to catch her smile very early. Babies smile different… it involves their whole body – hands open wide, arms lifted, legs moving with pure joy. It is pure joy for whoever’s watching too. That smile made me realize that some moments can be healing” says the person who wrote this blog. Yes, that’s me, mother of 2 balls of sunshine! Nice to meet you.

Back to the topic! During these months, babies start to notice things that are happening around them and learn that they are their own people. They will start responding by looking for your voice when you call them by their name, and also understand the need to communicate. They will cry differently when in discomfort, or when they need cuddles. Sounds crazy, right? Check out our blog on baby talk to know more. They will also be easily intrigued by children and turn towards children’s voices.

The curious explorer

We’re entering the 6-9 month period. Your baby will now recognize family and friends from strangers and look for comfort from familiar people when new, unfamiliar people are around. They will also be easily overwhelmed with loud noises and new situations. All of this is completely normal. Be there for them when they need you.

They will also develop curiosity and discover the joy of exploring, encourage them, introduce the world to them in small pieces. Children learn quickly through playing, so play games together and help them explore.

They will also get the meaning behind angry faces and loud voices and respond accordingly.

And now here’s a word of caution… take it as one parent’s advice to another: Your babies can understand emotions now, and emotions are contagious. They can see and feel when you are sad or anxious, and they end up imitating that too. So, always try to be jolly around your kids.

The little-big baby

We are reaching the end of the first year of their emotional journey. Now they start to recognize some words, even if they can’t say them yet. This lays a foundation for them in learning to express themselves, and you can help them by making connections between words and feelings. When your baby smiles, talk about being happy. When your baby cries as you put them to sleep, talk about how sad it is that play time is over.

Apart from having favorite people, your baby will also learn the concept of possession and throw temper-tantrums when their favorite toys are taken away or something is not to their liking. Have your little one wear Snuggy Diapers, one of the best infant disposable diapers in the country, so you don’t have to watch your baby cry over diaper rashes and irritations.

They also learn to say “NO!” and support you in some actions and refuse to obey others. This is also the age where your baby starts preferring certain jokes, games and funny actions and tries repeating them themselves.

By the end of the first year, your baby will get overtly attached to you and experience separation anxiety when you are not with them. Your little-big baby also likes to be involved in things, so give them chances to actively participate in your day-to-day activities. Tell them “Mommy’s washing dishes, can you pass me the big spoon?” or “Daddy’s going to buy groceries, wanna come along?”

The baby’s emotional development is a mix of their nature (temperament), how they think, explore, and figure things out (cognitive development), and direct experiences. The last two areas are where you play an important role.

This means being a good role model to your baby, responding to their cues to interact with them, and creating a safe place for them to explore and learn are all crucial ways in which you can help your baby’s emotional development.

Frequently Asked Questions