Babies require CONSTANT care and attention- there is hardly a moment when you aren’t doing something to care for their basic needs. Feeding, changing, rocking to sleep, bathing, dressing….the list goes on. And while you are doing the intense work of taking care of your baby’s physical needs, you are also helping them learn about social relationships and emotions! I know what you’re thinking–my baby is too little to understand emotions and social relationships.
How Can I Promote My Baby’s Social-Emotional Development?
But consider this- just because your baby can’t understand emotions, doesn’t mean that she can’t feel them, express them, and perceive them.
How Your Baby Learns
According to research, the key to healthy growth and development in the early years is having nurturing, stable, and consistent relationships. As your baby interacts with you, and various family members and caregivers, he or she is learning about social relationships and emotions. The care that you provide during this time is crucial for your baby’s healthy social-emotional development. Babies learn who they are by how they are treated.
Today I’d like to look at a very specific time in your baby’s life- between 9 and 12 months. This time, as your baby is growing out of babyhood and into toddlerhood, is a great time to really focus on social-emotional development.
Baby Milestone 9-12 Months
First, let’s look at some milestones that your baby will typically reach during this time. Between 9 and 12 months, your baby will likely be able to:
- Perceive your reactions to certain behaviors (for example, knows that you will correct him when he pulls the cat’s tail)
- “Help” with getting dressed by holding out arms/legs
- Copy simple actions
- Attempt to make you laugh by repeating sounds or actions
- Look for comfort when feeling upset
- Show emotions (crying when sad, smiling/laughing when happy, squealing when excited)
- Display distress after having done something wrong.
- Show affection through hugs, kisses, pats, and smiles.
Promoting Your Baby’s Social-Emotional Development
There are a lot of ways to support and nurture your baby’s social/emotional development during this time. Here are just five ways to try!
Be Affectionate and Nurturing
When your baby is a sweet, cuddly infant, it is easy to be sweet and loving. As your baby grows and begins to express more emotions, it can be a little bit more challenging! However, it is so important that your baby knows that he is loved no matter what, even when he is being his most fussy self! Cuddle your baby, make eye contact and smile, give lots of hugs and kisses, provide immediate comfort when your baby is upset, and respond to your baby’s bids for attention. All of this teaches your baby that they can trust and rely on you no matter what!
Observe Your Baby
As your baby gets older and starts to attempt to do things independently, it’s important to support this! Watch your baby closely, and observe what they are doing. When you are feeding your baby, does she attempt to grab the spoon out of your hand? If so- hand it over and let her explore! When you are getting your baby dressed does he put his arm out to help? If so- encourage his efforts! Your support during this time will allow your baby to feel confident and capable.
Talk About Emotions
Although your baby likely isn’t speaking yet, there is no doubt that you know when he is feeling sad, frustrated, or happy. Show him that you understand how he is feeling by giving his emotions a name! For example, you could say “I see that you are frustrated that your block tower fell down.” Just verbalizing how he feels can be helpful, and it shows your baby that you understand.
Resist the Urge to Immediately Resolve Conflict
It can be hard to not jump at the moment that your baby experiences conflict or problem. However, she can learn so much from attempting to problem solve on her own. When your baby is a bit younger, you can help her a bit to prompt her to solve a problem on her own. For example, if she is sitting up and attempting to grab a toy that is just out of reach, instead of handing it to her, push it just a little closer to where she can reach it on her own. I remember how my mother-in-law would get so mad at me when I would make my kids figure things out on their own; she said that I was cruel. But now that my kids are a little older, they are very independent and capable. I am always getting compliments from people on how well they can take care of themselves! I attribute a lot of that to letting them figure things out as babies.
Play Copycat Games
Your baby is at the age where he loves to copy the actions of others, so this is a perfect time to play copycat. Try doing various simple actions to see if your baby will copy you. For example, when sitting face to face with your baby, put your hands on your head. You can even say something like: “Copy me!” Your little one will likely delight in trying to mimic your movements. It can be even more fun to try to copy your baby’s actions!
Have you tried any of these ideas out, or do you have any ideas of your own for your baby’s social-emotional development? Please join us in our FREE Facebook community to let us know!
As always, if you have concerns about your baby’s social-emotional development and would like to set up a free consultation to discuss your concerns, please reach out! I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
As always, if you have concerns about your child’s development and would like to set up a free consultation to discuss your concerns, please reach out!
I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
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