Watch with pride as your baby grows and learns. He develops rapidly during his first year. As his personality emerges, you will see him learning to relate to you and to other people. Babies' social development is closely linked with their growing emotional understanding. A secure bond between you and your baby encourages his social development, as stressed by HelpGuide.org.
Early Development
Your tiny baby sleeps for 16 hours or so each day, but even in her first month she is socially responsive when she is awake, according to KidsHealth. She becomes excited when you cuddle her, and likes to make eye contact and listen to your voice. She already finds faces fascinating, preferring them to inanimate objects. In her second month, she smiles warmly at you, and over the next few weeks, starts playing with other people. She may even cry when play stops.
Three to Six Months
At three months, your baby becomes more interested in communication and recognizes your emotions. He may get upset if he senses you are distressed. When he plays with you, he may feel over-stimulated and look away. This gaze aversion, explains KidsHealth, helps him regulate his own emotions and is a signal that you should allow him to have quiet time. By the time he reaches six months, he produces a real laugh and loves to look at himself in the mirror as he begins to recognize his own individuality.
Six Months to One Year
When the baby is around six months old, you may notice a change in her social development as she starts to show a strong preference for your company over any other. A few days earlier she was confident and loved social play, but suddenly she will start to be fearful, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a loud noise scares her, she may refuse to let anyone but you comfort her. She vocalizes to show her feelings and learns to share attention by pointing things out to you.
Expert Insight
James and Joyce Robertson, writing in "Separation and the Very Young," point out the importance of a mother's smell, touch and voice to infants. The baby learns that his mother provides food and safety, and this is why he shows attachment to her as the main caregiver. The baby's father may feel upset when he clings to Mom, but stranger anxiety is a normal social development. Toward the end of his first year, the baby learns to respond to Dad in a more mature way.
Warning
Your new baby communicates with you at first by crying. Linda Folden Palmer, writing on the Natural Child Project website, suggests that allowing a child to cry for long periods raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol in baby's body. Withdrawing your attention from the baby may, she proposes, lead to weaker bonding with you and possibly less successful social development.
