Your Baby Has Emotions, Too

Your baby starts to develop socially at an early age. He also has emotions
from an early age. Social and emotional growth start long before
your baby can talk or move around.

Infants quickly understand and show emotions in their own way. Your
baby learns to make himself happy. He watches things that interest him.
He finds ways to occupy himself. Little by little, your baby also finds out
how to get a response from you.

Your baby can show how happy or how excited he is. You see this when
you play and talk with him. Research shows that babies are fussier when
parents or other adults argue. It may be best to protect your baby from
the ups and downs between the adults in his life.

Help your baby show different emotions. Help him show happiness. Help
him show sadness. Talk to him about how he feels about particular things —“That big dog sort of scares you, doesn’t it?” Do this when you are with
him. This helps him make sense of the world. He will have the skills to
join in successfully.

Babies start out with easy-to-read types of emotions. They might smile or
laugh to show happiness. They might pout or cry to show they are mad or
sad. Over time, they show many different emotions. They will show pride.
They will show worry. With your help, your baby will learn more ways to
respond to what is happening in his life.

This content has been provided freely by CMC. Click Healthy Start, Grow Smart—Your Three-Month-Old for your free download. Click GreatDad Free Ebook to download the entire Health Start, Grow Smart series.

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