The Power of Parenting

Monday, 21 September 2020

Emotional Development: Your Baby at One Month

Emotional Development means the development of a full range of emotions from sad to happy to angry, and learning to deal with them appropriately. Newborns begin to express emotion from the moment they are born. Over the next few months, your baby will be able to show sadness and happiness.

Typical Skills
  • Enjoys/needs a great deal of physical contact and tactile stimulation
  • Responds positively to comfort and satisfaction
  • Cries when in pain or discomfort
Emerging Skills
  • Recognizes and calms down to a familiar voice
  • Communicates moods through different cries

Comfort
If you do this:

  • Respond quickly and sensitively to your baby’s cry or discomfort
  • Tell your baby how much he is loved
  • Feel his needs are being met
  • Feel secure and valued
Play
If you do this:

  • Provide soft, lullaby music
  • When feeding your baby, (breast or bottle) let her grasp your finger
  • Enjoy new sounds that are as comforting as speech
  • Practice grasping more and feel more and more confident with her ability to grasp
Teach
If you do this:

  • Feed your baby whenever he is hungry
  • Talk to your baby
  • Smile at your baby
  • Trust that his needs will be met
  • Turn toward your voice and begin to recognize familiar voices
  • Recognize your face