1. Emotional & Social Development of Infants

2. Part I: Emotional Development

3. What is Emotional Development?
Emotional Development: is the process of learning to recognize and express feelings and establish a unique personal identity.
Important so child becomes an adult who is self-confident, able to handle stress, and empathetic to feelings and concerns of others

4. Emotions in Infancy How Emotions Develop Month 1: Interest
Months 1-3: Sadness
Month 5: Disgust
Months 4-6: Joy
Months 9-12: Anger
** Mimicking helps! Researchers have found that if a parent/caregiver first mimics a child’s unhappy expression, then lightens the mood by using a positive voice and smiles at the infant, it is likely the child will smile back.

5. Building Bonds of Attachment
Attachment – physical contact that helps build bond between parent and caregiver
Sets stage for healthy, loving relationship later in life
Can be strengthen through communication, contact, and care
Lack of contact results in failure to thrive – a condition in which a baby fails to grow and develop properly

6. Understanding Temperament
Temperament – a person’s unique nature; determines how a baby reacts to others and to the world
Nine different traits that each person has to a greater or lesser degree
Intensity – how strong or weak a child’s emotional responses are to events or people
Persistence – how determined a child is to complete an action
Sensitivity – how strongly a child reacts to his/her feelings

7. Understanding Temperament, cont’d
Perceptiveness – how aware the child is of what’s going on around them
Adaptability – how easily the child can adapt to change
Regularity – how regular the child’s behavior patterns are
Energy – how energetic the child is
First Reaction – how the child faces new situations
Mood – how cheerful/cranky the child is

8. Crying and Comforting Ways to comfort when crying:
Cuddle up with the baby in a rocking chair
Move the baby to a new position
Talk softly or sing to the baby
Offer a toy to interest or distract baby
Stroke or gently rub baby’s back
Thumb sucking/ pacifiers

9. Continual Crying
The baby may have colic – a condition where child is extremely fussy everyday
A baby with colic cries a lot and inconsolable
The baby may also have reflux; having trouble with partially digested food that rises in the throat

10. Part II: Social Development

11. What is Social Development?
Social Development: is the process of learning self-expression and how to interact with others.
Important so child can become an adult who communicates well with others, listens to others points of view, and shows tolerance
Describe your own social development. Describe someone who is an example of having great social skills and also someone who does not have great social skills.

12. Stranger Anxiety
Stranger anxiety – a fear of unfamiliar people, usually expressed by crying
Usually develops during second half of baby’s first year
How to cope:
Act welcoming to new person
Encourage friends and relatives to speak softly
Never force baby to be held by unfamiliar person
Stay close to the baby
Let the baby set timetable for adjustment

13. How Behavior is Learned
Babies learn how to behave through their relationships with others
Babies develop better social behaviors if they get more positive responses than negative ones
Always give babies clear message, i.e. don’t frown when expressing love

14. Social Development Through Play
Babies learn about the world around them through play
Play strengthens all areas of development; socially, it helps children to learn to interact with other adults and children

15. A Play Environment for Infants
Parents and caregivers need to provide a comfortable space with no dangers and with toys that are safe and interesting
Important to choose toys that are colorful, safe, age-appropriate, and clean
What would a “safe” toy look like?

16. Play and Exploration
Babies look at and play with toys to explore colors and textures
Babies explore using cause and effect – one event is caused by another event
Ex. Babies learn that letting go of a toy will cause it to fall