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Home › Articles › Behavior › Baby's First Emotions

Baby's First Emotions

Learning to Identify and Nurture Little Feelings

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In fact, there's a phenomenon known as emotional deprivation that can cause babies to fail to gain weight and thrive, Dr. Unger points out. "When you're not stimulating those brain cells, giving them affection, there are definite emotional consequences."

Every Baby is Unique
As for what to expect from your baby emotionally, remember that just as with physical development, each baby has his own timetable for emotional development and his own temperament. In other words, don't worry if your baby doesn't laugh as early as your neighbor's or is a little shyer, Folds says.

"My son was, and is, a very introspective, serious child who takes some time to warm up in different social situations," says Amy Blustein of Providence, R.I. "In the beginning, we really beat ourselves up about this. If we hadn't been so doting and had let him play on his own more, perhaps it would have been different. Once we accepted that he is simply a quiet, reserved little boy – very similar to my husband's personality as a child – it's been easier to handle." On the other hand, the couple's 9-month-old daughter is already showing signs of being more outgoing and easygoing, she says.

"There are basically three categories," Folds says. "There's the easy child, who has a sunny disposition and is easily adaptable; the difficult child, who reacts negatively and cries frequently and the slow-to-start child, who has a low level of emotional activity. That simply means you might need to work a little harder at establishing routines to calm your difficult child, or you might have to prod your slow-to-warm-up-baby a little to getthat smile."


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