How to encourage your baby to show their emotions

Understand the origins of emotions in infancy

According to clinical psychologist, Linda Santilli, babies learn to express their emotions by trial-and-error imitations due to the interplay of pleasure – be it a full belly, close proximity to mom or bodily contact -and natural anxiety – which includes hunger, loneliness or the need for comfort. 

“From 6 months onwards, babies start to learn facial expressions that are linked to interpersonal relationships with their caregivers. This happens through sensory input. From 7 months onwards, babies are able to focus on particular objects and interaction will become more frequent. They will start to smile with intent, and gurgling and cooing noises will pave the way for babbling that closely approximates the sounds of the speech of the people around them,” explains Santilli. 

She recommends keeping the above dynamics in mind and providing your baby with plenty of reassurance that their needs will be met so they don’t go out into the world with high levels of anxiety and fear. 

“The child needs to know that the loved one is there to comfort when tired, to soothe the bumps and bruises, and to intervene when there is danger. And through these actions, emotional development is encouraged,” she explains. 

Engage with your baby often

“The mother or significant other’s voice and your facial expressions are the most likely sensory activities that you can use to encourage your infant’s emotional development,” recommends Santilli. 

An example of how you can do this is to sit up on a couch or in bed, with your baby lying on your legs in front of you. Interact and react to their emotions by demonstrating interest and pleasure. This awareness gives them acceptance and acknowledgement of emotions and body image. It also promotes reciprocal interaction.

Put names to emotions

“Name feelings even though the child cannot yet relate to language - it is about the tone of voice and the pattern of the sounds that becomes familiar to them,” says Santilli. 

Don't underestimate the power of peekaboo

“Remove yourself for short periods of time and then expose yourself again to your child’s face with your face. It emphasises the importance of separation anxiety and that the parent is the medium to assist the infant to regulate their emotions and behaviour accordingly,” recommends Santilli. 

Expose your baby to a full spectrum of emotions

Remember that all emotions - pleasure, laughter and also fear and anger - are important expressions and should all be encourage for basic healthy psychological development.

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