Infant Social Development & Attachment Activities

A newborn (up to the age of three months) will enjoy spending face time with you. Infants this age love looking at the complexities of faces--particularly those they know and love. Talk quietly and often to your little one, as she recognizes your voice and will find comfort in it. Use different voices. Sing, smile and show expression on your face. She will begin to smile and coo, imitating your expressions and facial movements, and will enjoy music. Toward the end of her first three months, she will begin to show an awareness if she is in a strange situation. Between four to six months your son will begin laughing and will enjoy being read and sang to with greater excitement. He will smile at his reflection in the mirror and may become distraught if you take a toy away. He can tell family members apart from strangers and recognize his parents. He begins to say single-syllable words--language is an important bridge in social development. Continue holding, hugging and comforting your little one as he requires it. Seven to nine months will bring lots of excitement as your baby recognizes her name, and can combine syllables ("mama" and "dada"), although she won't know what they mean just yet. She can understand the word "no" (but doesn't always like it) and will respond to simple verbal commands. She will also love to please her parents. At around seven to eight months your baby will begin to develop stranger anxiety and will dislike you leaving or being left with "strangers." This is a normal, natural phase of development and should be treated as such. In the last months of his first year your little one will love being read to and will follow along with picture stories. He can play simple interactive games like pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo--play often to his delight! He will love imitating animal sounds and can understand several words as his spoken vocabulary also increases. He'll likely cling to his parents (or older siblings) in strange situations and can show affection. Respond in kind--hugging, kissing, snuggling and touching your little one.

One of the best things you can do for your baby is answer her when she cries. Until a baby is around a year old, her cries are not intended to manipulate you into responding how they'd like you to. When a baby less than a year cries it is a method of communication--their only method of communication--and it is very important that you respond to that cry with every effort to comfort her. Babies cry in the beginning because they are hungry, need warmth, are uncomfortable or lonely. Responding quickly to those needs will ensure your little one that you are there to protect her and keep her safe and will actually result in her crying less--as she will have learned that yes, you will be there when she needs you. As your little one ages her cries become ways to communicate other needs--such as venting frustration, sadness or unhappiness. While responding immediately is important in the beginning--as your baby ages it's important that you respond immediately if your baby is danger but if not you may say, "Oh honey, I know you're tired. Momma will pick you up as soon as I'm done putting away these dishes."

Because we know it's important that our little ones form attachments and connections we may wonder how we know if they are doing just that. When an infant is attached to you she will reach for you, strive to be near you. She may exhibit distress when she's separated from you and will be happy when you're both reunited. She will center her reactions and actions on you and your responses.

A baby's social development, language, vision, hearing and attachments are intertwined. Engaging in activities that promote the use of these skills will benefit baby and his development on many levels. Expose your little one to many activities and experiences--the park, museums, grocery stores and post offices. Take him to the zoo and to visit great grandma, walk in the woods and to play dates.

If you are concerned about your baby's social development and attachments you need to contact your health care provider. While social delays can be purely that--social delays--they may also be indicative of other problems such as vision or hearing impairment, emotional or intellectual delay. Many times these delays, when identified, can be managed with treatments and therapies that will correct or inhibit further delay.