It is not surprising at all to hear that babies have feelings and emotions. Watching your baby smile around two months old can fill you with a sense of wonder and joy. At birth, babies develop their abilities to feel and show many of the same emotions as adults.
Some baby feelings are:
- happy
- distressed
- scared
Although they cannot speak yet, babies let us know how they are feeling through face and body movements that parents learn to read and understand.
Your baby may:
- smile and coo when happy or content
- cry when hungry, uncomfortable or scared
Babies learn to express their feelings and emotions through their day-to-day relationships with parents and caregivers. Getting to know your baby’s many different feelings and emotions helps you get to know your baby better and respond to her needs.
The Help Me Grow – Social and Emotional milestones provide helpful information about your baby’s emotional growth from birth to one year old. The information is simple and easy to read and it provides a list of things to look for as your baby grows. You can print the information sheet for your baby’s age and use it.
You can also check out the variety of parenting programs offered by Toronto Public Health.
