Baby behaviour: in a nutshell

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If you smile at a baby, he will probably smile back. Scowl at him and he may burst into tears. You can learn a lot about what your baby is feeling by looking at his face.

What baby is feeling

The world is starting to make some sense. Your baby has expectations and the unexpected can upset him. He is very attached to certain people and things. He may love one toy over all others and will accept no substitutes.

He has a favourite person (usually Mum or Dad). He understands where he ends and you start. He may also recognise his name or his face in the mirror. He may be scared if you leave the room because you might not come back. A terrifying thought!

Your baby is busy soaking up the world. Just like his parents, he appreciates a bit of down time in his day to relax and be comforted. 

What baby is doing

He wants to discover and explore. His natural curiosity will drive him to experiment with objects to see how they work. Even light and gravity are things he has to figure out. This may involve dropping your phone in the cat’s water dish or tipping the sugar bowl onto the rug. He’ll watch your reactions to see if he’s doing the right thing. He’ll also do things like pinching, biting or hair pulling just to find out what happens.

Babies are born to experiment. Their behaviour is part of an innocent learning process – he is not purposely testing your patience. You will just need to create a safe environment for his exploration so he doesn’t hurt himself or break your new DVD player. Boundaries start with keeping no-no things out of reach. Eventually, you can tell your baby which things are off limits.

Your baby is figuring out how to find his way in the world – and you are his navigator. He will learn a lot about how to behave by watching you. Your years as an important and influential role model have begun.

Discipline

Smacking is not an effective or acceptable punishment for a child, no matter what age. For a baby, smacking just causes confusion and fear. He may even start to flinch or cry when that person comes near him. Smacking a baby to stop him crying will only make him harder to comfort.

Crying is still your baby's main way of communicating needs. If you attend to your baby's needs promptly, he will tend to feel safer and will actually cry less.

Some parents may hit their child because they are trying to relieve their own tension or stress in a situation. For more help with managing stress and angry feelings, read Feeling stressed and When you feel you might hurt your child

Until the age of 12 months, babies have almost no awareness of their own behaviour. To prepare for the toddler years, read our 15 tips for encouraging good behaviour.

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  By Raising Children Network

  By three months, the world is starting to make sense to your baby. And by looking at your baby’s face you can learn a lot about what he is feeling. As he explores his new world, you can create a safe environment by keeping dangerous or precious things out of reach.

  • Feelings: your baby can respond to your presence with a smile or may be upset by your absence or something unexpected.
  • Behaviour: your baby is naturally curious and wants to experiment and discover new things. Crying is still his main way of communicating.
  • Discipline: your baby won’t be aware of his behaviour until the age of 12 months. Remember: smacking is never an effective form of discipline for children of any age.

  This article is an extract only. For more information visit raisingchildren.net.au/behaviour/babies_behaviour.html

  Sourced from the Raising Children Network's comprehensive and quality-assured Australian parenting website www.raisingchildren.net.au