Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
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Feelings: babies

By Raising Children Network
 
 
Your baby’s emotions will often be expressed through play.

Did you knowQuestion mark symbol

Children can act out their emotions through play, which makes it a form of therapy for very young children.
 

What to expect

Your baby is likely to:

  • laugh aloud (between 2-4 months)
  • begin to withdraw from strangers (at about 10 months)
  • give loving cuddles (from 10 months)
  • prefer you to any other adult and be clingy towards you (from 10 months)
  • experience increased separation anxiety (from 10-18 months), even when you walk out of the room
  • start to verbally express how she feels, such as saying ‘sore’  for pain or ‘yay’ for happy
  • experience fear for the first time (from 12 months).

The sheer thrill of just being alive or seeing your face will have your baby grinning from ear-to-ear and crowing with delight.

Your baby might also learn to show feelings such as hurt or confusion through play. Playing aggressively around a new sibling, for example, may be an expression of feelings of confusion and hurt that someone has ‘taken her place’.

Play ideas to encourage the exploration of feelings

Play is one of the best ways for young children to find out about and express their feelings. There are some great ways to encourage them to express feelings:

  • Messy play with sand, mud, paints and other gooey substances can help your baby get used to the way different things make her feel.
  • Messy play can also help your baby express upset feelings. She can slap mud around, slosh water angrily and then stamp on the whole lot if she wants to.
  • She can act out feelings with puppets or toys.
  • If you take your baby to a park or an open space where she can crawl, roll and explore different things, she'll be able to release emotions. This is something she’ll want to do more and more as she becomes a toddler.
  • Let her lead the play. She can express her feelings best when she’s in charge of your shared play time.

Play is most valuable for your child when she gets the chance to lead it. If you step back and let your baby be the boss, it will help her learn to make decisions and use her own imagination.

Play is simply about having fun. The fact that your baby learns a lot along the way is a bonus, not the focus.

If by 18 months your baby shows no sign of separation anxiety, or no preference for familiar faces, it could mean that there is a problem.

Babies all grow and develop at their own rate. If your are concerned about any aspect of your child's development, it is a good idea to visit a health professional.
 
 
 
  • Last reviewed11-05-2006
  • References

    Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Vol 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books.

    Schore, A.N. (2001). Effects of a secure attachment relationship on right brain development, affect regulation and infant mental health. Infant Mental Health Journal, 22(1-2), 7-66.

    Tronick, E.Z. (1989). Emotions and emotional communication in infants. American Psychologist, 44, 112-119.

    Vygotsky, L.S. (1967). Play and its role on the mental development of the child. SovietPsychology, 12, 62-76.