How newborns communicate

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•  Newborns cry when they need to communicate something.
•  Your newborn’s movements give clues about how he is feeling.
•  Love and communication make babies grow.

At birth, the parts of a baby’s brain responsible for thought, memory and movement are not very well developed. Unlike other animals that can walk as soon as they’re born, human infants are completely dependent on their parents.

Your role as a parent is 24-hour caterer, cleaner and carer. Don’t expect much conversation or a thank you card.

But you will get to watch your child develop and respond to your touch and your voice, as well as to the sights and sounds around him. This can feel like the most amazing thing in the world.

Most of your newborn’s communication with you is about his basic needs – sleeping and eating. Crying is a newborn’s way of telling you what he needs. Newborns cry when they have wind, are hungry, tired, too hot or cold, uncomfortable or sick, need their nappy changed or need to feel secure. Sometimes, and in some cases often, babies cry for no apparent reason. Though it may feel like it, newborns don’t just cry to annoy or upset you – they can’t help it. Understanding why your baby is crying adds the role of ‘interpreter’ to your job as a parent.

Newborns also communicate through movement. A baby will tense up if uncomfortable or fall into a comfortable shape in your arms when relaxed. Newborns are very responsive to your calming touch. Cuddles and physical affection are as important as food for making a baby grow.

As vision is one of a newborn’s major sources of information about the world, a baby spends most of his awake-time trying to look at things. At this age, the distance between mother's face and baby’s head during breastfeeding is the best distance for baby to see things. Your baby may sometimes appear to be cross-eyed – this is because the eye muscles still need to strengthen.

Although images are still unclear for a newborn, he can recognise faces, see facial expressions and recognise voices. Movement and bright contrasts are easiest to see. As weeks go by, a baby gains more control over his facial expressions. Watching you smile while talking and observing your facial expressions, go a long way towards helping your baby learn how to do the same to communicate.

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