Socio-Emotional Development of Infants

and Toddlers

INTRODUCTIONSimply put, socio-emotional development has something to do with the development of a person’s ability to master one’s emotions and the ability to relate to others. It necessarily includes temperament, attachments and social skills.

The Formative YearsMuch has been said about the

importance of the first three years in human development. They are so-called the formative years that is why, parents and other caregivers at this stage of human development play a significant role in the development of infants and toddlers.

Attachment For healthy socio-emotional development, the

infant needs to establish an enduring emotional bond characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain closeness to a specific figure, particularly during stressful situation. This is the social phenomenon of attachment.

According to Dr. John Bowly, the father of attachment theory, the beginnings, of attachment occur within the first 6 months of a baby’s life with a variety of built-in signals that baby uses to keep her caregiver engaged.

The baby cries, gazed into her mother’s eyes, smiles, etc. In the next few moths , the baby develops in her degree of attachment to her parents. She smiles more freely at them than at any stranger whom she seldom sees.

The key to a good start in the social development of the baby is a lot of responsive interaction with the baby. Babies thrive on social interaction when it is in response to their social bids. Babies seem to let us know when they want to interact or not. The timing of the caregiver’s response to the baby is important.

Infants attach to more than one caregiver and they are developing emotional relationships with multiple caregivers at once.

Even when a children are in child care for more than 30 hours per week, the family contributes more to child’s social and cognitive well-being than does the child care arrangement. Parents matter and children are attached to a parents even when children are in child care.

Parents and caregivers help children regulate their emotions by working with them and by serving as their models.

Temperament1. Another factor to the infant’s socio-

emotional development is temperament. Temperament is a word that “ captures the ways that people differ, even at birth, in such things as their emotional reactions, activity level, attention span, persistence, and ability to regulate their emotions” (K. Pasek and R. Golinkoff, 2003). Every baby expresses personality traits we call temperament. How a child responds emotionally to objects, events, and people is a reflection of his individual temperament.

2. Researchers Thomas, Chess, and Birch described nine different temperament categories: Nurturing Infant- Toddler Attachments in Early Care Setting.These Include:*Activity level*Mood*Threshold for distress*Rhythmicity*Intensity of response*Approach-Withdrawal*Distractibility*Adaptability*Persistence

To determine a child’s temperament, make the following observations:

Activity level. Some babies are placid or inactive. Other babies thrash about a lot and, as toddlers, are always on the move. At this stage, they must be watches carefully.

The mood. Some babies are very smiley and cheerful. Although securely attached emotionally to their teachers, others have a low-key mood and look more solemn or unhappy.

Child’s threshold for distress. Some babies are very sensitive. They become upset very easily when stressed. Other babies can more comfortably wait when they need a feeding or some attention.

The rhythmicity of children. Some babies get hungry or sleepy on a fairly regular and predictable basis. Other babies sleep at varying times, urinate or have bowel movements at unpredictable times, and get hungry at different times. They are hard to put on a “schedule”The intensity of response in each baby. When a baby’s threshold for distress has been reached, some babies act restless. Other act cranky or fret just a little.Approach to new situations. Some infants are very cautious. They wary and fearful of new teachers, being placed in a different crib, or being taken to visit a new setting. Other infants approach new persons, new activities, or new play possibilities with zest and enjoyment.

Distraction. Some children can concentrate on a toy regardless of surrounding bustle or noise in a room. Others are easily destructed.

Adaptability of each child. Some children react to strange or difficult situations with distress, but recover fairly rapidly. Others adjust to new situations with difficulty or after a very long period.

Child’s attention span. Some children have a long attention span. They continue with an activity for fairly long time. Others flit from one activity to another.

Based on these temperament traits, psychiatrist Alexander Thomas and Stella chess studied babies’ temperament and clustered temperaments into 3 basic types: 1) the easy child; 2) the difficult child: and 3) the slow-to-warm –up child and those that did not fall under any of the 3 basic types.

It is not then surprising why some babies show their parents they have done something wrong sometimes even with laughter or at other times with no particular emotion. It is not because they are bad babies. It is simply because they are not yet able to hold a standard in mind and evaluate situations in terms of these standards.

The Development of Emotions

Early infancy (birth-six months) It is not clear whether infants actually

experience emotion’s, or if adults, using adult facial expressions as the standard, simply superimpose their own understanding of the meaning of infant facial expressions.

Between six and ten weeks, a social smiles emerges, usually accompanied by other pleasure –indicative actions and sounds, including cooing and mouthing. This social smiles occurs in response to adult smiles and interaction.

As infants become more aware of their environment, smiling occurs in response to a wider variety of contexts. They may smile when they see a toy they have previously enjoyed. Laughter, which begins at around three or four months, requires a level of cognitive development because it demonstrates that the child can recognize incongruity. That is, laughter is usually elicited by actions that deviate from the norm, such as being kissed on the abdomen or a caregiver playing peek-a-boo. Because it fosters reciprocal interactions with others, laughter promotes social development.

Later infancy months (7-12) During the last half of the first year, infants

begin expressing fear, disgust and anger because of the maturation of cognitive abilities. Anger, often expressed by crying, is a frequent emotion expressed by infants. Although some infants respond to distressing events with sadness, anger is more common.

Fear also emerge during this stage as children become able to compare an unfamiliar event with what they know. Unfamiliar situations or objects often elicit fear responses in infants. One of the most common is the presence of an adult stranger, a fear that begins to appear at about seven months.

A second fear of this stage called separation anxiety. Infants seven to twelve months old may cry in fear if the mother or caregiver leaves them in an unfamiliar place.

Socialization of emotion begins in infancy. It is thought that this process is significant in the infant’s acquisition of cultural and social codes for emotional display, teaching them how to express their emotions, and the degree of acceptability associated with different types of emotional behaviors.

Children Learn What They LiveIf a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn…If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight…If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive…If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself…If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy…If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt…But…

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient…If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident…If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative…If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love…If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is…If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice…If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him…If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live.

What Infants and Toddlers can do socio-emotionally?

Domain: Social and Emotional Development

 SUB-DOMAIN: EMOTIONAL (EMOTIONAL

EXPRESSION)Standards 1.1: The child expresses different basic emotions.Based on your experience, are these indicators generally observed on and/or performed by a child on the specified age?

0-6 months Cries in different ways to express different

needs (e.g., hungry, sleepy, wet) Show excitement or pleasure by moving arms,

kicking, moving the entire body and the face lighting up

Smiles or laughs response to a pleasant experience (e.g., caregiver singing to him/her)

Amuses self simple repetitive muscle movements without objects (e.g., rolling back and forth)

Amuses self simple repetitive muscle movements with objects (e.g., shaking, rattle)

Likes playing with water Enjoys going to the park Shows fear and hesitation towards unfamiliar

person

7-12 months Has a favorite toy

13-18 months Smiles/laughs when happy or amused Cries when sad, angry or scared Shows varying degrees or intensities of

various emotionsStandards 1.2: The child demonstrates ability to self-regulate

feelings/emotions and follows schedules as well as rules and regulations.

0-6 months Stops crying almost immediately when

need is met Eventually gets used to an irritating

experience (e.g., honking horn) and calms down

13-18 months Able to stop an undesirable behavior or activity

when instructed to do so (e.g., going out to street)

Can calm down or stop tantrum with help from adults

Can follow simple rules19-24 months

Can wait his/her turn Shows ability to contain his/ her expression of

anger or frustration when source is removed Shows ability to contain one’s expression of

anger or frustration in a public place when asked by parent/caregiver

Tries to control his tears when in pain or scared

standards 1.3: The child comprehends and displays self-appraisal emotions (shame, pride, guilt).7-12 months

Smiles or claps his/her hands when he/she displays a learned behavior (e.g., close-open)13-18 months

Recognizes and is able to label self-appraisal emotions such as shame, pride, envy, jealously

Will do something that gets him/her praised (e.g., doing a task properly, singing etc.)

 19-24 months

Shows interest in doing things that are his/her own creation

Says “sorry” when he/she has made a mistake or has hurt someone

Milestones

From Birth to 3 Months During the first three months, babies are actively

learning about themselves and the people around them. Part of this skill-building involves:

Looking at their own hands and sucking on fingers

Looking at the part of their body that a parents or caregiver is touching

Understanding how the legs and arms are attached

Realizing that they are separate beings from those around them

Learning to be comforted and soothed by adults Enjoying social stimulation and smiling at people Responding to touch

From 3 to 6 Months Social interaction becomes increasingly

important. During this period of development, most babies begin to:

Respond when their name is said Smile Laugh Play peek-a-boo

From 6 to 9 Months As babies get older, they may begin to

show a preference for familiar people. Between the ages of six to nine months, most children can:

Express a number of emotions including happiness, sadness, fear, and anger

Distinguish between familiar family and friends and strangers

Show frustration when a toy is taken away

Respond to spoken words and gestures  

From 9 to 12 Months As children become more social, they

often begin to mimic the actions of others. Self-regulation also becomes increasingly important at the child approaches one year of age. Most kids can:

Hold a cup and drink with help Imitate simple actions Feed themselves small bites of food Express anxiety when separated from

parents or caregivers

From 1 to 2 Years From the age of one to two years, kids often

spend more time interacting with a wider range of people. They also start to gain a greater sense of self-awareness. At this stage, most can:

Recognize their own image in the mirror Initiate play activities Play independently, often imitating adult actions Act pleased when the accomplish something Start trying to help, often by putting toys away Express negative emotions including anger and

frustration Become more self-assertive and may try to

direct the actions of others

From 2 to 3 Years During the toddler years, kids become more

and more creative and confident. At two years old, most kids begin to:

Become aware that they are a boy or girl Begin to dress and undress themselves Demonstrate personal preferences about toys,

food, and activities Start saying "No" to adults Enjoy watching and playing with other children Become defensive about their own

possessions Use objects symbolically during play Often have rapid changes in mood

From 3 to 4 Years Because three-year-olds are becoming

increasingly able to perform physical actions, their sense of confidence and independence becomes more pronounced at this age. During the third year, most children begin to:

Follow directions Perform some tasks with little or no

assistance Share toys with other kids Make up games and ask other children to

join in Begin engaging in pretend play