Rather, in the early weeks, your baby may view you as an extension of themselves. The thing is, your baby does not have the emotional understanding, life experience, or self-awareness you have, so by necessity, "love" means something very different to each of you.
Your baby thinks that the two of you are one and doesn't realize that the tiny hands and feet waving before them are their own. Over time, though, as your growing baby develops physically and mentally, they'll gradually figure out that they're their own little person, with their own body, thoughts, and feelings.
One month to six months
They will think that you and them are one and the same . At the very beginning, your baby is only aware of their immediate needs: food, love, and attention.
Shortly after birth, your baby will prefer your face over a stranger's face and may even show you a smile! In addition, your baby is using their sense of smell to recognize their mother.
By 4 to 6 months, they will turn to you and expect you to respond when upset. By 7 or 8 months, they will have a special response just for you (they may also be upset by strangers). Your baby may also start to respond to your stress, anger or sadness.
It isn't until they're between five and eight months old that they begin to miss you.
But it turns out, that intense closeness is critical well past the first few months of a child's life. Babies need it for the first three years — especially from their mothers. Several years ago, psychoanalyst and parenting expert Erica Komisar started noticing a trend among American families.
Summary. By six to nine months of age, your baby begins to realise they are a separate person surrounded by their own skin.
The fact that your baby misses you when he is temporarily separated from you is a normal phase of development that virtually all children go through. It's a sign of his increasing maturity and growing understanding of the world around him.
Understanding newborn bonding behaviour
Your newborn baby uses body language to show you when they want to connect with you and strengthen the bond between you. For example, your baby might: smile at you or make eye contact. make little noises, like coos or laughs.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
In short, yes: Babies do feel love. Even though it will be quite a while before they're able to verbalize their feelings, they can and do understand emotional attachment. Affection, for example can be felt.
Here's how it works: A baby who cries upon seeing her parent after a long separation is expressing his secure attachment to his parent.
Babies often prefer their primary caregiver
Most babies naturally prefer the parent who's their primary caregiver, the person they count on to meet their most basic and essential needs. This is especially true after 6 months when separation anxiety starts to set in.
Clinginess is a part of every child's development. They realize that this person gives them care, and they do not want to be separated from them while they are growing. While this phase is unpleasant, it will pass, and there are a few tips that caregivers can follow to help get through this clingy phase.
About Separation Anxiety
Between 4–7 months of age, babies develop a sense of "object permanence." They're realizing that things and people exist even when they're out of sight. Babies learn that when they can't see their caregiver, that means they've gone away.
No, it's a normal concern, but don't worry. Your baby's not going to forget you. You should realize, though, that she will—and should—bond with other people. Look for a daycare center where there's one primary caregiver rather than a rotating staff, suggests Lawrence Cohen, PhD, author of Playful Parenting.
This arrangement thus helps to regulate the infant's breathing, sleep state, arousal patterns, heart rates and body temperature. The mother's proximity also stimulates the infant to feed more frequently, thus receiving more antibodies to fight disease.
When you are pregnant, your baby is exposed to everything you experience. This includes the sounds in the environment, the air you breathe, the food you eat and the emotions you feel. When you feel happy and calm, it allows your baby to develop in a happy, calm environment.
Staring and smiling is a sign of your baby's healthy social and emotional development. Your baby might stare and smile because they are happy to see a familiar face, such as a parent or caregiver, or because they are trying to engage or communicate with someone.
It's a scenario that plays out with almost all newborns — especially with breastfed ones, but even with those who formula feed right from the start. Given a choice, choosy babies choose Mom. And when you consider the initial biological edge brand-new moms have over brand-new dads, it's no surprise.
Humans, even newborns crave physical contact and are comforted by it. Whether they recognize a kiss as a special form of showing affection is irrelevant. They are comforted by it, and gradually learn that association.
You probably won't miss this stage, but here are some ways you'll know that your baby has separation anxiety: Fusses and cries the instant you hand her to someone new. May lean away from a stranger's embrace and stretch her arms toward you. May have trouble sleeping or refuse to go to sleep unless you're nearby.
The phase can start as early as six to eight months and continues until around age two – when object permanence is fully established. “Separation anxiety is most common from ten to 18 months. But new research is saying Piaget's theory underestimates the development of the toddler mind.