We are born with only two innate fears: the fear
The Lore and Allure of Three Classic Infant Fears
Infants' responses to snakes/spiders, heights, and strangers fit nicely into explanations about the adaptive significance of avoiding people, places, and animals that threaten survival.
Examples of innate fear include fears that are triggered by predators, pain, heights, rapidly approaching objects, and ancestral threats such as snakes and spiders.
Newborns have two fears: loud noises and falling. "Babies' brains and nerves grow rapidly in the first two years of life, but they are born with very immature nervous systems," says Dr. Brown.
Babies: First frights
Infants come into the world with no real awareness of its dangers. Even so, they're hardwired to reflexively bawl at sudden loud noises and cling if they sense they're falling. It's at 6 or 7 months that many babies actually feel afraid.
By 7 Months
Babies are just starting to understand the meaning associated with a fearful face between 5–7 months of age. Generally, 7-month-old babies pay more attention to faces with fearful expressions (compared to happy or neutral expressions).
Studies show that babies can recall traumatic events, particularly those that occur during the first year of life. While they may not remember the exact details of what happened, they can retain a feeling of the experience, shaping their behavior and responses later.
Sometimes babies cry when they see a certain person who is unfamiliar because their brains are beginning to understand stranger danger.
Infants (birth to 24 months of age) can express a wide range of basic emotions including: discomfort, pleasure, anger, fear, sadness and excitement. As we learned in Chapter 6, infants are developing attachments to primary caregivers and may show some anxiety when separated from the important adults in their lives.
Young kids fear "pretend" things.
They fear what might be under their bed or in the closet. Many are afraid of the dark and at bedtime. Some are afraid of scary dreams. Young kids may also be afraid of loud noises, like thunder or fireworks.
Most common baby fears
In newborn babies, common baby fears include loud noises, falling, separation from parents, and strangers. At this stage, babies can't distinguish between objects accurately enough to be scared by looking at them. However, loud noises trigger the startle reflex.
The fear of rejection (the need to be accepted) The fear of failure (the need to succeed) The fear of emotional discomfort (the need to feel emotionally comfortable) The fear of being wrong (the need to be right)
Because babies prefer familiar adults, they might react to strangers by crying or fussing, going very quiet, looking fearful or hiding. Fear of strangers starts at 5-6 months and usually becomes more intense at 7-10 months of age. It can last a few months or continue for much longer.
The reason why your baby suddenly cries at loud noises is because those sounds are unfamiliar or unpleasant. Plus, it's a normal part of their development. Infants are more sensitive to noise than adults because they have a smaller ear canal. That narrower space amplifies loud sounds even more.
Babies and the Dark:
If your child is under 2 years old, any upset overnight is not due to the darkness in their room. Developmentally, they are not yet capable of being afraid of the dark. Consider this, your child spent almost 10 months in the (dark) womb. Babies are quite used to the dark!
And babies don't just detect our tension. They are negatively affected by it. It's one more reason to look after your own well-being, and calm down before interacting with your child.
Smiling sessions with your baby will become increasingly animated and joyful. When things get too emotionally intense for your baby, they will stop gazing at you, and they will look away for a few moments. This is called gaze aversion, and it shows that your baby's level of arousal is too high.
#5: Your Baby Can Feel Lonely
For the first time in their existence, they experience physical separation from their caregivers. After constantly hearing a heartbeat and being 'held', being put down for long periods of time can be quite scary and lonely. Some infants will go down easily and seem content to be alone.
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.
Human infants, just a few days of age, are known to prefer attractive human faces.
Research suggests that babies are indeed affected by parental squabbles, and exposure to chronic conflict may affect brain development. Experimental studies confirm that babies can sense when their mothers are distressed, and the stress is contagious.
1-3 Months
The first three months with your baby often seem the hardest. Sleep-deprived parents can feel overwhelmed, but that is normal and you will quickly learn how to read your baby's cues and personality. Don't worry about “spoiling” your baby at this stage.
“Babies have sensitive startle responses, so in the moment, yelling around a baby will likely lead to a response such as tensing, widening eyes or crying,” explains Ariel Horvitz, a clinical psychologist with The Family Institute at Northwestern.
Babies can tell who has close relationships based on one clue: saliva. Sharing food and kissing are among the signals babies use to interpret their social world, according to a new study.