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.
We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. A 1960 study evaluated depth perception among 6- to14-month-old infants, as well as young animals.
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).
It happens as your baby develops a healthy attachment to familiar people – like you. 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.
Young babies normally respond with a startle or fright when there is a sudden noise or a change in the way they are held. One of their primitive reflexes, known as the Startle or Moro reflex, causes them to react this way, particularly when they feel insecure.
In newborn babies, common baby fears include loud noises, falling, separation from parents, and strangers.
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.
Baby's First Fears
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.
Sometimes babies cry when they see a certain person who is unfamiliar because their brains are beginning to understand stranger danger.
"When babies cry because of anger or fear, they keep their eyes open but keep them closed when crying in pain," states the researcher. As for the dynamic of the cry, both the gestures and the intensity of the cry gradually increase if the baby is angry.
According to Californian clinical psychologist Dr. Forrest Talley, babies stare at the faces of strangers as part of a natural adaptive response that helps them learn about emotions and allows them to develop a foundation for future socialization.
Children are most often afraid of the dark starting at around the age of about 2 through the preschool years, although it can appear in older children as well. A fear of the dark usually lasts for a few weeks to a few months.
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.
Do Babies Feel Love? 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.
Experts think babies start to form a concept of fear from around six months onwards. Separation anxiety is common for babies, causing them to become upset when the people they have formed primary attachments to aren't close by. This is one of the earliest, most primal, of fears.
This is a biological instinct that babies crave their mother's attention. When they see you, they expect you to immediately pay attention to them. Even if you're holding them and trying to comfort them, they may still cry.
''Virtually from the day they are born, there is something particularly disturbing to infants about the sound of another infant's cry,'' said Martin Hoffman, a psychologist at New York University. ''The innate predisposition to cry to that sound seems to be the earliest precursor of empathy. ''
As children develop and grow, their dreams do too. Toddler dreams are usually just snapshots, looking much more like a slideshow than a movie, when compared to the dreams of adults. They heavily feature animals and other familiar sights, like images of people eating.
Numerous studies have found that positive touch—especially slow caresses and gentle stroking—makes an infant feel safe and comfortable by reducing their cortisol level, a stress hormone, and stimulating the production of oxytocin, a feel-good hormone that's calming and promotes bonding.
However, recent research into the way our brains begin to develop fear shows that babies might be immune to such phobias because they delight more in their own curious nature, unblemished by any outside apparatus that might tarnish that sense of wonder.
Yelling makes the baby afraid and nervous, wounds and inhibits his feelings, and, later on, his confidence. It can be very damaging, especially when parents begin shouting at the infant when he is little. On the other hand, parents yell at each other and do as much harm as yelling at the baby.
It is absolutely okay and encouraged to display emotions in front of your children. If you're sad, cry. If you're upset, be big mad.
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.