Infancy is a unique period in a child’s development. The first year of life’s social environment comprises two distinct moments. First, the child is a defenseless creature biologically. They cannot meet even the most basic demands of existence on their own. The infant’s survival is entirely dependent on the adult caring for them: eating, moving in space, and even turning from side to side can only be accomplished with the assistance of an adult (Veraksa et al., 2021). Such indirectness allows us to think of the infant as a social creature at its most social – their orientation towards reality is intrinsically social.
Second, because the child is entangled in the social, they are robbed of the primary method of communication – speech. The entire structure of existence compels a child to communicate with an adult to the greatest extent possible, yet this communication is unusual – it is wordless. I would focus on the social-emotional aspects of a child’s development in infancy. Physical comfort, proximity to the mother, and emotional reactivity are the primary demands at this age.
The child’s social-emotional development comprises two interconnected stages, which comprise the child’s gradual shift from full dependency, necessitating adult support, to personal autonomy. The initial social expressions of a newborn are connected to physiological demands (feeding, drinking, temperature comfort, mobility, lack of discomfort feelings, pleasant body posture). Since the adult’s initial emotional communication with the kid, physiological and emotional reactions are eventually turned into socially meaningful ones.
To deal with the birth crisis, the infant needs proximity to the mother. Constant monitoring of the infant’s emotions and behavior is the first step in helping the infant cope with their demands, which will make them feel more at ease. The second task is to express feelings to the infant, which will help him express his own. The third action is to offer the newborn affection, which will help the baby deal with the tough period following delivery.
Reference
Veraksa, N., Sheridan, S., & Colliver, Y. (2021). Balancing child-centered with teacher-directed approaches to early education: incorporating young children’s perspectives. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 1-18.