Raising a Social Butterfly
PalmTreeMommy
member
Raise a social butterfly!
Stare at her. Yes. Stare.
The next time you catch your baby looking at you, look right back. Make eye contact and try to hold her stare. It'll teach her to make eye contact and give her a taste of non-verbal communication.
Play copycat.
You may think your baby can't do much socializing those first few months, but that's not true. While your baby is just lying there, she's not staring into space, she's watching you and soaking up every move you make — especially with your face. At as early as one month old, she'll be ready to put some of what she's learned to use. When you catch your baby looking at you, make a face, stick out your tongue, make your eyes go wide, anything simple to reproduce. Pretty soon, she'll start to make those faces right back at you. It's a great way for your baby to practice facial expressions (a huge part of socializing) and to learn about taking turns.
Show your pearly whites.
At around three months old, something magical will happen. After all these months of smiling at your baby, she'll smile back at you! Make sure you smile back! This is also the age when she'll begin to distinguish emotions, and she'll often share yours. You'll notice that she smiles when she sees you smile, and cries when she knows you're upset.
Talk back
Long before your baby learns to form words, she'll make sounds. When she babbles and coos your way, talk back to her. It doesn't matter if you mimic her sounds or use your own words, as long as you're talking. This teaches her the natural flow of dialogue (You talk and I respond, then you talk and I talk again) and encourages the basics of polite conversation.