0-4 Months: Learning About Me -- Observation Record

How does the baby show his feelings?

Babies use their voices, faces, and bodies to express their feelings. Some express themselves very strongly, while others are quieter and more self-contained. When you and other adults listen to and try to understand them, babies learn that feelings count and that adults will respond to them.

The baby might do one or more of the following:

• Announce when he's hungry–cry when he wants to be fed.
• Turn off his smile–frown or yawn when someone talks too loudly.
• Act to be picked up–protest loudly when he's not picked up when he wants to be.
• Respond to less–thrash and fuss or turn his head away when a caregiver is too eager and talks too much, but quiet when the caregiver gently rocks him.
• Share smiles–coo and break into smiles when someone familiar talks to him.

How does this baby show how he feels? (Include dates.)

A baby's world is filled with new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches that can sometimes be overwhelming. With adult support, babies begin to develop strategies for calming themselves. Some babies need a lot of help to figure out how to do this, while others seem to know what to do from the time they are born.

The baby might do one or more of the following:

• Suck to settle–suck on his fingers to help himself go to sleep.
• Calm when he's comfy–become quiet when swaddled in a soft blanket.
• Relax to music–become calm and fall asleep after the lights are dimmed and a song is sung softly.
• Quiet to soothing sounds–quiet down by relaxing his arms and legs as his caregiver talks to him in soft tones.
• Ask for a break–look away or arch his back when his caregiver talks, playfully cuddles, or makes many sounds, but coo and settle when his caregiver becomes quiet.

What does this baby do to calm himself? (Include dates.)