Cracking the Baby Face Code

December 28, 2022 Infant

Wide eyes, scrunched noses, bouts of babbling… what does it all mean? How your baby is feeling is written all over their chubby little face. They may not be able to say the words yet, but you can crack the code to your baby’s feelings by using all of those funny facial expressions as clues.

“I’m interested”

Do this!
Encourage their interest by letting them safely explore. Allow your baby to touch and play with an object they seem interested in — just remember, they’ll likely want to “taste” it too!
Help your baby expand their interests and learn new words by explaining the objects they explore. “This is a hat; it’s soft and warm.”

“I’m overwhelmed”

Do this!
Avoid a full-blown meltdown by taking your baby away from the current situation; move to a quieter area with them to help them calm down.
Sometimes too much attention from too many people can simply be too much for a baby to handle.
Give them some space; let them sit in their car seat or swing by themselves for a while.

“I’m mad”

“I’m scared”

“I’m gassy”

“I’m having fun!”

It’s no secret, your baby is watching your faces too! Babies learn by watching the world around them. They may not be able to say what they’re thinking , but they’re learning so much every moment they spend with you. When your baby sees you happy or sad; excited or scared, they learn what all of these feelings look like. Your baby will learn how to express their feelings by watching how you express yours — remember, a face is worth a thousand words!