Best Way to Help Your Baby Develop Personalities

Your baby is a unique individual, with her own set of fingerprints and a distinctive personality that will develop in the months and years to follow. How does this happen? Some of her traits may be inherited, but much of the way she develops will depend on her daily experiences and her interaction with you and others close to her.

Recognizing character traits

Walk into a baby clinic and you can already see a whole range of identifiable personalities – from cheerful and adaptable, to fretful and demanding. Some babies love to be cuddled, others will only want physical affection when it suits them. Some are sociable and daring, others are cautious and reserved. And, of course, many babies are a mixture of some or all of these characteristics,

Understanding her requirements

Your baby’s character traits will become more obvious to you as she grows. Watching them unfold is not only thrilling, it also helps you tune in to her needs so that you can nurture the positive sides of her personality and help her moderate other behaviour. For example:

•  an easy-going, placid baby may be a dream to care for, but she still needs attention and stimulation even if she doesn’t always demand it.
• a shy, reserved baby needs time to adapt to new situations and people. You need to be supportive and reassuring to help her cope with experiences she might otherwise find overwhelming.
•  an unsettled or demanding baby needs you to be calm and consistent, with lots of patience, and a regular routine.

At this time, all babies can be more demanding of your attention, it is important to keep in mind that your baby won’t always be Ibis needy, and that her character is still forming. From the age of six months onwards, most babies are starting to settle down and become more responsive to you. The key is to try and focus on bringing out the best in your baby.

Helping her personality develop

Although your baby may be showing clear character traits at a young age, her personality is still emerging. And in the same way that her character traits affect the way you respond to her, so your responses will have an impact on her personality.

From six months old and beyond, as your baby becomes increasingly aware that she is a separate person to you, it is important to help her develop a strong sense of self. You can do this in a number of ways:

•  Show her how much you love her. Giving your baby lots of smiles, hugs, and kisses will make her feel valued as a separate and unique individual.
•  Praise all her achievements. Whether it’s waving to you or banging two blocks together, her self-confidence will be boosted by your applause and encouragement.
• Tune in to her needs. Knowing when she’s frightened, excited, or bored, and responding accordingly, will help her feel important and loved.
•  Give her time to discover things for herself. Letting her work hard to reach for a toy, for example, will help her develop her sense of independence as well as improving her movement control.

Putting it into practice

As you tune in to her individual personality and start to encourage the positive characteristics she displays, within a few months you may begin to see your baby’s developing sense of self in action as she starts to gleefully assert her will. Whether she’s refusing to cooperate with you when you get her dressed or try to change her nappy, insisting that you play peekaboo again for the umpteenth time, or banging her spoon in fury because she wants to eat her food right now, you’ll be left in no doubt about her likes and dislikes! But it is all these qualities – what makes her laugh and cry, her favourite foods, the games she loves – that combine together to help create her unique personality.