​​​Social/Emotional Milestones in Infants

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What Most Babies Do at 2 Months:

• Begins to smile at people
• Can briefly calm himself (may bring hands to mouth and suck on hand)
• Tries to look at parent 

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In this photo, baby is displaying a 2-month social/emotional milestone - smiling at his caregiver.

What Most Babies Do at 6 Months:

• ​Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• Likes to play with others, especially parents
• Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
• ​Likes to look at self in a mirror​

In this video, the baby is responding happily to his mother’s silly game. Responding to other people’s emotions and often seeming happy is a 6-month social/emotional milestone.

What Most Babies Do at 4 Months:

• ​Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
• Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stops
• Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling or frowning​

This photo shows a baby smiling spontaneously at someone, a 4-month social/emotional milestone. 

​What Most Babies Do at 9 Months:

• ​May be afraid of strangers
• May be clingy with familiar adults
• Has favorite toys 

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In this video, a baby girl shows she is afraid of the woman she doesn’t know, a 9-month social/emotional milestone. 
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What Most Babies Do at 12 Months:

• Is shy or nervous with strangers
• Cries when mom or dad leaves
• Has favorite things and people
• Shows fear in some situations
• Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
• Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
• Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing
• Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”

The little boy in this video cries when his mom leaves,
​a 1-year social/emotional milestone. 
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Optional Resource for Further Study

• Developing Social-Emotional Skills From Birth to Three, ZERO TO THREE
• Parenting Resource Toddlers and Biting: Finding the Right Response, ZERO TO THREE
• Understanding and Responding to Children Who Bite, NAEYC
• Baby Games – How Infants Develop Social Skills (Video Demo!), Janet Lansbury

Course Navigation Menu

1. Course Agenda
2. Social & Emotional Development
3. What is Social-Emotional?
4. Individual Differences​
5. Love is Not Enough
6. Supporting Social-Emotional (1/5)
7. Milestones in Infants
8. Infant Emotional Development
9. Infants and Toddlers

10. Milestones in Toddlers
11. Toddler Emotional Development
12. Toddler Social Development
13. Toddler Social/Emotional (2/5)
14. Milestones in Preschoolers
15. Preschool Emotional Development
16. Preschool Social Development
17. Development of Emotions
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18. Identify Emotions (3/5)
19. More About Emotions
20. Learning to Regulate 
21. Self-Regulation
22. Self-Regulation Skills (4/5)
23. End of Course Quiz (5/5)
24. Course Evaluation Form​
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