Newborn Baby Checklist: An Emotional Development Guide [Watch out for the Fifth Month]

Even a newborn baby has their emotional development checklist that parents should look at all the time.

Here is a guide for parents when checking the emotional development of their newborn baby:

The first three months of the newborn baby

Because a baby's way of communicating is crying, they usually do it in the first month. In the first month, parents should be familiar when their newborn baby's cry is for pain or directly communicating something like hunger.

In the second month, parents will probably see the first "real" smile of their baby. It is during this time that parents should make sure their baby is having enough face-to-face communication rather than being exposed to gadgets for videos.

The newborn baby's frequent crying should die down in the third month. At this time, babies enjoy hearing their voices.

It is also during the first three months, and babies can recognize facial expressions. Newborn babies are more hooked into looking at faces rather than inanimate objects.

In the first three months, a newborn baby positively responds to touch and are quiet when picked up by a familiar adult.

The emotional development in the fourth to sixth months of the newborn

The fourth month is when babies start to show their emotions through body language and facial expressions. Newborn babies are also learning how to react to emotions demonstrated to them. If they see someone who is angry, babies tend to respond by showing that they are upset.

In the fifth month, babies start to do something that parents will also feel so much joy: a laugh. It is also around this time that babies react to unfamiliar faces and show anger through facial expressions. However, parents should remember that this anger is "temporary."

In the sixth month, babies start to imitate the emotions of adults. This period is also the time when babies recognize their names.

For newborn babies, the fourth to sixth months is full of development in terms of emotions. Also, these emotions are projected by babies through body language. For example, they wave their hands and feet when they are excited about something.

As babies grow, they also start to develop emotionally. However, not all babies are the same. This guide may provide the purest observations parents could use when checking a newborn baby's emotional development.

When something seems not to add up, it would always be best if parents consult an expert or seek professional help. This tip does not just apply to emotional development but also other aspects of a newborn baby's development, like the development of their senses.