Infant Milestones

Social & Emotional Development

(noticing & playing with others)

This area of development involves learning to interact with other people and to understand and control your own emotions. Babies start to develop relationships with the people around them right from birth, but the process of learning to communicate, share, and interact with others takes many years to develop. Developing the ability to control your emotions and behaviour is also a long process. Children continue to develop their social-emotional skills well into their teenage years, or even young adulthood.

Below are some of the typical developmental milestones for social-emotional skills in infants. After each age group, you can find some Red Flags that might indicate a concern.

Please also see communication skills for more information because speech and language skills are so important for effective social development.

Between the ages of 0-3 months, your baby will:

See clearly within 13 inches from their face
Be comforted by a familiar adult
Respond positively to touch

Quiet when picked up
Listen to voices
Smile and show pleasure in response to social stimulation

Between the ages of 3-6 months, your baby will:

Give warm smiles and laughs
Recognize faces
Cry when upset and seek comfort
Show excitement by waving arms and legs
Notice a difference between two people based on the way they look, sound, or feel

Smile at themself in the mirror
Enjoy looking at other babies
Pay attention to their own name
Laugh aloud

Between the ages of 6-9 months, your baby will:

Express several different clear emotions
Play games like Peek-a-boo
Show displeasure at the loss of a toy
Respond to you when you talk to them or make gestures
Start to understand your different emotions (for example, your baby might frown when you speak in an angry tone of voice)

Show more comfort around familiar people, and anxiety around strangers
Possibly comfort themself by sucking thumb, or holding a special toy or blanket

Red Flags for Social-Emotional Development (9 months)

If you notice some of the following things by the time your baby is 8-9 months old, you may want to talk to your doctor, or to another health professional such as a speech-language pathologist , an occupational therapist , or a psychologist.

Your child is not responding to sounds
Your child is not smiling or responding to you the way you expect
Your child avoids close contact or cuddling

Your child is inconsolable at night
Your child can’t seem to self-soothe or calm themself
Your child has no interest in games like peek-a-boo

Between the ages of 9-12 months, your baby will:

Show happiness when they see their parents’ face, their toys, or a mirror
Know the difference between strangers and their family, and cry when their parent goes away
Give affection and love
Pay attention to simple commands such as "no" and "give it to me"

Respond by turning to look when you call their name
Imitate some of your actions (e.g. waving, pretending to talk on the phone)
Have fear with new situations
Understand the word “no”, but will not always obey

Red Flags for Social-Emotional Development (12 months)

If you notice some of the following things by the time your baby is 12 months old, you may want to talk to your doctor or to another health professional such as a mental health clinician, a speech-language pathologist , an occupational therapist , or a psychologist.

They are not showing interest in other children their age
They do not respond to you the way you expect them to
Have extreme difficulty waiting for something they want
Very rigid about routine, food items, clothing, etc.
Have limited or fleeting eye contact with others

They do not imitate any of your actions
They do not respond when you call their name
They do not follow your point when you try to show something, or bring attention to something
They do not take turns in a simple turn-taking game like chase or peek-a-boo

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a professional. You can also make a referral to our centre at any time.

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Social & Emotional Development

(noticing & playing with others)

Between the ages of 0-3 months, your baby will:

Between the ages of 3-6 months, your baby will:

Between the ages of 6-9 months, your baby will:

Red Flags for Social-Emotional Development (9 months)

Between the ages of 9-12 months, your baby will:

Red Flags for Social-Emotional Development (12 months)

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