Happy Baby

Being the parents of a happy baby is the dream of any parent. This is especially true during the early years when babies and toddlers are incapable of telling you if they are happy. However, rest assured that there are some basic characteristics which help you determine if your baby is a happy baby.

Key Signs of A Happy Baby

A Happy Baby Has Good Appetite

If all needs of the baby are met, she looks forward to her feeding and has a healthy appetite. She eats without fuss and very young babies have no problem drinking breast milk. A good appetite also helps the baby in developing a close bond with her caregiver.

A Happy Baby Has Sound Sleep

A happy baby sleeps well and does not have disturbed sleep. This is because the close relationship she develops with her caregiver helps her to remain relaxed. Like adults, a relaxed baby has sound sleep and does not get disturbed much. A comfortable three month old baby snuggles his body completely on your arms and does not form an arch on his back.

A Happy Baby is Active and Energetic

Like adults, a happy baby is active and energetic. She carries out many vigorous activities. A very young baby moves her arms and legs about in full swing. When she is awake, place her on their stomach for some time. This helps her to learn to crawl and later sit and/or stand with support. She moves on to standing on her own, walking and jumping. In short, she is continuously working on perfecting her motor skills. Watch your baby carefully as she reaches each milestone. Progressing reaching milestones is a key indicator to his happiness.

A Happy Baby Explores, Tries and Discovers

A happy baby explores her surrounding environment through her senses by touching, observing, tasting and chewing. All these help her understand about the world around her. Also, a baby is thrilled at finding out about cause and effect. For example, she picks up a rattle and shakes it. Shaking the rattle causes a sound to be produced. She repeats the action to ensure that shaking the rattle produces a sound. When it happens, the baby is happy and she may smile at this discovery of hers. A baby begins loving surprises at the age of six months and laughs heartily at them. The peek-a-boo game is a good idea to help your baby enjoy surprises. Getting your baby toys of different textures and those that make different sounds help her understand the cause and effect principle.

A Happy Baby Makes Sounds

A happy baby makes different kinds of vocalisations. As a very small baby, she can make coos, babbles and gurgles. Babbles in higher and higher pitches indicate her happiness in interacting with you. As she grows, between the age of four to seven months, these change into sounds like “ma-ma” and “da-da” and other consonant sounds. Share your excitement with the baby whenever she makes a new sound. This excitement acts as a source of motivation for the baby to continue practising new sounds.

A Happy Baby is Social

Like older children and adults, a happy baby likes to have people around her. She loves to play with them in a way that only babies can do. She reciprocates the love shown towards her. She enjoys the feel of human touch and the sound of the human voice which are very important in her day to day life. Take your baby along with you when you move around. If you feel this will tire your arms, use a sling or front carrier to carry her. Talk to her as much as you can. You can also take her for a walk in a stroller. A baby feels secure when they are shown unconditional love. However, as early as one month, a baby cannot smile to let you know that she is a happy baby. A peaceful look on her face accompanied by a gaze at your face provides this assurance. Between one to three months, a baby starts smiling in response to something that you do. This can be something like feeding her or changing her diaper. By six months, the smiles turn into laughter. Around the time they complete a year, the baby develop a sense of humour and can do things to make you laugh. An example of this is putting a diaper on her head.

Check list to Ensure You Have a Happy Baby or Happy Child

Now that you know how to identify a happy baby, how can you go about ensuring that your baby is a happy baby? Here is a check list that can help you get started.

• Is your baby healthy?
• Does he eat enough to meet his energy needs?
• Have you set up a stimulating environment that helps him practise his motor skills and explore his surroundings?
• Do you spend time with the child trying to guide him in teaching how to behave socially? (This may not be applicable for very young babies.)
• Do you follow a consistent approach when you discipline your child?
• Do you spend time watching your child's progress and praise him for his achievement of a new skill?
• Are the expectations you set for your child within his capacity? If not, have you considered revising them?
• Do you encourage your child's creativity without criticising him for something that may seem stupid to you as an adult?
• Do siblings and playmates accept your child and help him develop positively through social activities?
• Is the atmosphere at home a happy and cheerful place?
• Are your child's achievements recognised and valued by the group that he is a part of?