Learning Infant Cues
by courtkneeCues are your baby’s way of telling you what he or she wants. In the early months of your baby’s life most cues are non-verbal. When babies want to play they will turn to your voice or look at you with their eyes. These signals are called engagement cues. When a baby gives engagement cues, they want to be with you. This is a good time to talk, hold, feed or play with your baby. They will become still and stop moving or make slow and smooth movements with their arms and legs. They may look at your face and smile. Cooing or babbling are also engagement cues. Your baby may reach out to you or turn eyes or head toward you. Less visible, but still signs of engagement are your baby’s eyes becoming wide and bright, and your baby raising his or her head.
Babies can also tell parents that they are in need of a rest or a break. These are called disengagement cues. They may need to stop eating, playing or being held. They may ‘take a rest’ themselves by falling asleep. Signs that your baby is ready to ‘disengage’ include turning the head away, back arching and pulling away. If their skin is pale or red this is also a sign they have had too much activity. They may cry and fuss, or even spit up. If they are overwhelmed they may just fall asleep. Watch for yawning, frowning and a dull look in your infants eyes. All of these cues will let you know when baby is ready to stop the engagement.
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