Self-Esteem
It’s never too early to boost your child’s self-esteem! At this stage, you’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting. Show them when you are proud of them and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small. Your baby will develop a sense of confidence to do a task again in the future when they feel happy about what they’ve done and see your positive reaction. Children build their sense of competence when they feel proud of their efforts, not just proud of the outcomes.
Baby Steps!
Set up opportunities for your baby to try different activities on their own. As your child starts to realize that they can accomplish their goals, they will try new things and extend their sense of mastery. Good self-esteem is associated with a sense of competence!
In infancy, your little one is just beginning to develop motor skills – so don’t set the bar too high. Start small.
- Have them watch a favorite toy as it gets passed in front of them.
- Create a comfortable, safe place for them to practice rolling over.
- Have them hold onto your finger to try and pull themselves up.
- As they get older, have them start doing more complex tasks, such as sitting up without assistance, drinking from a sippy cup, or stacking blocks.
Fumbles and bumbles are bound to happen.
- They will not do things perfectly on their first try, so don’t set this expectation. Show your baby how to navigate difficult or unexpected situations.
- Support and encourage your child when things don’t work out. As your child is learning to walk, falls are inevitable, try responding with, “Oops, that was surprising. Hop on up and give it another go!”
A great way to build your baby’s self-esteem is to let them know when they’ve put in effort and didn’t give up easily. Encouragement and praise help to increase their confidence in themselves and their abilities! Click through the following tips for how you can do this:
Say positive thoughts out loud during challenging tasks to teach your child how to believe in themselves and increase their self-esteem.
- Positive self-talk can include, “you’ve got this,” “you’ve done this before, you can do it again,” and “you are strong and brave!”
- Using these types of statements with your child increases the likelihood that they will use them in the future.
Just saying “good job,” will not let them know exactly which behavior you are proud of. Instead, try saying, “Good job looking at me when I called your name!” to let your child know exactly what behavior you are pleased with.
- When they stand up without needing to hold onto anything, say “Look at you, standing up without help – you’re getting so strong!”
- Don’t feel like you have to praise every single thing they do – if your praise is excessive, it will actually be less meaningful for your child.
- Cheer them on when they are able to pick up their head during tummy time, sit in a highchair, or put pieces of food in their mouth.
- Let siblings get involved in the fun by clapping along!