294 Unit 3 Infancy Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Helping Infants Develop Self-Awareness Through infant-adult interactions, parents and caregivers can help infants learn more about them- selves. In the fi rst year, an infant begins to develop self-awareness or an understanding of him- or herself as a unique person. As infants develop self-awareness, they form a mental picture of themselves and an idea of who they are and what they can do. Infants develop self-awareness in the following ways: • Hand regard. Infants gaze at their hands for hours, making slight movements (called hand regard). As their brains process the sight and sensation of the moving hands, infants learn their hands are a part of their bodies. • Cause and effect. Infants learn how their movements can affect other objects (Figure 10.14). For example, an infant might move a hand, bat a toy on an activity gym, and make the toy turn. This discovery teaches the infant which objects are part of him- or herself (the hand) and which are not (the toy and the activity gym). When an infant crawls to get a toy, the infant learns his or her actions can make things happen. • Observe and learn to read the baby’s signals and consider his or her preferences for meeting needs. Babies prefer to be soothed in different ways. • Allow the mobile infant to seek proximity (nearness) and maintain contact. For example, most infants prefer to play within a few feet of their parents—not in a far-off playroom or nursery. Ignoring or rejecting an infant’s overtures (cues for positive relationship building) leads to insecurity for the infant. • Minimize separation anxiety by leaving the infant for a short period of time, if possible, and with a familiar caregiver who will soothe him or her once the parent leaves. Infants can develop multiple attachments, which also depend on how other caregivers respond to the infant’s needs. • Realize attachment develops over time. No parent can be 100 percent correct and responsive in meeting each and every need of a baby. Because babies develop so rapidly, even the best adult observers can miss a cue. Like all other interactions, the balance of correct readings and consistent responses needs to be on the positive side. Figure 10.13 A baby’s attachment is a powerful infl uence on his or her social-emotional development. Without strong, positive attachment, babies may experience social-emotional developmental delays. If a caregiver is worried that his or her baby is not forming attachment, what should he or she do? Figure 10.14 Infants develop self-awareness by learning cause and effect and by witnessing how their movement and actions affect the environment around them. How can parents encourage their babies to learn about cause and effect?