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Home › Articles › Socializing › Baby's Temperament

Baby's Temperament

Personality Styles in Infants

By Laura Cone

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He's So Shy
When it comes to timid or slow-to-warm-up babies, don't push your child too hard but don't back off either, Dr. Carey says. "Find ways of helping your child get competence in social situations and cope with fears of unknown," he says. "Often these kids can, even though they are feeling terribly shy, be taught coping techniques that help propel them into this daunting social situation. Often, what they need is to get through the first five minutes."

On the other hand, your difficult baby may learn, as he grows older, that it pays to contain an outburst because he will get more attention. Of course, parents need to reward the appropriate behavior and ignore the negative, which is called differential attention.

Teach your child, as he or she grows older, more positive ways to let out steam or anger such as running or boxing. "Even though they are feeling intense they can go run around the block and get rid of that energy," Dr. Carey says. "Kids can, we believe, moderate their expression of a temperament."

Finally, whether your baby is difficult, slow to warm up or easygoing, the key is to accept them. Even though you may feel annoyed by a difficult baby who screams when he drops his pacifier, that child may someday grow up to be a great leader or boss of a major corporation. That easy-going baby may become an excellent counselor or clergyman. And you may appreciate your slow-to-warm-up baby girl when she is out on her first date.

Twin Temperaments

While some parents dress their twins alike, they can usually tell them apart because of their different temperaments.


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