A person's life-long psychological development starts in infancy, and the most important periods are between 0 and 3 years. We mentioned you this week at Mom's Land of what you need to know about your baby's healthy psychological development.

Babies are physically dependent on the mother when they come to the world. This also affects the child's emotional dependence. The child’s being not separated from the mother during the first 2-3 months is important for the development of trust.

In about 4-5 months, the baby begins to recognize that he/she has a separate body from the mother. In these months, by touching, the baby begins to become interested in the outside world, and can pull the mother's hair, smile to others and react.

During the 7-8-month period, the baby distinguishes the mother more clearly than other people; and in this period, he/she can start to behave restless when together with people who are strangers. In a healthy mother-infant relationship, the baby turns to the mother to feel confident when he/she feels uncomfortable.

Starting with the 9th month, controlling the movements, working alone and doing lots of practice is important for personality development and individualization of the baby. The child who experiences crawling and walking during this period learns to look at the world physically from a different angle, and becomes excited. Mother's support for her child's enthusiasm will have a positive impact on the baby's psychology. As children feel their mother's feelings, the mother's anxious and overprotective behavior during the individualization period will also affect the child. It is important that the mother control her concerns for a healthy self-esteem, make the child feel trust, love and support.

After learning to walk, the baby, who starts to discover the external world and begins to individualize, returns to her mother feeling the emotional intensity of separation from her mother until the age of 2 years. This time the baby is not dependent on the mother; child tastes his/her own personality, and so, there may be a power conflict between the mother and the baby. It is important to make recurrent positive communication, showing the love, support and confidence.

After 2 years, the child's psychological development progresses more stable. In this period of discovering the external world, his/her talents, body, their social skills also develop. The emotionally balanced child will have a more peaceful relationship with his/her mother, environment and the outside world.

The most efficient assurances for a healthy psychological development of babies is to make them feel loved, to give them a sense of confidence and to care for them in a happy environment. Getting to know your child, understanding his/her reactions, discomforts, what he/she wants to tell you, and doing what makes him/her feel safe and secure will be effective. It is best to observe the emotional state of your child as well as physical development, and consult a doctor if you need it.