Like all parents, we want
all the best for our baby. We do our best to make our kids feel loved, eat healthily, get the vitamins and have lots of stimulating activities during the day. However, we might as well struggle, asking ourselves “Is my kid happy?”
What factors make a baby happy? Research has been conducted, and its result showed that happiness is not a perfectly wrapped gift with colorful ribbons on it. In fact, psychiatrists and child psychologists claim that if you shower your kid with presents and toys or shield them from any type of discomfort since he/she has been a newborn, this over-indulged child is more likely to grow into a bored, joyless, and cynical teenager. It is rather important to develop the child’s inner skills which they can rely on in the future. A good thing is that you, as a parent, don’t have to be an expert in psychology. Parents usually learn these things with time and patience, as their baby becomes mature.
Rule #1. Read the Signs
As your baby grows from a newborn, he/she will master the art of showing you what upsets or contents him/her. When you enter the room and his/her face lightens up and a smile appears, this is a sign of happiness. When a pet, for instance, takes a toy away from him/her, he/she starts to wail. You’ve probably noticed how rapidly the child’s mood can change. According to pediatric neuroscientists and psychologists, if a kid cries more often than laughs, it means he/she experiences more distress than happiness. A sensitive mother can always read the signs a baby is sending to her: whether he/she is hungry, in pain, or just needs attention. When newbo
s cry, it doesn’t mean they don’t feel happy. As you get to know your child better, you’ll learn the signs and anticipate different situations beforehand, which, therefore, will make your baby happy.
Rule #2. Create a Fun Room
A colorful crib and bright toys may make a baby smile, but the most valuable thing that makes a newbo
happy is you. The first key to make a child happy is to connect with him/her emotionally and introduce play as it creates joy and develops essential skills needed for future happiness. As a baby gets older, by playing, you’ll discover so many new things about your child, as well as his/her likes and dislikes. These factors may be a prediction of your baby’s future career. Remember, play is not sports or classes; it is when children create, invent, dream, and explore.
Rule #3. Develop Talents
Psychologists claim that a happy person is the one who has mastered a skill. For instance, think about the time when your baby first started walking. It didn’t happen at once. First, he/she fell, cried, and learned from his/her own mistakes. Afterward, he/she experienced the joy of success and, therefore, learned discipline and persistence. Help your baby to develop his/her talents: sing and paint together, make sculptures from play dough, read books and learn new things.
Rule #4. Keep Them Healthy
It’s important that your child could have a
good sleep, lots of exercise, and healthy meals. Set a dining routine, consult pediatricians and child nutritionists, and create a menu consisting of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Rule #5. Teach Them to Cope with Their Problems
Never jump in and try to help your child when you see he/she is trying to do something on their own. This is an important process of your child’s development when he/she has an exclusive opportunity to do something without parents’ meddling. Let’s say, you enter a room and see that your child is about to make his/her first steps, and he/she tries to hold your pet for a balance. However, your dog keeps moving away and the kid cannot pull himself/herself up. Don’t run up to him/her to interfere. It is the first thing he/she is doing without parents’ assistance, and you should accept that. This brings up an important quality in your baby – independence. The sooner you develop good qualities in your child, the happier he/she will be in the future.