Why Does My Baby Need to Socialize?
Every interaction your baby has is part of the socialization process. Meeting different people of all ages is important as it helps baby to be more comfortable and less fearful around people. Your nine-month-old baby may show only a fleeting interest in the other babies – this is typical at this age – but playgroups or playdates are still valuable. They offer new experiences and interaction with others, and contribute to your baby‘s developing sensory, social and communication skills.1 Many babies are not very interested in play with others until he is about thirteen months old.2 Playdates and playgroups are still a good idea, however, well before this time. Not only do they contribute to a baby‘s development, mom may find they contribute to her sanity too! Interaction with other babies may not always go well but it‘s always an opportunity to learn, and mom should quickly step in to correct behaviour when necessary. Babies aren‘t born knowing the social rules that we take for granted, and so must be taught them.