Generally, babies don’t want to play with other babies. If they play it is mostly with a parent. That is not to say that they should have no interaction with other babies and children. Babies and toddlers will learn how to do things by watching others do them. And having a certain amount of safe interaction with others helps them to be more social later on.
Many mums take their babies to a playgroup of some kind. It certainly helps the mums to socialise, but they need to stay close to their baby to ensure he does not get hurt or frightened by older children who play more roughly. Older children are still learning their social skills too and may snatch, push or even bite. If your baby has an unpleasant experience it may make him quite anti-social for a while.
When baby is old enough to sit in the sandpit or play with a toy, you still need to be within sight and sound to ensure his safety. It only takes one second for another child to throw a handful of sand into a baby’s face and disaster will ensue. They don’t always do it on purpose of course, but some children may.
Having the chance to interact with other children from an early age will teach your child how to share and co-operate with others. They even learn skills such as negotiation and leadership.
Keeping baby’s social groups small will give you better control over the proceedings. Invite one or two friends with babies the same age as yours to the house for an hour or two. Make the visit at a time when baby is usually in a playful mood rather than tired and cranky. Older children often have great fun with a baby and this is fine, so long as they are old enough to carry him about without dropping him.
Going to other people will help baby to realise that such a thing is normal. It won’t be quite such a hassle then for parents to get some time off by leaving their children with a baby-sitter occasionally. Passing a little one to friends and family to hold and even feed helps them to develop emotionally so they feel comfortable with others.
Their emotional development is necessary to help them cope when the time comes for them to attend pre-school or school where they are separated from their parents for some hours.
If your baby suddenly seems to become shy of strangers when they were not before, don’t worry; this is just a stage they will grow out of. Don’t leave your toddler alone with others if he seems really upset by it, though. Staying in the room with him will give him confidence.
But even if your child eventually wanders off and seems to be happily playing, don’t sneak away without his knowledge as this will frighten him and make him feel insecure and abandoned. A child who has been left with others for some time and then seems to act angrily when back home is not ready to be left. This is a reaction to that feeling of abandonment.