I have a 10 month old and this feels right but I have zero data to back it up.
One thing I tried as an experiment turned into something good. When a baby falls, bumps their head, hits themselves in the face (remember: no motor control), their first impulse is to scream. Sort of.
I noticed that when ours falls, sometimes he looks at us before reacting almost as if he's waiting for a clue on how to react. I clap and cheer and instead of freaking out, he just smiles and goes back to what he was doing.
This only seems to work when surprise and not pain is the cause. If he bonks his head, it's still the end of the world. ;)
One thing I tried as an experiment turned into something good. When a baby falls, bumps their head, hits themselves in the face (remember: no motor control), their first impulse is to scream. Sort of.
I noticed that when ours falls, sometimes he looks at us before reacting almost as if he's waiting for a clue on how to react. I clap and cheer and instead of freaking out, he just smiles and goes back to what he was doing.
This only seems to work when surprise and not pain is the cause. If he bonks his head, it's still the end of the world. ;)