25/11/2025
Your baby gives you subtle clues as to what they are trying to communicating, you may already know them and seen them.
Even the quietest behaviours are communication. Like the natural world, babies show us what they need long before they have the words. When we learn to read these cues, we become the safe place their nervous system grows from.
1. Turning away
This isn’t avoidance, it’s regulation. Like when flowers turn slightly from harsh midday sun to protect their petals, children turn their gaze when stimulation becomes too much.
Your response: Soften your energy, pause the interaction and give them a moment to breathe. This tells their brain: ‘You’re safe to take the space you need.’
2. Hand to mouth
Sucking fingers, chewing sleeves or bringing hands to the mouth mimics early soothing reflexes. In nature, young animals use repetitive, rhythmic movements to calm their bodies after stress. It can also be a cue that they need a feed and are getting hungry.
Your response: Slow your pace, keep your tone warm, and stay nearby. Your steadiness becomes the external regulation they are seeking. Perhaps offering a feed.
3. In comments
Why this matters for secure attachment
When you consistently respond to these cues, not perfectly, with presence you become like the steady landscape in their life. A safe tree to return to. A predictable riverbank they can explore from. Your sensitivity teaches their body:
‘The world is safe, I am seen, and my needs won’t overwhelm the people I love.’
This is how secure attachment grows: through small moments, attuned responses and a rhythm that mirrors the natural world: repair, rest, return.
