Why your face is your baby’s best ‘toy’

Around 2 months, many babies begin to maintain eye contact and focus for longer periods of time. They may also begin to smile at you at this age. When you smile back, your baby becomes increasingly excited about face-to-face interactions ❤️⁣

Face-to-face time supports your baby’s social, language, and cognitive skills. This simple interaction increases their attention span, helps them learn to tolerate eye contact, and introduces them to social cues. 

Your baby may not meet your gaze for very long at first. At this age, sustained eye contact is a big sensory experience. Over time, they will be able to engage with you more, though their tolerance for eye contact may vary from day to day. 

Tips for face-to-face time with your baby

1. Because newborns can only see clearly up close, try to stay within 8 to 12 inches of their face. 
2. Hold direct eye contact with them for a few seconds—researchers have found that gazing into each other’s eyes can provide a strong foundation for social skills.
3. As you watch your baby’s face closely and interact with them, you’ll get to know them better and be able to respond to subtle cues that they’re hungry or uncomfortable. 

Learn more about the research

Farroni, T., Csibra, G., Simion, F., & Johnson, M. H. (2002). Eye contact detection in humans from birth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99(14), 9602-9605.

Fox, S. E., Levitt, P., & Nelson III, C. A. (2010). How the timing and quality of early experiences influence the development of brain architecture. Child Development, 81(1), 28-40.