Simranjit Kaur

Mother of one, Master of Education with specialization in child-psychology. After becoming mother, I met with real me. I am now learning new concepts of parenting every fresh day and sharing my experiences with other mothers. I believe, one of the most important things that you, as a parent, should work on is - your child's psychology. Understanding the child-psychology will help you build stronger bonds and know them better.

Did you know that children who are unable to speak, usually communicate through their body? To make their parents understand their needs and feelings, they have only two ways – crying and bodily gestures. However, decoding these signs is not easy, especially for first-time parents. In this article, we will tell you how to decode your baby’s body language and help them in the right way.

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1. If your child repeatedly blinks his eyelids and takes his hands closer to his eyes, then it means that he wants to sleep.
2. If the child repeatedly opens his mouth, then you can assume that he is hungry.
3. If he moves vigorously, shakes his hands, and keeps his eyes wide open to watch everything that moves around him, then it means he is ready to play.
4. When the child bends his back, turns his head to one side and avoids direct eye contact, then he is saying, “NO.”

Whether your baby’s fists are open or closed, when your baby is rubbing his eyes, he is trying to tell you that he is tired or sleepy. Not only in babies, but this gesture can also be seen in older people. If you are tired, the brain transmits the information to the entire body, and the eyes are the first to tell you that you should close them.

This gesture is specific to babies suffering from abdominal discomfort. Whether it’s colic or another type of abdominal pain, intestinal gas or constipation, the baby is rubbing against each other to relieve pain or discomfort.

He picks his hands to make it clear that he wants to be in your arms. This is one of the first gestures the baby does instinctively to satisfy his need for affection or safety.

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Stretching hands is a sign of a baby’s good mood and relaxed state of mind. This sign indicates that your baby is ready to investigate what surrounds him. This gesture might be a sign that he wants you to help him pick it up.

Scratching or wiping his ears is a sign that he is disturbed by something or experiencing some discomfort or pain. It could be because of food or gas in the stomach.

Pulling you is the way the child tries to say he is not comfortable. “Children at this age are still exploring the world with their bodies. Hence, if at some point the kid pulls,  it simply means that he needs your attention. So before you consider this as his aggressive or disrespectful behavior, take a deep breath and think about its significance.

Instead, always remember that pulling you could be a sign of his excitement, frustration, illness or tiredness.

Do not confuse this gesture with playing. He is bending his knees because he might be experiencing some sort of abdominal discomfort. It may be gas, constipation, or something bothering him in the stomach.

To get rid of the gas, make your baby burp after the meal. Take care of your diet as well, so as not to pass him any gas through breastfeeding.

Most babies keep their hands in a relaxed position.

They can not do much because hand movement requires a developed nervous system and the brain.

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Sometimes, clasped fists may also be a symptom of stress or hunger.

Most babies will open their fists at 8 weeks. If the baby keeps hands tight and after 3 months of age, talk to the doctor about this.

Like ankle rubbing, if your baby is shaking his feet happily, then he is playing with you. But, if he shakes while crying, then it means that he is having some trouble. It may also be a sign of diaper change.

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Next time you see any of such signs, you can easily decipher them and help your baby. Do you have any more signs to add? Please feel free to do so through the comments.