What Does Healthy Emotional Expression Look Like in Infants and Young Children?

Healthy emotional development in infants and young children is characterized by attachment, joy, and happiness. Attachment is a crucial emotional experience that typically begins at around 6–7 months of age, when infants form strong emotional bonds with familiar caregivers—most commonly their mothers. This bond represents a positive, affectionate emotional connection.

Infants demonstrate deep concern for the presence of their attachment figure: they feel happy and secure when the attachment figure is present, but become anxious or distressed when the figure is absent. Attachment styles are generally categorized as secure, avoidant, or resistant (also termed ambivalent). Secure attachment fosters infants’ trust in themselves, their parents, and their peers, and supports the development of active, confident exploration.

Secure attachment lays a solid foundation for children’s future cognitive development, social competence, and personality formation. Therefore, it is recommended that caregivers remain consistent—from approximately 6–7 months up to age one—to promote healthy attachment formation and help prevent potential mental health issues later in life.