Understanding your baby's temperament can help you to understand why she does the things she does. Does she cry every time you change her diaper or when it is time to go to sleep? Is she fussy a lot or slow to adapt to changes in her routine? Or is she the model “easy” baby who rarely cries and always seems happy?

Basically, you can think of your baby's temperament as her personality. It is something she is born with and not something that is easily changed. Instead of trying to change it, you should try to understand your baby's temperament and adapt to it. Is she easily overstimulated or bothered by loud noises? Then try to keep things calm and quiet around her. Does she adapt poorly to changes in her regular routine? Then try to keep things on schedule as much as possible.

Responding to your baby's temperament is harder if your baby is very unpredictable. Fortunately, your baby's early temperament does not always predict how she will be later. Many infants who are difficult early on seem to outgrow this behavior and become more easy and outgoing later in infancy.

Can You Spoil a Baby?

Instinctively, parents often pick up their baby when she is crying, but should you? It depends on who you ask, but the advice to not pick up or hold your baby very often is now considered rather old-fashioned. Realizing this will help you to respond to family members or friends who incorrectly tell you not to hold your baby so much.

So how much holding is too much? Really, no amount of time is too much. Parents who practice “attachment parenting” even advocate that your baby be in close contact with you for most of the time. Instead of worrying about whether or not you will spoil your baby, you should trust your instincts as a new father and pick her up when it seems right.

Why Your Baby Cries

Babies cry for a lot of different reasons. They may cry when they are wet, hungry, or sleepy. Babies also often cry when they are bored or just because they want to cry. Crying is the way babies communicate their needs, so it is easy to understand why they cry so much.

Can you tell what your baby needs just by listening to her cry? Probably. But it likely isn't from the sound of her cry. At first, you will do better trying to understand your baby's cries in the context of what else is going on. Has it been two or three hours from her last feeding? Then she is likely hungry. Did you just notice her straining, as if she was having a bowel movement? Then her crying probably means that she wants her diaper changed. Or if she has already been awake for several hours, then maybe she just needs to sleep.

Playtime with an Infant

While you should begin playing with your baby now, it is not what you would usually think of as formal play. Your baby is too young to grab things at this age and can't bat at a hanging mobile or other toy. Instead, she will mainly enjoy hearing and seeing things. They can't be just any things, though, because toys that are too loud or that move too quickly will probably upset your baby.

More simple toys, like a face drawn on a paper plate, a black-and-white mobile, or some other figure with highly contrasting bright colors, might hold her attention briefly. The best way to “play,” though, might be just holding your baby close and letting her see her new daddy's face and listen to your voice.