Skip to content
Children First
Get help now
Donate
  • Get Support
    • Get Support
    • Support line
      • Support line
      • Volunteer with Children First support line
      • Communities
    • Advice for families
      • Advice for families
      • Money advice tips for families
      • Brain
        • Brain
        • Why our brains matter
        • Attachment
        • Trauma
        • Resilience
        • What children need
          • What children need
          • Baby
          • Toddler
          • Primary
          • Teenage
        • How children grow and develop
          • How children grow and develop
          • Baby
          • Toddler
          • Primary
          • Teenage
      • Guidance & Advice
        • Guidance & Advice
        • Articles
          • Articles
          • Supporting children with additional support needs
          • Coping with stress
          • Death and bereavement
          • Coming home with a new baby
          • Bonding with your baby
          • Looking after yourself with a new baby
          • Behaviour and feelings
          • Managing Children's Behaviour
          • Toddlers and tantrums
          • Teenage behaviour
          • Approaches that work with teenagers
          • Risk-Taking Behaviours
          • Mental Health Issues in Children
          • Common Mental Health Issues
          • Helping your child with mental health issues
          • Challenging or distressed behaviour
          • Spotting signs of abuse or neglect
          • Screen time
          • Online safety and parental controls
          • Sexting
          • Pornography
          • Disturbing or Extreme Content
          • Understanding self harm
          • Bullying
          • Separation and divorce
          • Contact arrangements
          • Supporting Kinship Families
          • Sexual development
          • Healthy relationships and consent
          • Supporting your LGBT+ child
        • Help to protect children
        • Mental health and wellbeing
        • Understanding behaviour
        • New parents and early years
        • The online world
        • Managing difficult changes
        • Sex and relationships
        • At school
    • Our services
      • Our services
      • Bairns Hoose
      • Keeping families together
      • Safeguarders Panel
        • Safeguarders Panel
        • What is a Safeguarder?
        • What else should I know?
        • What is going to happen?
        • Additional Support
        • How to Raise a Concern
        • Contact Us
      • Local services
        • Local services
  • Get involved
    • Get involved
    • Gifts in Wills
      • Gifts in Wills
      • Types of legacy
    • Ways to donate
      • Ways to donate
      • Philanthropy
        • Philanthropy
      • Other ways to give
      • In memory donations
      • Payroll Giving
      • About Gift Aid
      • Regular Giving
      • Amazon Wishlists
    • Fundraising for Children First
      • Fundraising for Children First
      • Fundraise at Work
        • Fundraise at Work
        • Sponsored Events
        • Team Building Ideas
        • Make, Bake and Sell
      • Fundraising at school
        • Fundraising at school
        • YPI
      • Special occasions
      • Contact the fundraising team
      • Children First Banchory Bangle Draw 2024
      • Do Your Own Thing
        • Do Your Own Thing
        • Easy Fundraising Ideas
        • Fundraising inspiration
        • Birthdays and celebrations
        • Host your own cake sale
      • Changing Children's Lives Fundraising Dinner
    • Events
      • Events
      • Running for Children First 2025
      • Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2025
      • TCS London Marathon 2026
      • Skydive for Children First (1)
      • Skydive for Children First
      • Kiltwalk Glasgow 2025
      • Kiltwalk Edinburgh 2025
      • Kiltwalk Dundee 2025
      • Kiltwalk Aberdeen 2025
      • Changing Children's Lives Fundraising Dinner 2024
      • Port of Leith Distillery Abseil 2025
      • The Kelpies Challenge 2025
      • Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2026
      • Running for Children First 2026
      • Social Media Stop-tober
    • Corporate partnerships
      • Corporate partnerships
      • Charity of Choice
    • Support our appeal
    • FAQs
    • Volunteer
  • Campaigns
    • Campaigns
    • Keeping children safe
    • The impact of trauma
    • Family support
    • Bairns Hoose
      • Bairns Hoose
      • Bringing Bairns Hoose to Scotland
      • Changemakers
      • Delivering the Vision Group
      • International Research Advisory Group
      • Bairns Hoose news and blogs
      • Bairns Hoose in more detail
    • Children's human rights
    • Family Group Decision Making
  • News
  • About us
    • About us
    • Working with professionals
      • Working with professionals
      • Case management support service
        • Case management support service
      • Stay safe in sport
        • Stay safe in sport
        • Guidance
        • Information on Standards and CWPS Tool
        • Advice and information
        • Training
      • Kitbag at Children First
      • Safeguarders Panel Team
        • Safeguarders Panel Team
        • Role of the Safeguarder
        • Legal Framework for Safeguarders
        • Performance Monitoring of Safeguarders
        • Other Useful Information and Resources
        • Annual Reports
        • Become a Safeguarder
        • For Safeguarders
          • For Safeguarders
          • Policies and Guidance
          • Training and Events
          • Resources
          • Fees and Expenses
      • Family Group Decision Making
        • Family Group Decision Making
        • Family Group Decision Making Accredited Training
      • Online Harm
    • Careers
      • Careers
      • Honorary Law Agent
      • Corporate Fundraiser
      • Front of House Administrator
    • Our Values
    • Leadership
    • Our history
    • Contact us
      • Contact us
      • Historical records
      • How to make a complaint
    • Publications
    • Fair Work First Statement
    • Impact report
  1. Home
  2. Get Support
  3. Advice for families
  4. Brain
  5. What children need
  6. Baby

Children's needs at different stages in life

Toddler

Toddler

Primary

Primary

Teenage

Teenage

Baby

Everyday care and love

From the moment I was born I needed you. If you hadn't made sure I was looked after I would not have survived. I couldn't do much, but everything I did, the sounds and movements I made, were for you. I was asking you to respond to me so that I could live.

Keeping me safe

I feel very scared if I get no response from you. When you look at me with love in your eyes I feel safe. Your voice helps me to feel safe. Being close to you helps me to feel safe.

Feeling safe with you fills my body with special chemicals that help my brain grow. The patterns that grow in my brain when you cuddle me mean that all my life I will be able to feel safe with other people too.

Helping me manage my feelings

When I was born I had no way to calm myself down or to manage my feelings.

When I am stressed my body is full of chemicals that help me deal with whatever upsets me. These chemicals can be bad for the brain when I can't get stress under control.

My body works in step with yours. When you feel calm or happy your heart beats slower, your muscles relax – so do mine. When you feel calm and comfortable, so do I.

Play and fun

When you copy the expression on my face, this helps me to understand what I am feeling. Then I copy you and this builds connections in my brain that help me understand my feelings.

When you move I copy your movements. This helps my brain to grow connections that help me learn to manage my own body, and use my body to communicate with other people.

I need you to soothe me when I am upset, but I also need you to make life interesting for me. Toys are great, but the best toy in the world for me...is you!

Share this page

facebook
twitter

Attachment

Helping children to feel safe and connected to adults they trust.

Trauma

How we help children to deal with bad and scary experiences.

Resilience

Giving children the skills to be able to cope in the wider world.

What children need at different stages

What children need

How children grow and develop

How children grow and develop

We're here if you need to talk

Call us free on
08000 28 22 23
Email
Sign up to our newsletter
  • About us
  • Our history
  • Get involved
  • Contact us
  • Donate
  • Careers
  • Cookies
  • Terms and conditions
Find Us On
facebook
instagram
linkedin
youtube
Children First, 83 Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh, EH9 1AT.
Registered Scottish Charity number: SC 016092. Children First | © 2025
Children First
close