Emotion regulation

Learning to handle feelings

Babies and young children experience strong emotions but cannot yet regulate them on their own. They need you to help them calm down, understand what they feel, and step by step learn to handle their feelings.

Emotion regulation is not a skill you can teach a child through rules or punishment. It grows from the safe connection with you as a parent.

What is emotion regulation?

Emotion regulation is the ability to recognise feelings, tolerate them, and express them in an appropriate way. For babies, this starts very basically: they cry when they need something and calm down when you respond.

As your child grows, they gradually learn to recognise emotions and deal with them better. This is a slow process that takes years and requires a lot of patience.

Your role as a parent

As a parent, you are the most important person in helping your child learn to regulate emotions. You do this by:

• responding to your baby's emotions
• naming feelings: "You are angry" or "That startled you"
• offering closeness when your child is overwhelmed
• staying calm yourself when your child cannot
• making room for all feelings, including the difficult ones

You don't have to solve every emotion. Sometimes it is enough just to be there and empathise.

Why it can be difficult

It can be tough when your child cries a lot, has tantrums, or is hard to comfort. That is not your fault. Some children naturally have more difficulty regulating emotions. And as a parent, you too can sometimes feel overwhelmed.

It is okay to ask for help. At We Care Academy, you will find information and support to deal with your child's emotional development with more confidence.