Birth - 1 Years

Discovering and exploring

Children’s sexual development starts at birth.

Babies focus entirely on their senses: touching, listening, looking, tasting and smelling.

Through their senses, babies can experience a cosy, safe feeling.

Cuddling and caressing your baby is very important, as this lays the foundation for his/her healthy social and emotional development.

Babies are busy discovering the world around them. This is evident from their tendency to suck toys (touch), look at faces or moving mobiles (sight) and listen to music (hearing).

Babies are also discovering their own bodies. They often touch themselves, sometimes their genitals, too. This happens by chance rather than intentionally.