Know Your Little One’s Personality Since The First Months Of Life

Morinaga Platinum ♦ 1 February 2017

Know Your Little One’s Personality Since The First Months Of Life

When you see the children playing at home, have you ever thought of the difference between the character of the Big Brother and the Little Brother? Yes, although they are siblings and are cared for within the same family, the behavior of one child with another may be different. What makes it different?

Temperament is a combination of traits or characteristics within an individual that tend to determine the way he/she thinks, feels, and acts. And it turns out, this temperament can be seen early, Mom. Just look at the Little One's movements; what did he/she do when he was hungry or alone in the room?

Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess studied the "temperaments" on the 1970s that produced 9 characteristics of the Little One's temperament which can be seen from:

Activity level

Describes the amount of physical movement during the sleep period and the wakeful period. It may be that baby A is content to lie still in his/her bed and play with toys for a long time. But it's different with baby B who likes to spin, kick. This describes a very active Little One.

Routines (rhythmicity)

Regularities concerning patterns of everyday life such as eating and sleeping schedules.

Approach - withdrawal

Refers to the initial response to something new. For example if it's big, some kids eagerly seek new experiences while others look more comfortable with the routine.

Adaptability (Adaptability)

Refers to the ability to adapt to new stimuli such as objects or new people. Observe how long it will take for your Little One to adapt to the new environment.

Persistence - attention span

A description of how long the Little One can last in one particular activity.

Intensity of reaction

Refers to the energy level of the typical response of the Little One. For example, the Little One who has a low response threshold but high intensity, can respond to bitter vegetables with a very loud voice, "Yekh" with a grimace and spit. Then, there is another child with the same responsive limit but low intensity, the reaction is only by wrinkling the nose.

Reach of attention and perseverance (distractibility)

Refers to how much or at least foreign stimuli are required to interfere with ongoing activity. For example, the Little One plays a puzzle enthusiastically for half an hour, but may lose interest if he/she is placed in a room where other activities are taking place.

Threshold of responsiveness

Referring to how the intensity of the stimulus is necessary to evoke a response from the Little One. He/she may just be touched just a little to make a sound, while another child needs a hug to respond.

Quality of mood

Ultimately the quality of mood determines the response and behavior of the Little One. Is he/she a happy child? Or he/she who is often anxious?

Nine characteristics of the above temperament can be  made as a reference for Mommy to recognize the temperament of the Little One. By recognizing the temperament of the Little One, then Mommy is able to know approximately how to nurture and guide the Little One ideally in providing the best education in the growth and development period.