Looking to you when unsure
By around their first birthday, babies in lab studies look to a parent's face when unsure, and a happy or frightened look changes what they do next.
We haven't yet found studies that measured the age when most children start. The sections below say what is known.
How sure are we?
Not sure yet. Only small lab studies have looked at this, and they tested groups rather than measuring when each baby starts. How we know this
What it’s a sign of
Your baby is using your feelings to make sense of new situations.
In one study, a parent's message changed how babies played with a new toy from about 10 to 13 months, but only toddlers over 14 months checked with the parent before touching it.
We don't yet know the age by which most babies do this.
A main source for the ages
The Development of Social Referencing
Tedra A. Walden, Tamra A. Ogan · 1988 · Child Development
- Children
- About 40 babies
- Where
- Not given in the summary we read
- Ages
- 6 to 22 months
- How
- Researchers tested babies in a lab
- What it found
- A parent's happy or fearful message changed how babies played with a new toy from about 10 to 13 months. Only toddlers over 14 months checked with the parent before touching the toy.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary. Small groups.
A classic study on this
Maternal emotional signaling: Its effect on the visual cliff behavior of 1-year-olds.
James F. Sorce, Robert N. Emde, Joseph J. Campos, Mary D. Klinnert · 1985 · Developmental Psychology
- Children
- Not given in the summary we read
- Where
- Not given in the summary we read
- Ages
- 12 months
- How
- Researchers tested babies in a lab
- What it found
- At 12 months, most babies crossed a small apparent drop when their mother looked happy, and very few did when she looked frightened.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary, which gives no numbers.
If you’re worried about your child, talk to your child and family health nurse or GP.
Last checked 2 November 2026