Infants learn about social behaviour through coordination of hands and eyes in goal-directed action. In an experimental study,

researchers sampled 17 parent-infant dyads and found that the one-year-olds rarely look to their parent’s face and eyes when engaging with objects. Instead, the infants and parents coordinate looking behaviour by attending to objects held by the self or the social partner.

Using simple objects provide infants with an opportunity to focus on the object, give the adult eye contact, and gesture or speak to the adult to ask for assistance in working with the object.

Recognising the ubiquitous role of media and technology in children’s lives, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents and caregivers to prioritise creative, unplugged playtime for infants and toddlers.

From birth to 3 years old, the young child’s developing sensory and motor systems have not evolved biologically to accommodate the sedentary, yet frenzied and chaotic nature of today’s technology.