Studies have shown that caregiver interactions, especially if they are face-to-face between adult caregivers and infants, help develop self-regulation skills in infants.

When parents play and explore with their babies, there are synchronous interactions between them. These interactions consist of the temporal (time-based) matching of micro-level behaviours such as gaze, affect (emotional connection), vocalisation, body movements, and arousal indicators.

Studies show that mothers often coordinate their behaviours based on their infants' cues. With time, infants and mothers begin to synchronise their behaviours, forming a repetitive rhythmic organisation to mother-infant face-to-face interactions. As parents model self-regulation, these interactions help infants to regulate themselves as well.