Infants initially learn to regulate themselves by mirroring caregivers’ responses. It is helpful for caregivers to be able to observe and respond to infants’ moods and states and help infants to regain a sense of regulation.

Infants require adults to manage a large portion of their regulatory needs, from feeding to temperature control to management of environmental stimuli. Infants react physically to the sensory information around them, with little capacity to change their experience. They need adults who are sensitive to their cues, responsive to their needs, and able to provide a soothing presence in times of distress. This is known as co-regulation.

Caregiver capacity for co-regulation depends on the caregiver’s self-regulation skills. As caregivers play an important role to help babies co-regulate, babies can sense caregivers’ moods and may mirror them. Over time, babies learn to overcome the distress.