3 months old
Until the age of three months, the child is not very sensitive to the presence of another child of the same age
Even though he is already capable of a nuanced reaction to adults
The child on the right is restless, vigorous, and energetic with swift limb movements, while the child on the left is calm, inert and floppy
They reach out at random and feel whatever their hands find. By this age the involuntary grasp reflex has been lost
We can observe that each of them has little awareness of the presence of the other, and they are mainly attracted to the light
5 months old
Five months is an important developmental stage during which children begin to voluntarily reach for objects, and fine macular vision has developed
This is the stage where children show a strong interest in the exploration of their own body, but they are not able to maintain an intentional grasp, except by accident
They do not seem to distinguish their own body from that of the other
However, we see the beginnings of contact by smiling, the first manifestation of affective interest and emotional response to another child
We notice that one of the two boys is more active and restless
We consistently found this situation in the baby pairs we examined; one child being more dominating and the other being dominated
7 months old
At seven months, the child has become capable of directed activity, and manipulation of one or more objects
He has acquired more strength, agility and postural possibilities
Exchanges with the other child increase
It is as Henri Wallon remarks, that the neighbour's actions help the child to become aware of his own body in which he is interested
The more active of the two children explores the other's mouth, to which the more passive child is accommodating
By this age, the rooting reflex has disappeared
Nevertheless, the child is attracted by the movement of the hand which explores his face, and becomes a cooperative participant
The child even tries to recreate the same situations that brought him enjoyment previously
The eagerness to engage in motor exploration can reflect the child's avidity/greediness to a certain extent
Greediness, which in the case of the more active subject, is confirmed by his behaviour during meals
8 months old
The child on the right is a very vigorous infant, and the more active of the two in this situation
The child on the left is passive, floppy, and anxious. He is very interested in the presence of his neighbour
He will soon get comfortable and snuggle up to him
Charlotte Bullaires has described that children of this age begin to acutely watch for smiling in others, and engage in many kinds of approach behaviours
We now see a aversive response by one of the two children
We do not know if it is discomfort caused by the contact, or stemming from the other child's lack of active response
9 months old
At nine months, the child actively explores his surroundings
He has acquired the notion of object permanence, and becomes capable of fine imitation and mimicry
His interest in the other child intensifies, and at the same time symptoms of greater sensitivity appear with increasingly complex and nuanced approach behaviours, as well as fear of certain contacts
Olivier is a very active child whose movements are sudden, jerky, and repetitive
He is here paired with Eric, a thoughtful and cautious child, who will be subjected to his active and jubilant explorations
The interruption of this activity by the departure of Eric completely modifies the behaviour of Olivier, who retreats into himself and consoles himself by thumb-sucking
Eric is now placed with Valérie, a girl who is very sensitive and remains quite still
She watches him closely and passively accepts physical contact but doesn't react
At this age, fine grip has developed, and the activity that Eric engages in is quite refined
We see him here indulging in a game of exploration of his neighbour's fingers
Now the roles are reversed:
In the presence of a child more passive than him, Eric has become the more dominant of the pair
Serge, a very active and happy child, is in the presence of Patricia, who is of a sensitive, restrained temperament
They become animated in each other's presence, and soon a game of imitation of rhythmic leg movements is established
Both children appear to find enjoyment in the game
The physical exploration of the other follows the same pattern as we observe in the child's exploration of his own body
Playing with the hands, and exploration of the face and head, and finally foot and leg activities
At nine months, the child finds it more and more difficult to be separated from the other
A child left alone may cry and seek consolation through thumb sucking
The question we ask following observations of this kind is how best to organize of the life of young children in a social setting
We must aim to provide babies with opportunities that allow them to benefit from the presence of others children of similar age