One mother asks this very question on a thread over at Babycenter and the answer seems to be a resounding NO.  The expert, a certified family life educator, advises the readers that a baby is spoil proof until they are about 6-8 months old.  She says that when they are 6-8 months old they will begin to recognize the cause and effect of their actions.  However younger babies are only crying to communicate with you, be it to ask for food, a dry diaper or just to be cuddled.  They do not yet recognize the cause and effect of their crying.  When a baby cries and their parent responds the child is learning to trust his parents and is building self confidence.

The readers who also responded to the thread (and there were many!), also seemed to agree that you can’t spoil a baby.  Many were struggling with conflicting advice from family members.  Often older generations will tell a new mom and dad that they are spoiling their baby by responding too quickly to her cries.  It can be difficult to know what to do when there is so much conflicting information being thrown at you.  Really the best thing to do is to trust your own instincts.  If it feels right to respond quickly to your baby’s cries than do so.

When my baby cries I respond.  Which isn’t to say that I don’t let her fuss a little on her own to make sure she isn’t just going to put herself right back to sleep or become interested again in what she was doing.  But for me, as a mom, I want my baby to know that her parents are there for her and I want her to build self confidence.  When she is a little bit older I will set ground rules and encourage her to use positive behavior to get what she wants, but until then I will respond when she needs me cause that is what feels right.

What are your thoughts on whether a baby can be spoiled or not?  In your experience with your own children what have you found?