Baby Not Interested in Peekaboo or Pat-a-Cake
The short answer
Social games like peekaboo and pat-a-cake typically engage babies starting around 6 to 9 months. These games build important social communication skills including turn-taking, anticipation, and shared enjoyment. If your baby shows no interest in or response to interactive games by 12 months, mention this to your pediatrician.
This is one of the most common questions parents ask. Searching for answers means you care.
By Age
What to expect by age
Babies are too young for structured social games. They enjoy face-to-face interaction, being talked to, and having their movements gently guided. Interest in interactive games develops later.
Babies begin to enjoy simple social games. They may smile during peekaboo and anticipate the "reveal." Engagement may be passive at first, with the baby watching and smiling rather than actively participating.
Most babies actively participate in social games, laughing during peekaboo, clapping during pat-a-cake, and initiating games themselves. If your baby shows no interest in or enjoyment of these games by 12 months, it is worth noting.
Toddlers love social games and often request them by initiating the game themselves. They expand to new games and enjoy the social back-and-forth. Lack of interest in social games at this age may indicate a social communication difference.
Interactive play becomes more complex. If your child has never shown interest in social games and also has limited eye contact and joint attention, a developmental evaluation is recommended.
What Should You Do?
When to take action
- Your baby is under 7 months and does not yet engage in social games
- Your baby enjoys peekaboo but only at certain times and not when tired or hungry
- Your baby watches social games with interest but does not yet actively participate
- Your baby prefers some games over others
- Your baby is over 12 months and shows no interest in or enjoyment of any interactive social games
- Your baby actively turns away from social game attempts
- Your baby does not anticipate or react to peekaboo by 10 months
- Your baby shows no social engagement of any kind, including no interest in games, faces, or voices
- Your baby previously enjoyed social games and has stopped responding
Sources
Related Resources
Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, reach out to your pediatrician.
Worrying about your baby means you care. That is a good thing.
Related Behavior Concerns
Baby Not Laughing at Peek-a-Boo
Most babies start showing delight during peek-a-boo between 6 and 9 months, when they develop "object permanence" - the understanding that things still exist when hidden. If your baby isn't laughing at peek-a-boo yet, consider their age and overall social engagement. Some babies prefer other games, and some show enjoyment through smiles or excited movements rather than laughter. What matters most is whether your baby is socially engaged with you overall.
Baby Not Imitating Actions or Gestures
Imitation is one of the most important developmental skills because it is the foundation for learning language, social skills, and play. Babies typically begin imitating simple actions (sticking out tongue) in the first weeks, progress to imitating sounds and gestures (waving, clapping) by 9-12 months, and imitate complex actions and words by 12-18 months. If your baby is not imitating any actions or gestures by 12 months, or not imitating words by 18 months, a developmental screening is recommended.
Baby Not Sharing Attention (No Joint Attention)
Joint attention - the ability to share focus on something with another person - is one of the most important social-communication skills that develops between 9 and 14 months. It includes following someone's point or gaze, pointing to show you something interesting, and looking back and forth between you and an object. This skill is the foundation for language learning and social development.
Aggressive Play vs Normal Play
Rough-and-tumble play — wrestling, chasing, play-fighting, and superhero battles — is a normal and important part of child development, particularly for toddlers and preschoolers. It helps children develop physical coordination, social skills, self-regulation, and an understanding of boundaries. The key distinction between normal rough play and concerning aggression is whether both children are having fun, there is turn-taking in roles, and no one is intentionally trying to hurt the other.
My Toddler Is Aggressive Toward Pets
Toddlers being rough with pets is extremely common and almost never reflects true aggression or cruelty. Young children lack the motor control to be consistently gentle and do not yet understand that animals feel pain the way they do. With patient, consistent teaching about gentle touch and close supervision, most toddlers learn to interact safely with pets by age 3-4.
My Baby Doesn't Seem Attached to Anyone
By 7-9 months, most babies show clear preferences for their primary caregivers and some wariness of unfamiliar people. If your baby seems equally comfortable with everyone and shows no distress when separated from caregivers, it may simply reflect an easy-going temperament. However, if combined with other social differences, it can occasionally warrant further discussion with your pediatrician.