The best way for an infant’s parent to help the child complete Erikson’s developmental task of the first year is to:

Choice A reason: Overstimulation with many toys can overwhelm an infant, hindering Erikson’s trust vs. mistrust stage, which requires consistent caregiving to build trust. Excessive stimulation may cause stress, not security, making this an ineffective strategy for fostering the sense of reliability needed for developmental progress. Choice B reason: Consistent parental responses to an infant’s needs (e.g., feeding, comforting) foster trust, the core of Erikson’s first developmental stage (trust vs. mistrust). Reliable caregiving builds a sense of security, enabling the infant to develop confidence in their environment, making this the correct and optimal approach. Choice C reason: Talking to an infant at a special time daily supports language development but is insufficient for Erikson’s trust vs. mistrust stage. Trust requires consistent responses to physical and emotional needs, not just scheduled interactions, making this less effective for achieving the developmental task. Choice D reason: Exposing an infant to many caregivers may cause inconsistency, undermining Erikson’s trust vs. mistrust stage. Infants need reliable, familiar caregivers to develop trust in their environment. Multiple caregivers can lead to mistrust if responses vary, making this an incorrect strategy for this developmental task.