The reasons why babies cover their eyes, ears, and face with their hands could be related to many things such as them covering their face as a way to self regulate, to express their feelings of fear or anxiety, or just as a way to block out too many sensory stimuli.  But there's a difference between children who actively avoid eye contact and those that haven't yet grasped how to use eye contact during communication. For those babies that are active avoiders, there is a sensory component where it is dreadful for them to make direct eye-to-eye contact with the target. Also, babies may have difficulties attaching to the facial cues of their caregivers and peers, which translates to the child's social- communication skills.