 It sure seems like a baby's love affair with their reflection starts right away, doesn't it? Show From early in the first year, most babies smile, babble, and laugh at their chubby little faces reflected back at them. In fact, it's one of their favorite activities – so much so that the car seat mirror has become a must-have. But in fact it's not until about 18 months that most babies really recognize that it is their own bodies they see in the mirror. Until then, drooling, dancing, and pressing their heads into the glass is more like a social activity – they enjoy the company of that other little person looking back at them, but haven't connected it to themselves. Before the toddler years, the mirror probably gets such a good laugh because babies love faces, and one of their favorite pastimes is staring at our features. How do we know when self-recognition starts? Psychologists have designed elegant little experiments to figure it out: in a controlled lab environment, they dab a spot of color on an unsuspecting baby's face and let them play in front of a mirror. If they look in the mirror and try to wipe away or touch the spot, then they know that the baby in the mirror is indeed their own image. But if they continue to play as normal, they haven't hit the self-awareness milestone yet. It surprises most parents to learn that mirror recognition takes so long to develop, but it actually involves a very advanced set of cognitive skills. Becoming self-aware goes hand-in-hand with consciousness (one of our most sophisticated and, arguably, uniquely human qualities). In order to really wrap their heads around the concept, babies need to know that they are separate physical beings, with their own thoughts and feelings. Do you think your toddler has figured out that she is seeing her own reflection? Go ahead, try it at home! Categories: Newborns The visual scoring of sleep and arousal in infants and children. J Clin Sleep Med. 2007 Mar 15;3(2):201-40. J Clin Sleep Med. 2007. PMID: 17557427 Review. You can use mirrors to play with your baby from an extremely young age. Although they won't fully understand what they're seeing, it's a perfect opportunity to explore faces and develop early social awareness. Between the ages of 18 months and 2 years, children learn that the person in the mirror is a representation of themselves. But the concept of mirrors is very tricky to grasp and even though your child understands they can see a version of them, it doesn't mean they know why. It's not until they're about 4 to 5 years old that they will start to understand this. At this age, your little one will start to understand that the image in the mirror is what everyone else sees. Making the most of mirror playBabies love playing with faces, even from a young age. Looking at them in a mirror can also be great for their language and motor skills. By gazing at themselves and you in a mirror, your baby can learn to identify familiar faces, track movements and even develop muscles as they reach toward their reflection. A good way to help your little one recognise themselves in the mirror is to look in it together. Playing a game of peekaboo can also be a great activity to try in the mirror. When they're a bit older look at photos of them with family and chat about who everyone is. They'll not only realise they're the face in the mirror, but they'll also start to realise who they are in the world. Want to see this in action? Why not check out this video about how mirrors can help with babies' development. Why not try this harmless test with your baby?Put a small dollop of ketchup or chocolate on your baby's face and see if they touch or rub the mark or the mirror when they see their reflection. If they rub the mark on the mirror, it means they don't yet recognise that the baby in the mirror is a different person. Find out more about how quickly babies' brains grow. At some point or another many parents have placed their infant in front of a mirror and wondered if their child could understand that it was their own reflection they were seeing. In the realms of child development and parenting, this is a common question. Based on the infant’s reaction, most parents realize pretty quickly that their baby doesn’t really understand that it is themselves in the mirror. This raises the question: when do babies and young children begin to develop a sense of self? Child psychologists have used this mirror test for babies in a creative way to help uncover the answer to this question. When Do Babies Recognize Themselves in the Mirror?In a classic psychological experiment in the 1970s, researchers took a group of children ages 6 to 24 months and placed a spot of lipstick on their noses. They then placed the children in front of a mirror to see how they responded. Here’s what they found: – Young infants (age 6-12 months) seem to think the baby in the mirror is another baby. They smile and approach the baby in a friendly way. – Older babies (age 13-24 months) respond with a little more hesitation at this point. Researchers aren’t sure if the children know that the reflection is themselves or whether they still think it is another child. – Toddlers (age 20-24 months) seem to clearly recognize that the reflection in the mirror is their own. The clear sign of this is that while looking in the mirror, they touch the dot of lipstick on their own nose instead of touching the mirror. Related reading: Understanding Toddler Growth Spurts (includes a printable guide for what behavior to expect from ages 2-6) Of course, the results of this mirror test for babies are not clear-cut. Just because a toddler Want to understand more about your new baby? And how to thrive as a new mom? Download my new book! Interestingly, animal studies have shown that some of the more intelligent mammals such as elephants, dolphins, and chimpanzees also recognize themselves in the mirror. Does this mean that these animals have a mental concept of “the self?” Who knows? It seems unlikely but maybe so. All these animals have fairly complex social systems so maybe they do have a concept of self. **This post contains affiliate links. When purchasing items through these links, I received a small commission (at no added cost to you.) Thanks! Could you tell when your child started to develop a concept of themselves? How could you tell? For more info check out this article. Want more information about how your child develops? |
What age does child recognize self in mirror?
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