Baby’s Reflection is Not Who He Thinks

What’s cuter than puppies looking in mirrors? Nothing? Kittens looking into mirrors? Nope – the answer is babies!

One of the fun things about being a parent is watching your child figure things out as they grow. Toes: check. Bubbles: check. Shadows: check. And then there’s the magic of the mirror. When baby peeps his own reflection, it could be like finding a long lost twin. Other times, not so much.

In the video below, a 7-month-old baby boy’s attention is deflected from his playtime. His good times with his toy are disrupted when he suddenly looks up and sees himself in the mirror. The “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” expression is priceless!

Since his startled look didn’t elicit a response from the dude looking back at him, the little guy decides to take matters into his own hands. What would you do if a stranger squared up against you in your own home? If he was this close to your face, you’d knuckle up like this cutie pie.

You can’t help but love this little boy’s reaction. He quickly dropped his toy and got down to business. Apparently this video was shot after he got a new haircut, so it’s possible he got spooked out by the kid who was staring him down. Lots of times, you’ll see babies react with contagious giggles and squeals, showing how excited they are to make a new friend. Some even have babble filled conversations.

There are also instances where they are downright terrified of the strange sight, or suspicious like this little boy. Wild-west style stare downs are common at this age, where babes are still in infancy in terms of development. Crying can sometimes occur too.

Psychologists explain that babies will react differently based on their age, and they may not recognize the person in the mirror as themselves until they’re close to age 2. But their fascination with mirrors starts early. The CDC pegged reflection love as a milestone by age 6 months.

At such a young age, they don’t realize it’s themselves they see smiling back at them. It’s an adorable time when they either want to spread the love to the person in the looking glass, or claim their turf like the muffin in this video. Sometime after they graduate into toddler-hood, kids start to recognize their reflections as their own. This typically happens between 18 and 24 months.

Our little friend in the clip is still learning the world. Keep watching to see what happens after baby boy puts up his dukes on the little man in the mirror. His laughing mama had to intervene and help him out.

Like imitation games, mirror games are encouraged by pediatricians to help babies learn about themselves and to stimulate their senses of sight and touch. As you can tell, it’s working out sweetly for this little boy!

What do you think of this funny video? How many of you love to watch and play mirror games with babies? Share with us in the comments!