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Home › Articles › Guiding Baby's Development › Here's Looking
at You, Baby

Here's Looking
at You, Baby

Why Mirrors Are a Favorite First Toy

By Katherine Bontrager

Pages:  1  2  3  

There's nothing quite like the expression of absolute wonder and delight that crosses babies' faces when they catch their reflection in a mirror for the first time.

Annie Houlehan from Kansas City, Mo., first saw it dance across her son, Jack's, face when he was around 2 months old. "When Jack first saw his reflection, his reaction was one of surprise," she says. "He looked at the 'baby in the mirror' and was so interested in seeing someone similar to him. He definitely didn't know it was himself, but he did recognize a similar person."

Houlehan says that Jack was incredibly curious at the little man staring back at him, and soon the curiosity gave way to smiles and giggles. Jack's newfound love of his reflection is typical for most youngsters, experts say.

Who's in There?
"Babies love looking at faces," says Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician and co-author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Windsor Peak Press, 2005) and Toddler 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Toddler (Windsor Peak Press, 2006). "The eyes and mouth are particularly expressive and are constantly changing. When babies look at themselves, they're not aware it's their own face. When they smile, the face in the mirror smiles back. It's hours of fun for the whole family!"

"Babies find human faces fascinating – even their own," says Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Baby Books: The Ultimate Guide to Your Baby's First Year (Wiley, 2002). "So if your baby happens to catch a glance of herself in the mirror, she can't help but gaze wide-eyed in wonder at 'the baby in the mirror.' By the time she reaches about 9 months of age, she'll start to understand that she's

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