What's an affordable and dependable method for supporting your baby’s development?
Using a mirror!
Mirrors are a developmental ‘toy’ that our little ones love right away as well as offering them nurturing and growth opportunities.
Why do our little ones love mirrors?
It’s simple - babies love faces. They are fascinated by our faces which is why they gaze incessantly at us while they study and learn our expressions.
So on that logic, babies also love seeing that ‘other baby’ inside the mirror. While they are not totally aware that the baby looking back at them is actually a reflection of themselves, they get to enjoy a conversation of babbles and laughter with this other character. Only when they’re somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old do they tend to realise that the reflection actually belongs to them.
How mirrors can be used for development
Mirrors are first and foremost a joy for babies because the interaction is captivating for these infinitely curious little ones. But they also spark curiosity and trigger babies to practice certain skills. Below are some key skills that mirrors help develop:
Tummy Time, Movement and Fine Motor Skills
A mirror provides a point of intrigue which can motivate your baby to lift their head up, look around as well as physically engaging with the mirror. If they try get closer to the reflection, they are developing their gross motor movements through crawling, rolling, standing etc. All these movements help develop their muscles as well as their fine motor skills when they try grasp the mirror and support themselves.
Vision & Attention Span
Anytime there’s some movement in the mirror, your baby is improving their visual tracking as they try follow it. The movement could come from a member of the house roaming around in the background or even from themselves as they interact with the mirror. This fixation on the mirror holds your baby’s gaze and the longer they can focus on the mirror, the better their attention span becomes.
Sense of Self
As mentioned above, there comes a time that your baby realises that the other baby in the mirror is actually them. There’s actually 5 stages to this self awareness journey and they are as follows:
- That's a mirror (Level 1)
- There's a person in it (Level 2)
- That person is me (Level 3)
- That person is going to be me forever (Level 4) and;
- Everyone else can see it (Level 5).
Choosing A Mirror For Your Baby
We’ve gone ahead and done the hard work for you. Our Tummy Time mirror has been purposefully designed to angle low in order to catch playful smirks and chunky cheeked reflections. An acrylic embedded mirror has been used as your babies safety is of the utmost importance. A foldable stand enables the mirror to be propped up or laid down and placed under your babies chin.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help so please reach out!