
Who is that baby? Mirror fun
Mirror fun starts early in the first year.
Last week I got to spend some time with the grand-kiddos and the youngest is now 4 months old! She loves to lay in front of the mirror and look at herself. Which begs the questions…
Does she know that she’s looking at herself or does she think that’s another baby?
Research suggests that children learn to recognize themselves over time. They don’t suddenly wake up one day with an awareness of “hey, that’s me in the mirror”, rather it’s a process that includes self-identification, body awareness and spatial development. These understandings are gradual and occur at different points in your child’s development.
Mirrors are an excellent tool in helping this development. You can start playing with them when your baby is really young – and they’ll enjoy them all through the early years, especially with pretend play.

Here’s some fun places to place an unbreakable mirror:
- Where you change diapers
- Clipped to the car seat
- On the wall down at floor level
- On the wall near your baby’s high chair
- In the bathtub
- On the floor so your baby could crawl across it
- Clipped to the stroller
It’s so fun to simply hold your baby in front of a mirror and make faces and playfully talk and sing together. Play peek-a-boo, identify parts of the face, practice winking, stick your tongue out – all those silly things that will make her laugh.
This kind of engaged play is exactly what’s needed for your baby to feel seen, safe, loved and attached to you. 💕