Have you noticed how your baby breaks into a wide smile when they look at you and bursts out crying when they see a new face? Babies react differently to people they see regularly and people they meet for the first time. Seeing varied reactions from your baby, you must be left wondering when does a baby start recognizing familiar faces?
A baby has a very short memory span. They can’t remember much. Their brains are still very underdeveloped and require time to form a memory and start recognizing faces. Let’s see how long this takes. And when do they start recognizing your face, their favorite toys and other faces they see regularly? Through this article, we explain these and various other aspects of your baby’s ability to recognize familiar faces and how this skill develops.
In This Article
- When Do Babies Recognize Familiar Faces?
- How Long Can a Baby Remember a Person?
- What Are The Effects of Unfamiliar Faces on Babies?
- When Do Babies Develop Memories?
- When Will My Baby Have Their First Memory?
- FAQ’s
When Do Babies Recognize Familiar Faces?
A baby’s vision is very limited after birth. They can see only as far as 12 inches. As they grow, their eyesight will get better, enabling them to see further away. Between 2 -4 months, your baby will start ‘tracking’ or following objects and will also start recognizing familiar faces.
The more frequently they see a face, the sooner they will learn to recognize it. A baby will learn to remember and recognize their primary caregivers’ faces and their own if they are given a mirror. As they get familiar with certain faces, they will also start comprehending strange or new faces.
Here is a rough timeline for you.
Birth to Month 2
Babies rely on smells and senses to recognize their primary caregiver who is their mother in most cases. Though babies cannot exactly recognize faces at this stage, they do know that their mother is someone special and like to look at them.
Month 2 to Month 4
This is the time most babies will recognize their primary caregivers, their mothers. At the end of the 4th month, your baby will be able to recognize familiar people and familiar objects such as their favorite toy from a distance too. But they will take some more time to recognize themselves. During mirror play you babies may mistake their reflection for another baby who is peeping at them.
Month 4 to Month 6
Your baby is now completely familiar with the concept of familiar and strange. Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety slowly start setting in. Babies may not like leaving familiar people nor do they like the company of strangers.
Month 6 to Month 9
As babies get comfortable with the concept of familiar, they start having strong toy favorites. This is a good time to introduce transitional objects or loveys of your baby doesn’t have one. Also, once babies have favorite toys, they will start looking out for their toys and can make out toys that are partially hidden too. Peek-a-boo with your munchkin can be quite enjoyable at this stage.
Babies will not recognize themselves and the concept of “self” till they are at least a year and a half old, maybe even a year longer. Playing games like peek-a-boo and simple hide-and-seek can be quite beneficial for your babies at this stage. Also, you should allow your babies to slowly get social and mingle with family and neighbors as well. This will help them slowly overcome the fear of stranger anxiety.
[Read : Why is Mirror Play Important For Babies?]
How Long Can a Baby Remember a Person?
Babies cannot remember someone forever. They recognize faces they see regularly. In the case of faces they see regularly, they can remember them for a few weeks and not more. A 5-month-old baby can remember a face for about 2 weeks.
So, if you go away for a few weeks and your baby does not see your face in the meantime, they can forget your face. When you return, they may look at you like they did the first time or even burst into tears due to stranger anxiety.
If you talk or sing to them, they will recognize your voice. Once they comprehend that you are a familiar face and are not a stranger, they might calm down.
[Read : Stranger Anxiety in Babies]
What Are The Effects of Unfamiliar Faces on Babies?
When faced with unfamiliar faces or people, babies typically tend to exhibit signs of stranger anxiety and/or separation anxiety- an unwillingness to stay around strangers and a craving to be with familiar people.
In such situations, babies may exhibit behaviors such as
- Crying or fussing when near strangers
- Exhibiting signs of restlessness
- Searching for parents or caregivers
- Clinging on to familiar people and not leaving them
- Showing an unwillingness to leave familiar people
- Trying to hide into their parent or caregiver
Most babies will outgrow these signs and reactions towards familiar faces as they grow into toddlerhood. Also the effects and signs vary from baby to baby and not all babies exhibit the same types of reactions.
When Do Babies Develop Memories?
Memories are something we remember forever or at least for a very long time. If you think back to your childhood memories, how far back can you recollect?
Memories start forming around the 2-year mark. Some can remember certain events from this age while the majority can recollect only those events which they encountered around the 7-year mark. The reason for such a delay in forming memories is, this is the age around which the brain comprehends events and commits them to memory.
One might remember an event or two from their childhood before they even turned 5 years old. However, the majority of childhood memories will be only after the 7-year mark. Certain events – that can be very happy or traumatic – tend to stick to our memory and never fade. This can happen around the 2-year mark too.
[Read : When Will My Baby Start Remembering Things And People?]
When Will My Baby Have Their First Memory?
Your baby can form their memory as young as just 2.5 years old. If it is an event that had a deep impact on your baby, they can remember this and recollect it even many years later. In case of no impactful events, the first memory could be much later.
Research shows a person can form memories when they are 2.5 years old. They may not recollect it, so we assume there is no memory. If interviewed or questioned repeatedly, some people can remember things from the time they were less than 3 years old. There is no guarantee for it though.
So, your baby might have their first memory when they are as tender as 2.5 years old, but they may not recollect it unless it had a deep impact on them. We all tend to remember only those events that made an impression on us.
Memory is something that develops over time. One cannot rush it. Making memories and remembering them depends on the baby’s brain capacity. You can take pictures and talk about the memory often to ensure they don’t forget it. You can make your baby remember something by exposing them to that memory repeatedly.
FAQ’s
1. Why Does My Baby Ignore Me When I Call His Name?
A baby takes time to recognize their name, your voice, and your face. If your baby is ignoring your calls, they might need more time to understand it is them you are addressing.
2. Do Babies Know Who Their Dad Is?
Babies will not know the father instinctively. If the father has been talking to them when they were in the womb, babies can recognize the voice after birth. Spending close time with the baby, caring for them, and letting them see the father’s face every day can help them identify their dad easily.
3. Why Do Babies Cry When They See a Certain Person?
Babies make certain connections with certain faces. If a face scares them or makes them feel anxious, they will start crying. Babies might also cry due to stranger anxiety if they see a new face.
Read Also: When Do Babies Recognize Their Name?
