In an effort to protect their baby from all kinds of "dangers", parents often recall various beliefs and signs. One of these signs says that babies (children under one year old) should never look in the mirror. What is this opinion based on? Is there a real danger or is it just prejudice of people? And, if this is still a fiction, then when and how can you show a baby a mirror?
Since ancient times, the mirror is considered a magical item that has a connection with the other world. The Slavic peoples were convinced that children under one year old you should not look into it at all. The consequences, in their opinion, could be deplorable: stuttering, timidity, delayed speech development, delayed tooth growth, strabismus and soreness. In addition, the Slavs believed that if a child looked in the mirror, he would “glimpse” his future happiness, and the negative energy accumulated in the mirror could pass into his soul, why she could leave him and be transported into the looking glass. With what it is connected, in a belief it is not told. But the most amazing thing is that among other peoples there are no similar judgments about the mirror and its influence on the development of the child.
What do the experts think?
The science of facts confirming the negative impact of the mirror on children's health has not been proven. Modern man is surrounded by a large number of various objects that have a potential danger to his life. A mirror does not belong to their number, unless it is broken and unable to injure a child. There was no other “pernicious” influence behind the mirror. On the contrary your prohibition to look in the mirror, you are depriving your baby of the opportunity to explore the world and show interest in everything around.
A three-month-old baby is already able to pay attention to things in his field of vision. He studies his mother’s face with curiosity, examines toys, and looks at the decor in the room. The mirror is no exception. For a child, this is exactly the same environment as the curtains on the windows. Therefore, do not be nervous and worry about some fabrications and will accept. Better think about how to properly introduce your baby to the mirror and your reflection in it.
Playing with the mirror
Using a mirror, you can teach your baby not only to study his appearance, but also to navigate in space.
Take the baby in his arms in an upright position and bring his face to the mirror at a distance of not less than 30 cm. This is necessary so that the baby can concentrate his eyes on the reflection, since objects located very close to him seem a little vague to him .
After he “catches” the reflection, smile at him in the mirror and say: “Hello. It's me, your mom. You see how I am with you. Look at my eyes. I can open and close them. And I can raise an eyebrow, like that. Look how I do it. ” You must do everything that you tell the child. Make sure that he picks up all your movements.
Ask your baby to show where his mother is with his finger. Then ask him: “And where are you, Sasha (Nikita, Olya, Dima)?”. If it’s hard for a child to understand what you want from him, take his finger and show it yourself. You can play this several times a day. Remember, only soft and warm intonation should come from you. Such intonation should always accompany the baby when you hold it in your arms.
Important!
- Such games can be arranged only if the child feels well, about an hour after eating;
- Items near the baby seem blurry to him. Try to place them at a distance of his outstretched arm, then he will be clearly visible to them;
- Children are very interested in playing with various objects, the contours and edges of which are curved or curved.
Three month old baby and a mirror:
How does the baby see our world?
The visual abilities of newborns begin to develop from the moment they are born.
- If baby only 1 to 3 monthshe can focus his eyes only on an object remote from him at a distance of at least 25-30 cm;
- From 4 months he actively reacts to highlighted or slightly lit objects;
- In 6-7 months the child is keenly interested in the reflection in the mirror of other persons. He brings his face closer to the mirror with interest and tries to touch its surface with his fingers, "looking for" a funny twin-child from the back of the mirror;
- From 8 months the baby clearly understands the difference between his reflection in the mirror and the reflection of other persons.
Psychologists believe that one of the ways of self-knowledge and development of a child is just to study his reflection in the mirror. The kid sees himself, trying to understand what he is and how his body moves. A mirror can be a good helper to show a child that he is dirty and how ugly it looks from the outside. This will help the development of his inner perception of himself from the outside, and also affects the development of his thinking.
Psychologists often use a mirror to diagnose or treat any psychosomatic illness. With its help, you can identify many problems and illnesses of a mental nature in young children. For example, children with autism have a poor grasp of the connection between themselves and their reflection in the mirror. The stage of self-perception occurs in them much later.
Various signs and superstitions associated with mirrors
A mirror, like no other household item, is most often associated with the other world. Take, for example, the holy fortune-telling, during which, with the help of mirrors, young girls tried to find out their future fate, to "meet" their betrothed. Even our ancestors believed that the mirror surface is a kind of line between the real and the afterlife. It was believed that if this line was broken or damaged, something terrible would certainly happen. This will bring misfortune to those who broke it or to the one who looked in the broken mirror.
Perhaps this superstition is due to the fact that in ancient times the manufacture of mirrors was associated with high material costs. In their production, expensive metals were used - gold, bronze, silver, tin and copper. Only high-ranking officials could buy mirrors. Even for royalty, buying mirrors was a special event, it required a lot of money from the treasury.
As for superstition, which forbids children under one year of age to look in the mirror, we can say for sure - the mirror does not pose any danger to the child. It is believed that such a sign occurred due to the peculiarities of manufacturing mirrors in the XVI century.It was at that time that the masters in the manufacture of mirrors learned to make them flat. In order for the glass to reflect well, mercury was added to its alloy. If the child was constantly near such a mirror, then the risk of poisoning her in pairs was very high, and this led to the fact that he felt bad, did not sleep, constantly cried.
Nowadays, mirrors are made from materials that are safe for human health, so you can forget about such signs and superstitions. Child psychologists are sure that mirrors are necessary for the development of a child in the same way as cubes, toys, cars and pyramids. From 2 months you can start fearlessly “acquaint” your baby with such an interesting subject as a mirror. The main thing is that it be whole and unbreakable. Now they make special children's mirrors, which are distinguished by their strength and resistance to shock.
Memo to parents:
The kid should look in the mirror and show interest in him. If he happily aguets, waves his hands and looks into him, then everything is in order with development.- If it happened that the baby for some reason was frightened of its reflection, do not panic. Most likely, his first experience of “communicating” with a mirror was not entirely successful. Take a break, “forget” about the mirror for a week or two. If, after some time, your baby starts shaking timidly at the sight of his reflection, consult a pediatric neurologist. There is nothing wrong, you just need an expert opinion on this. Perhaps the little baby was just scared of the size of the mirror, or you brought it too close to it. We recommend taking a toy unbreakable mirror, which is equipped with many play mats designed for children up to a year and older.
- Be sure to be near the baby at the moment when he looks in the mirror. This will allow you to watch him, and the baby will feel more comfortable when you are near. After all, he has an important stage in his life - he gets acquainted with himself and learns the world.
Touching roller: Kid and a mirror. The child first saw his reflection
The story of little Danil
Svetlana, mother of two-year-old Danilka:
“Danil saw himself in the mirror when he was three months old. I wanted to do this earlier, but I listened to the opinion of my grandmother, who believed that a child should not look in the mirror before baptism. It so happened that we were presented with a rattle, on which was a small mirror, but of a very small size. Danil was clearly interested in this rattle and brought it closer to himself. He saw his eye in the reflection of the mirror (nothing else fit there). The whole process was accompanied by joyful babbling.
A month later, I brought Danil to a mirror in the hallway. It was not very large, only the head and shoulders could be reflected in it. He began to cry, began to bounce on my hands. Then I decided to hang this mirror over the changing table. Each time after Danil “changed clothes”, he tried to look into him and see what “the other Danil” was doing.
Six-month-old Danil was already crawling to my closet, in which the mirror was all its length. He began to drag toys towards him to see how they were reflected in the mirror. This spectacle amused him very much, such games continued for quite some time.
Daniel is now 2 years old. He is a wonderful baby in every sense of the word. He talks without a break, his teeth grow in a timely manner, he is ill often, and generally grows a real strong man. Therefore, I’m sure that my grandmother was still wrong, but to know her, I think, is completely optional! ”
Here's what mummies from the forums say:
My parents scold me when I bring my 3-month-old daughter to the mirror, they say that the child should not be shown in the mirror for up to a year. Why? Is it prejudice or is there a completely understandable reason?
>>> Nonsense, I brought my own, everything is in order, it seems they say that the child will be scared of his image.
>>> I also tried to find a reasonable explanation for this ... I didn’t find it, they say it will be worse to sleep, I think that it’s still prejudices and remnants of the past))) I brought my little son to the mirror for about a month, and so far no one has seen that he’s not argue and not conflict))) he really liked it, but now he runs and kisses him))) it’s so cool)))
>>> I think that this sign is from those times when houses were lit by torches. There such terrible shadows rushed along the walls, and what was reflected in the mirror - brrrrr. Try to strike a match in front of the mirror in the dark - you will crap one's pants. Then it was fair, the child could receive a shock. Now - for God's sake. But these are just my assumptions. If your parents found some other explanation, more logical, then I would be interested to know it
>> What a bastard. On the contrary, they advise bringing it to the mirror so that the child studies himself, this contributes to his development. My one sees himself in the mirror, already recognizes, smiles immediately.
>>> Yes, you score. Horror stories of all sorts of sea. First, pregnant women are scared with all kinds of nonsense, then mothers. Do not let look in the mirror, cut hair shave a year, cover the child’s face on the street, do not let look in the stroller - they will jinx it, what else is there from the ravine.
>> I also heard about this. I read in the book that in a few months the child would already know its reflection in the mirror, ours was happy to look at the developing banana’s legs with mirrors, when it couldn’t sit yet, and then a friend said, “Are you letting him look in the mirror ?! Up to a year is impossible! ” Why can’t you not say, but I thought, how then, in a few months, the child will know how he looks? :-) I do not understand what this superstition is connected with. And from such an explanation that I would be afraid, I laughed for a long time (through a sore throat), imagine how a cheerful child creeps up to the mirror and starts to yell heartily at the mirror: -D Why ?!
>>> In classic books on the development of the child say that one of the main developmental objects in the house is a big mirror! Can you imagine how scared the child will be when finally, after three years, the first time he sees himself in the mirror!
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12 mirror superstitions
My grandmother also told me not to show the child a mirror. But I do not believe in such signs, I think that these are all inventions from the past. My daughter was very interested in looking at herself, and when she looked in the mirror she always smiled.
Well, do not believe it in vain ... My child died at 2.5 months after I put an old mirror in his crib