Babies may seem simple, but they are surprisingly complex little creatures. Their behaviours and abilities have fascinating explanations when you look deeper. For example, babies have an innate grasp reflex that allows them to hang from your finger. They also use dreams to practise skills like moving and speaking that they are developing. Read on to learn five intriguing things you probably didn’t know about the capabilities of babies.
1. They are stronger than they look
Even though babies seem fragile, their grip strength is quite impressive. Newborns have a powerful grasping reflex that allows them to support their full body weight by clinging onto something with their hands. Babies can hang from an adult’s fingers or a bar for short periods. Their grip is so strong because it’s a survival instinct to cling to their mother.
Babies also have strong leg muscles from all the kicking they did in the womb. When lying on their back, babies can push up with enough force to lift their head and chest off the ground. This “baby push up” strength prepares them for learning to sit up.
2. They self-soothe in the womb
Babies learn to self-soothe while still in the uterus. Scientists have observed unborn babies sucking their thumbs and touching their faces. These motions help babies regulate stress and become associated with calming down. That’s why newborns and infants suck their thumbs or blankets for comfort.
Even premature babies as young as 28 weeks gestation have been documented displaying self-soothing behaviours in the womb. Amazingly, these babies are already learning key life skills before they are born.
3. They always manage to remove their socks
Have you ever noticed how socks seem to magically disappear from a baby’s feet? You can buy infant jeans with socks attached, which can help as most babies will quickly figure out how to remove them.
Researchers found that this is due to the grasp reflex that allows babies to cling tightly to objects like socks. Babies don’t understand they are removing clothing and just like grasping anything they can.
Parents resort to many tricks like taping or pinning socks on. But most find they spend lots of time searching for missing socks. Using baby jeans that have feet built into them is the only way to avoid the problem.
4. They can communicate through crying
Babies cry for many reasons, but starting as newborns they will cry differently depending on their needs. Hungry cries are short and low-pitched. Discomfort results in a long, high-pitched cry. And crying from anger is more rhythmic and predictable. Parents learn to decode their baby’s cries to understand what they need.
Interestingly, adults can also distinguish hunger versus pain cries in babies that aren’t their own. A baby’s cries contain acoustic features that communicate their needs even to non-parents. Crying is the earliest form of communication between babies and caregivers.
5. They “practice” skills in their dreams
Scientists use REM sleep cycles to figure out when babies are dreaming. During REM sleep, babies will smile, laugh, suck, and gesture with their arms and legs. Researchers believe babies use dreaming to practise skills they are developing like moving, speaking, recognizing faces, and social interaction.
Studies show the amount of time babies spend in REM sleep peaks around 9 months as they are actively acquiring many new skills. Just like adults process their waking experiences in dreams, babies use dreams to reinforce their newfound abilities.
Who knew such little beings had so many complex abilities? From their innate reflexes to their communication skills, babies are programmed for survival and growth from the very beginning. Learning about the secrets of babies gives us appreciation for how capable they are right from birth. Paying attention to these little quirks can help parents understand and care for their babies.