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Psychologists say that babies know more than people may think

Here's an odd story for the "what babies know" department. A few years back at a family gathering we were talking about the earliest things we remembered from out childhood. I related a story of a conversation I remembered between my mother and father while we were riding in the car. It was a beat up old car and there was a hole in the floorboard and my mom said she was really worried about fumes coming up through the hole and into the car.


My mom was startled when I told the story. She said she remembered that conversation very clearly. The conversation happened on the trip home from the hospital after I was born. I was two days old at the time! How, at two days old, did I hear AND understand that conversation, let alone remember it?
 
I often wondered what babies knew when my guys were that small. They sure looked like they were aware of what was going on around them or at least curious about it.


That's interesting Fiziwig.


This story may not be what I think it is since he doesn't remember that far back but my oldest son sure looked and acted like he was trying to tell me something when he was 5 weeks old.


He would get this really serious look on his face then look like he was trying to talk and out would come the word 'goo'. Then he would stop, look real serious like he was thinking 'that didn't come out right' then look like he was trying to talk again and out would come 'goo' again. He'd do that over and over until he ended up screaming out of frustration.


He did that all the time until at 9 months he actually did start talking. He was combining words at 13 months and turned into a total motormouth after that.


When people ask me when he started talking I tell them 9 months but he started trying at 5 weeks. He sure looked like he had something on his mind he wanted to tell me.
 
Fiziwig, how interesting! I believe your story, because I've had the same exact thing happen to me on numerous occasions, in which I've been able to remember entire conversations and events, which apparently happened when I was very small like that, all of which were later confirmed by my parents and grandmother. I completely think that babies, even newborns, know about everything that's going on around them - I think they understand every little thing, but they just don't know how to express that they understand everything yet, at least in a way that adults are able to understand. I also think that science is wrong when it's said that babies only start to have any kind of memory when they're two or three years old, and not before that at all. Why do scientists say that, I wonder? How do they even know, and why are they so dogmatic about it?


Wednesday, both of my brothers and I apparently started talking in real words when we were nine months old, as well. I wonder if we were trying before that? :D
 
wednesday said:
He would get this really serious look on his face then look like he was trying to talk and out would come the word 'goo'. Then he would stop, look real serious like he was thinking 'that didn't come out right' then look like he was trying to talk again and out would come 'goo' again. He'd do that over and over until he ended up screaming out of frustration.
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As a frustrated grandfather, I've observed infants exhibiting the same exact behavior as you witnessed with your son. I often wondered, if they were really trying to express fully formed ideas, and thought that it can't be just mimicking adult behavior, because their behavior is strictly the frustration we feel when we're trying to say something intelligent, but it just comes out wrong. Well...at least that's the way I felt as a severely learning disabled child. I could easily relate to infants trying to do the same thing. But, I thought, "It can't be! Science says...etc., etc." I think, it seems, that science has a long way to go, yet.
 
It's a fascinating thought!


Fiziwig, that is a really amazing story!


Wednesday, it certainly sounds like your son was trying to say something, but couldnt!


My earliest memory is about lying in a pram in my parents garden on a summer's day. I remember how it felt so nice and secure to lie there in the sunshine and my parents were sitting nearby. I must have been very small then.
 
When people ask me why babies seem to gravitate towards me, I tell them what I suspect is the reason: I do not talk down to babies and I treat them almost like I would an adult (I do keep the language family friendly!). I consider children to be smarter than adults and given recent World politics, that's seems more obvious to me all the time. I've noticed that even with small babies, they will follow my requests to the letter, provided they are reasonable.


For example, one baby (7-8 months old) was trying to walk without much luck. I explained (with no visual cues) to the baby to use his left hand and grab onto the window sill and sure enough, the left hand instantly comes up and grabs on. He kept trying until I told him not to worry about it; you will learn how to very soon. He then gave me a relieved look and proceeded to crawl over. I also had joked to a 2 month old that his arms were so tiny I could bite them off. He instantly got a look of terror and when I explained I was just kidding and would never hurt anyone, he relaxed and continued to stare and smile away.


Even if you consider those to be strange co-incidences, I had an even more enlightening experience a few months back. The day care at work had a new baby join the 6-8 they usually have. This poor kid was ignored and stayed in the corner every time I saw him. One day, when the usual mob of babies swarmed me, I asked them to please be nice to the new boy and to share their toys, as I know how hard it is being the new kid. The very next day, the babies were all sharing toys with and 'talking' to the new boy and they have been ever since.


A trip to the French speaking area of Canada (Eastern Quebec) really opened my eyes as to how babies know more than they can express. I only knew about a hundred French words, so I was frustrated beyond belief that I looked like someone with a very low IQ. I knew what I wanted to ask, but simply could not put the words together to verbalize it. It's no wonder babies cry so much! I remember throwing many temper tantrums as a 3-4 year old and the main reason I used them was because I was so frustrated how so few adults would talk to me without using a condescending voice.


While my Degree is in Business, I did take a number of Psychology courses in University. According to "Science", babies are supposed to be terrified of deep, low pitched voices (like mine) and have minimal cognitive functions. Boy, those kids know how to fool me! I get so angry listening to scientific minded individuals because they are so dogmatic and refuse to even investigate or consider the possibility that some babies are nothing more than grandparents in a tiny body. I'm not convinced yet but given some of my conversations with small children, this seems like a very logical explanation.
 
As much as I believe that babies and small children are smart, I can't help but thinking about biology too.


It's a fact that the brain is not fully developed before we are in our late teens/early twenties, so the brains of babies and small children can't be compared with that of grown ups, which is also important to remember. The stories of Fiziwig and Mr. Mike are impressive, but I would love a brain scientist (?) to try and explain what was going on. I'm not an expert, but part of the brain development is developing communication between the two halves, which is essential to our perception of the world around us.


How can babies be so knowledgable, understand and remember conversations, etc. when their brains are not fully developed?


I wonder, and this is just a silly example, if our bodies can be compared to a cell phone and that we must differ between what is stored on the 'sim-card' (the brain) and what is stored on the phone itself (the soul)?


And in that case what would the criterias be for storing knowledge in either place?
 
fiziwig said:
My mom was startled when I told the story. She said she remembered that conversation very clearly. The conversation happened on the trip home from the hospital after I was born. I was two days old at the time! How, at two days old, did I hear AND understand that conversation, let alone remember it?
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I am not alone. I have a similar story. When I woke up at the age of 18 with amnesia - there was a woman in the room with me. She started talking to me like she knew me. The amnesia hadn't been diagnosed yet. When I asked her who she was - she was shocked. She said she was my Mother. She had a startled and funny look on her face. Then - it was like flashcards started flipping in my mind and each segment had images of her. They were flipping so fast - they were just a blur until it got to one segment. I started describing this scene I felt I had a memory of and she once again got another startled look on her face. She was standing with a man and I was laying in a bed. I told her the surroundings in the room, what she was wearing, her hairstyle, what the man was wearing, his hairstyle and he had on funny looking glasses. I told her word for word was said between them.


She told me that was the day I had been brought home from the hospital and I was just a day old. She thought my Dad had put me up to it as a joke on her. My Dad thought my Mom had put me up to it as a joke on him. They couldn't believe that I could remember the day I was brought home from the hospital - and everything is was gone and buried in the subconscious and I had no access to it. My Mom and Dad were asking me how I knew what was said. I told them it was like a 'home movie' with sound. I don't think I understood it when the movie was being 'shot' or 'filmed' in my mind. I only understood it during playback.


This was something I was familiar with vaguely. I knew I had been shown a 'life review' of every moment of my life during the NDE but - when I woke up - that was buried in the subconscious.


That is how I explained it to people back then. There is a 'filming' process that records every single moment of your life and hidden in the 'unconscious' mind. We can tap into it with the right method of triggering and bringing it to the surface.


DK
 
I believe that babies can understand. While I don't have any recollections of the conversations then, I do remember when I was an infant being left alone in a dark room and crying. My mother later told me I had a hard time sleeping and the doctor advised she leave me alone to cry myself to sleep.
 
Sunniva said:
How can babies be so knowledgable, understand and remember conversations, etc. when their brains are not fully developed?
I wonder, and this is just a silly example, if our bodies can be compared to a cell phone and that we must differ between what is stored on the 'sim-card' (the brain) and what is stored on the phone itself (the soul)?


And in that case what would the criterias be for storing knowledge in either place?
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I have read from different sources that the brain may be like a receiving station for the soul. In addition, some may claim that the brain is also a recording device for the capture and analysis of information from the material plane. If this is true, it would seem possible that an infant may come into this world knowing certain things from all previous lives. However, because the brain is not fully developed, the individual has to learn motor and speech skills all over again. So, perhaps, as the brain develops; the infant truly moves from its past life knowledge to its new life awareness, which eventually overwhelms the past life. If this ever proves to be true; we may also discover that the soul is undergoing development, and doesn't know "everything" between episodes of its incarnation.


Children and infants are such a treasure trove for those of us, who recognize the possibilities they may exhibit from the spirit world as well as past lives. My greatest regret in life is that I wasn't able to participate more in the growth of my sons, because I was at or commuting to and from a pressure-cooker work world. But then, I don't think I would have been ready to recognize the miracles that were taking place during their growth. I often envy the ladies for the wonderful opportunities they have to observe children. :( (
 
Two other things I wanted to add to the story. One was that the memory wasn't in color. I later told my Doctors about the memory I had been able to reach back and recall and they stated that at a day old - they didn't feel that babies had developed the ability to see in color yet. I came across this theory in my own research. Experts believe that babies don't develop the ability to see in colors until around nine months of age. Everything was in a black and white - with a very 'reddish' tint to it.


Another interesting fact was - due to my NDE - I had a 'second language.' I was recalling my own 'thoughts' about the sight of the man and woman - but it wasn't in English. I was interpreting the 'true language' and told my Mom that I couldn't recall her from this life - but - I could recall the time she was in a different body. My Mom freaked out about this because we had agreed not to speak about reincarnation again. I also recalled that moment as having a 'past life' memory with my Dad as well. I focused in on that memory for a short time and spoke to my Dad about it as well. He said that he had no memory of ever having another body and tried to remind me that I had spoken on that delicate matter as a child - and that we had spoken about it previously. So, at the age of 18 - reincarnation was the first subject on my mind after my NDE. The whole theme sort of faded from view while I focused on the here and now.


During the first six months - there was no doubt in my mind that my two parents had lived in this world in different bodies. I couldn't figure out how I knew this as a fact for myself - yet - both of them were in denial of this. I dropped the subject for a couple of years and then it reappeared.


I tried to focus in on the 'second language' I had sight and memory of. I could remember having 'thoughts' - 'feelings' - 'sensations' and impressions that struck me during that first day after birth. I didn't think in human terms or language - but there was definitely a coherent form of intelligence that existed inside of me during that first day.


My Dad was not surprised when I spoke of the trip home from the hospital. He told me that at the age of four - I had told him everything that went on in the delivery room the night I was born.


Most of my family had stories to share with me about my childhood when (as a child) I had tried to speak to them about previous lives: theirs as well as mine. It was strange for me to know that as a child - I had superior insights to the scope of past lives and reincarnation. I was constantly met with ridicule and scorn when I brought up the subject - so I eventually left it alone. Within a few years, I had almost developed the adult understanding that it was 'just' some hair brain 'idea' someone had put in my head as a child. (That was my Mom's theory anyway.)


Over the last decade - those childhood memories have been returning to the surface again. I can now recall speaking to my Dad when I was four years old about the night I was born and what went on in the hospital room. (There was trouble in the delivery room and my Dad held his breath when the Doctor got a look of worry and every one started rushing around. My body had tried to come out backwards.) I had told my Dad that I wasn't in the body yet. I told him I had been invisible and was standing in front of him - watching him as the 'babies' body was coming into the world so I could join it.


Any way - more to my story.


DK
 
Dking777, your last post just completely blew me away. I swear I must have read it a good ten times before, and since I unfortunately don't have too much time to write right now, I'll just get to the point with what I wanted to say - to begin with, I've also heard that babies can't see anything in colour until they're at least six months old. I've also heard that babies under the age of six months see everything upside down, too, and can only discern things like letters and numbers backwards, which might explain why it took me what seems like the longest time ever to write all of my Rs the correct way, and not backwards, when I was three and beginning to learn how to write. However, that reddish tent that you mentioned remembering from your very early days - I remember something just like that myself, though I always thought of it as being much more of an orange tent. I recall seeing many things in shades of grey and orange, primarily, when I was little, and from other things that I remember, I think that I started to be able to discern the colours green and yellow immediately after that orange...Those colours always seemed particularly vibrant to me as a very little kid, anyway. Orange lilies and goldenrod were my favourite flowers way back then, because I always registered as them being so much brighter and more vivid in colour than anything else, and sunsets also seemed much darker and more crazily vibrant...Like, imagine seeing a sunset, and perceiving all those normal sunset colours taking up the entire sky, but then everything else being black and grey around it...Does that make any sense at all? I feel so weird even mentioning this, because I've never told anyone before...


I can also most definitely relate to what you were saying about somehow sort of translating all the English that was going on around you into some other language, or else the other way around. I definitely remember doing that myself, and I'm almost certain that the other language I was translating from as a baby and toddler was Russian. :butbut:
 
Raakel said:
....I've also heard that babies under the age of six months see everything upside down, too, and can only discern things like letters and numbers backwards, ....
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Wow! Thank you for this reply. You triggered a memory of a debate I had with my Mom during our discussion. It also triggered a recall of a conversation I had with my Dad shortly after and offers a possible explaniation.


I was able to describe everything in rich vivid detail but when I described where my Mom and Dad had been standing - she said I had the detail wrong. From my point of view (in my memory of it) they had been standing at the foot of the baby bed looking over me. My Mom said that was wrong. She said the foot of the bed had been against the wall. She said they had been standing at the head of the baby bed looking over me. She felt who ever had told me the story - I had gotten the details wrong. She used this as a reason to 'disprove' my story because she couldn't believe I had a memory of that far back. I thought she was trying to trip me up and get me to admit to it - then she was going act like a lawyer and state she had just said that to see if I changed my story.


Later - I spoke to my Dad about it and at first he couldn't believe it - then he started telling me about the conversation he had with me at the age of four. He said that I had described being a 'spirit' outside my body in the delivery room as the first time I saw him. He said I told him that the first time I saw him - he was standing on the floor but the second time I saw him (in the body of a baby) when the nurses held me up to show me to him - I said he had been standing on the ceiling. He said that was the only detail that I described at the age of four that he couldn't wrap his mind around and he felt I was seeing things upside down since I hadn't gotten used to gravity yet.


He said that made sense to him - since I had described him upside down the first time I saw him at the hospital and stayed in tune with how I described seeing them standing together after they had brought me home and put me into the baby bed.


I only spoke about those details within the first month of my amnesia at the age of 18 and stopped talking about it. I could remember it for years and in my mind - it always appeared as if they were standing over me and facing me. (Even now - I have a vague memory of that and can see them in my mind.)


But this theory of babies seeing things upside down offers an explanation why my story lined up the way it did when I told it back when I was 18.


Thanks.


DK
 
Later - I spoke to my Dad about it and at first he couldn't believe it - then he started telling me about the conversation he had with me at the age of four. He said that I had described being a 'spirit' outside my body in the delivery room as the first time I saw him. He said I told him that the first time I saw him - he was standing on the floor but the second time I saw him (in the body of a baby) when the nurses held me up to show me to him - I said he had been standing on the ceiling. He said that was the only detail that I described at the age of four that he couldn't wrap his mind around and he felt I was seeing things upside down since I hadn't gotten used to gravity yet.
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Dking, do you think that could possibly be an explanation, as to why babies, especially the younger they are, tend to stare at something above you, for example when you're holding them? I've heard some people say that babies look at your aura this way, but - maybe they're just seeing you upside-down, or even perceiving you on the ceiling, and that's why they look above you rather than directly in your eyes.
 
Raakel said:
Dking, do you think that could possibly be an explanation, as to why babies, especially the younger they are, tend to stare at something above you, for example when you're holding them? I've heard some people say that babies look at your aura this way, but - maybe they're just seeing you upside-down, or even perceiving you on the ceiling, and that's why they look above you rather than directly in your eyes.
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This is the first I have heard of this theory so - it is not something I have tried to validate as of yet. I don't have much experience with babies - so - I am not aware of this trait. But it does seem to offer a possible explanation.


It does make sense because I have read that the retina of the eye forms an upside down image. Pyslink.com I have also read that babies are not fully developed when they are born and that it usually takes another four months of physical development outside the womb. (Just what I read some where in my past.) So this theory makes sense to me and offers an explanation for the words that came out of my mouth as a child (age 4) and why I had access to this memory at the age of 18 and had a different point of view than my full grown and fully developed Mom.


Could be why small newborns have a habit of looking in the opposite direction.


DK
 
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