It's pretty clear what my younger son Teddy was thinking about in this video from a few years back. But don't you wonder what else is going on in your baby's cute little noggin? Especially when you're out of kissing distance, at work? I sure did.
Here's what we know babies think:
"Hey, why'd that happen?" This recent study, in the journal Science, found that babies as young as two months old make their own hypotheses about the world around them. When infants watched an object do something unexpected (like defy gravity), they examined it carefully, seemingly testing its solidity and weight.
The working mama takeaway: Babies are learning constantly from the simplest things in the world around them—whether or not you're the one sitting there at the highchair with them.
"Gross, no way will I eat that!" Proving that there are research grants out there for almost anything, a group of scientists at The University of Chicago are studying how "contamination context" affects babies' and children's food preferences. The research, which is ongoing, will include infants, but so far has shown that toddlers are less likely to eat something if they think someone has sneezed on it!
The working mama takeaway: Self preservation is real. Even when you're not there, your baby is looking out for his well-being.
"I totally have an opinion about that." I loved this piece, by CNN digital correspondent and editor-at-large Kelly Wallace, about how even the tiniest babies can tell right from wrong. Wallace even talked to one mother who who recalled how her baby would appear "ticked off" whenever she saw a family portrait that had been taken before she'd been born. As soon as it was replaced on the wall with an updated version, the baby responded happily. Indeed, research out of Yale University's Infant Cognition Center shows that even three-month-old babies can start to intuit the differences between good and evil.
The working mama takeaway: Trust your gut on your caregivers. But pay attention to your baby's cues too. If they're happy, it's for good reason.
