Anyone who interacts with a young infant may find themselves wondering - what is going on inside their mind? In many ways, a baby’s behaviour is limited. They can’t yet control their movements, communicate with language, or provide the types of behavioural cues we...
In the 1990s, a wave of research changed how parents thought about early childhood. Developmental scientists demonstrated that early experience is critical for brain development and that enriched environments support children’s cognitive growth (Ramey & Ramey,...
The gap between what caregivers find aesthetically pleasing and what is ‘fun’ and ‘interesting’ for babies has been repeatedly debated within the public consciousness. Often referred to as ‘sad beige baby’, a new trend has seen monocolour, muted tones favoured by...
Caregivers of young children are very familiar with their pediatrician taking their child’s height and weight and tracking how their child’s growth compares to other children of the same age. These kinds of physical growth charts have transformed public health and...
When it comes to babies’ social worlds, one size does not fit all. Even within the first year of life, infants differ in how their brains respond to social information, such as facial expressions, eye contact and speech. Rather than all babies attending to social cues...
On visits to my mother’s house, it is inevitable that we look through baby pictures, a tradition that has grown increasingly common since I began my research into memory development. I know the stories behind many of these pictures, mostly through my mother. This past...
