by Holly Lothridge

Created on: December 30, 2008

How aware is a baby during its first six months? I've always wondered what goes through a baby's mind in their first six months of life after birth because they are nearly always put on their back in the crib, in the car seat, on the changing table, on the floor looking up at their jungle gym toys, etc. Do they know that they are looking at the ceiling? What do they hear when we talk to them? It fascinates me just thinking about it. I don't know if anybody else has this problem, but I can't seem to remember anything from after I was born to the first 6 months of my life much less what I did last week. There are dates in my head that I will always remember, but there are other dates that I can't recall. If we can't recall what we did or thought between birth and six months of age, are we at risk for things like Alzheimer's? strokes? heart attacks? I really want to know what a baby is thinking when they are laying there being changed besides "Oh wow. A moment ago I was just perfect and now there is a draft and I am going to cry so mom will fix it." These are questions that are probably never going to be answered unless we use our imaginations. Here is an excerpt from my mind as to how a baby might feel and think while he/she is being changed:

"So today, mom is changing me. She put me on to this soft padded surface where she keeps all of my diapers and baby wipes. I am staring at the ceiling which is all blurry to me at 2 weeks of age. She unfastens the diaper and starts to take it off. Suddenly I am cold. A moment ago I was just the right temperature and now there is a draft where the diaper was. I think I will cry now and hope that mom will fix it. It does me no good to cry and just when I think it could get no worse, this cold wipe thing touches me to get my bottom clean. I think we are done, but mom has other plans. She gets the tube and unscrews the cap. She squeezes some white stuff on her finger and rubs it on my bottom. Then, she finally puts a new diaper under me and brings it up. She fastens the diaper and picks me up off the table. Now where is she taking me? She sits down in the rocking chair for feeding time."

So, that is what I think goes on in a baby's mind as they are getting changed and although it's probably not accurate or even remotely close to correct, that is all I have and hence the questions above. I know most of you will think that my thoughts are odd, but I think that even if it's not accurate or correct, that it does me some good in imagining how it might be or how it could be.

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