Your sooo vain...

"Your so vain, you probably think this song is about you..."

 

Kissing the baby in the mirror

 

OK, now that you have that catchy tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day, and the most hilarious scene from 'How to lose a guy in ten days' running through your brain (your welcome!), let's talk about babies and mirrors.  Have you ever noticed how much your baby LOVES starting at his/herself? Oh my goodness, everywhere we go, Ledoux is finding her reflection and staring at herself.  It can be the car window, in can be a store front, heck, it can even a spoon that gives off a faint reflection.  If there is any chance she can look at herself, she can do it.  And the funniest thing about all of this?  It has nothing to do with vanity (at least, not yet...I don't think.)

When I was putting together Ledoux's nursery before she was born, my mother gave me an unbreakable, totally baby safe mirror to hang by her changing table to look at herself... and at the time, I remember thinking "why on earth will she ever want to stare at herself?" Fast forward to today, that might be my favorite thing that Ledoux has right now (and I am pretty sure, it is one of hers too!)  This mirror is plastic/acrylic, so there is no chance of her hitting it hard and shattering it.  She can eat it, she can lick it, and her new thing is giving the 'baby in the mirror' kisses. (If you go to amazon.com, and search for unbreakable mirrors, there are tons to choose from. Ours is similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Factory-Baby-Wall-Mirror/dp/B003BL7REW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ba_14)  I got this one because I can attatch it to the wall, or put it on the floor to play on for when we did tummy time.)

So if your little babe is still little (think newborn-8 months or so), they may not be able to differentiate between the baby in the mirror and themselves, but around the 8 month mark, babies start developing self awareness-a very important thing!  Go purchase some cheap different sized, baby safe mirrors and let your baby have at it.  Unsure of what to do with it (other than put it in front of them)?  Here are some ideas!

1.) Put the mirror in the bathtub.  Ledoux LOVES this! Bath time is already something she enjoys, and when she realized there was a mirror, she loved it!  I propped it in front of her, and then we put it under the water.  Watching her face as she tried to figure out how there was a baby, under the water, was so fun.  You can see the wheels in her little head moving.

2.) If you haven't already, put a mirror in front of her car seat, so your babe can see him/herself.  (Bonus: you can see baby too!)  Ledoux just sits there and talks to herself in the car, I always wonder what "they" are talking about.

3.) Help develop that self awareness--sit in front of the mirror with your babe, and say "who is that baby?"  Ledoux is starting to notice that she is that baby, which is pretty neat to see!  Test to see if your baby has put the connection together by putting a little bit of baby food on your finger, and while looking in the mirror, putting it on her cheek.  Does she reach for the mirror to wipe it off, or herself?  If she reaches for herself, hooray!  That self awareness is coming along.  And if not, that's OK too, babies all develop differently.

4.) Sit in front of the mirror and make different faces.  A calm face, a happy face... and see if your babe changes expression with you.

5.) Play peek-a-boo in the mirror.  Easy- just grab a towel and put it over the mirror, and then take it off quickly and say "Peek a boo!"  Games likes this can occupy a sweet babe for, well, minutes.  Which in mommy time, is like hours.

6.) Put the mirror on the floor, and sing a silly song, while pointing out her nose, her lips, her fingers, etc.  Any excuse I have to sing, American Idol style, into a mirror I will take... so this is one of our favorite games.  (However the hubby hates it, hes just jealous he can't sing like Ledoux and I can...)

7.) If your baby is a bit older, put some shaving cream or baby safe finger paints on the mirror and let them go to town.  To see their faces when they wipe away the paint/shaving cream and see their reflection is priceless.  Yes, it will be a mess, but that is the fun of it all!

8.) Show your baby the reflection the mirror makes when the sun hits it.  Ledoux just discovered that if she moves her little handheld mirror, the sun makes lights on the wall.  I literally saw the learning going on when she made that connection... and it was awesome.  She took the mirror and would move it a little to the left, a little to the right, and try to find the light relection on the wall.

8.) Lastly, and most simple...just put the mirror on the floor for them to play with.  If your baby does tummy time, put the baby on top of it.  Give them time to just explore.  We have this little mirror, which is self standing, that we really like: http://www.amazon.com/Sassy-Crib-and-Floor-Mirror/dp/B002J4U8M0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366817333&sr=8-1&keywords=unbreakable+mirror

So there you have it, a fun and easy way to keep baby occupied (and you can do your makeup at the same time! Just kidding.  Kind of.  Multitasking people!)  I hope your week is flying by... I know ours is!  There is no rest between work and finishing the never ending task of moving!