A mirror is considered an item with magical properties. And there are some beliefs and myths about its use. For example, you cannot look into the reflection after midnight.
Beliefs say that children of infancy cannot be looked into reflection. Why babies under one year old should not look in the mirror according to popular beliefs and how psychologists explain this, we will try to figure it out below.
Possible consequences
It is popularly believed that a baby who is allowed to look at the reflection early will face negative consequences. This is mainly related to health:
- development of strabismus;
- weak immunity of the body;
- late appearance of teeth;
- poorly developed speech, mental development will also lag behind.
In addition to physical problems, newborns should not look in the mirror in order to avoid mental trauma. The child will become shy or stutter. It is also believed that babies are spiritually weak and in reflection they see dark forces that can penetrate the soul of a baby.
Another belief is that the child will see the future and cry in front of the reflection. And also people believe that the baby will look at happiness in the mirror and become unhappy in adulthood.
It is also believed that both good and bad energy can accumulate in mirrors, and the child will pull negative energy over himself.
It is interesting that only among the Slavic people there are beliefs in the magical properties of a mirror. The cultures of other nations do not explain why a newborn should not look in the mirror.
The opinion of psychologists
So far, no proven facts have been received why babies should never look at the reflection and how this can badly affect the physical and spiritual development of babies. When young parents ask if it is still possible for a newborn to look at himself in the mirror, psychologists answer positively.
It is believed that a mirrored object is perceived by babies in the same way as others around it. Thus, the baby learns the world around him, gets to know his own reflection and learns to perceive himself.
As a rule, from the age of three months, a nursing baby is already interested in learning the world around him and in contact with the world around him. And the mirror is no exception. Therefore, parents should think about how to correctly present him to the baby, so that he perceives his reflection in him.
Some psychotherapists use mirrors in therapy for psychosomatic illnesses.
When to give your child a mirror
The cub gradually learns to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, and acquaintance with the mirror should be postponed until a year:
- up to three months, the baby recognizes the outlines of objects in close proximity, to which you can easily reach with your hand;
- up to six months, a newborn learns to distinguish between colors, light and darkness;
- from six months to eight months, the baby is able to get acquainted with the mirror image, play with it, trying to find who owns the image, and also try to touch the reflection;
- after eight to eleven months, the baby is able to distinguish between a mirror image and real objects, people.
It is recommended to limit the child's play with the mirror. Don't use it as a toy. Even if the child already distinguishes between reality and reflection, he can imagine something. Small children, having seen a fleeting vision (for example, created by shadows in the twilight), will be frightened, will not sleep at night, and will be afraid to approach the mirror for a long time.
