It’s me! What does recognising their reflection tell you about your toddler's development?

Researchers often start with questions very similar to those we all have from time to time. What is my toddler thinking? When does my toddler know that they are looking at themselves in the mirror?   

The dot experiment is how psychologists know when toddlers begin to recognise their reflection 

The experiment, used to find out when toddlers know they are looking at themselves in a mirror, involves putting a dot or a post-it onto their face or head.  

If they look in the mirror and then touch the dot on their face, they have realised that they are looking at themselves.   

If not, or they try to touch the dot they see in the mirror, they’re just noticing that there is another toddler looking at them!  

Recognising their reflection is an important step in the development of self-awareness 

Psychologists suggest that starting to recognise yourself in the mirror is part of the journey towards self-awareness.  

Your toddler might just be starting to recognise themselves in the mirror. As they become more self-aware, they will think about how they look and what they can do.  

Over time they will become aware of how other people see them, too

When your child is older, they might use the mirror to practise movements or facial expressions, and to begin to think about how other people view them.  

But for now, your toddler’s focus is on learning about themselves; do they always look the same in the mirror?