I always wondered but couldn’t come to a conclusion. Why do babies point at stuff or even just randomly in the air somewhere, do they habe a goal in mind or are they just imitating us?
In: Biology
Muscle memory develops over time. You’re not born with it. They don’t have anything planned when they point. They don’t understand for the first few weeks/ months that they’re the ones controlling their own limbs. Watching a baby discover his foot is hilarious btw.
What else are you supposed to do with these dangly things at the end of your arms? Also, what do I do with my arms?
Babies are weird. Everything they do is new and they’re still working out the bugs between hardware and software.
If you’re clever, you can ‘train’ the baby by getting whatever they’re pointing at. If you’re consistent about it, they’ll pick up on the pattern and start communicating their needs/wants with you at an earlier age.
I assume it is just for the baby to learn that fingers are part of their body that they control.
Try getting an older baby to look where you are pointing and they likely will just look at your finger.
Much of a baby’s time is spent learning how to control the body it lives in. Fingers are very complicated and the muscles attached to them require significant effort to control dexterously. Many babies can focus on one finger, to try and control it individually, while they are building their control repertoire.
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