Whether or not your baby knows that the face in the mirror is his, he still loves to look--and not just because he's so cute. "In front of a mirror, everything you do gets an immediate response," says Diane Bales, Ph.D., a human-development specialist at the University of Georgia, in Athens. "When you move, the person in the mirror moves, too." Some get-to-know-myself games that'll amuse even the crankiest kid:
- Hold your baby in front of a mirror and drop a scarf over his head. When he tugs it off, he'll be staring at his face. Peekaboo!
- Make faces with your 6-month-old in front of a mirror. He may mimic your expressions--then mimic his own.
- Dab a spot of lipstick on your 11-month-old's cheek. If he rubs his cheek in front of the mirror, he knows exactly who's looking back at him.
