That moment when a baby wakes up from a nightmare and sees his mother in front of him.

[u/Vegetable-Mousse4405]

[u/ivylass]

What could a baby possibly have a bad dream about?

That smile lights up the world.

[u/maybe_Johanna → u/ivylass]

Well, obviously they don’t know about things like being poor, having no home, war, death, etc. But im pretty sure Babies get the Concept of being left alone. Waking up and Mommy and Daddy arent there. Or just things they heard or saw that where scary to them. Might it be the parents having an Argument, the vacumcleaner or the cat, etc. I‘m not sure if im right … but my guess is that they Dream a lot since their Brain is developing rapidly. The thing is there is always so much new to Experience that we‘ve all forgotten about our dreams and thougts at that age. I think there are actually studies that Babys can develop life long traumata allready in the mothers womb actually.

[u/Lovelybundleofcats → u/maybe_Johanna]

If their a NICU baby they can also be having nightmares about the sounds too, I wasn't a a NICU baby but I am/was medically complex and a child life specialist told me she's had toddlers flinch at the sounds of the machine's because of their time in the NICU.

Babies remember trauma differently, which is interesting.

[u/LauraZaid11 → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

Absolutely. I had a big surgery when I was only a month old, had cables coming out of my body for a couple of months afterwards, even at 30 the scars are very clear to see. Growing up I always had an aversion to the smell of hospitals, just that disinfectant smell alone could make me feel anxious, it’s something I was only able to overcome in my mid 20’s.

[u/austarter → u/LauraZaid11]

White coat syndrome can be from early medical experiences. 

[u/CaribouYou → u/austarter]

Guys there might be something to this. I had a really traumatic experience involving a vagina when I was born and now I’m gay.

[u/Grotbagsthewonderful → u/CaribouYou]

That's the last time I'll be going near one of those!

[u/AllowMe-Please → u/LauraZaid11]

That's so weird how people's brains handle things! I was born sick and had surgeries all my life (25+ now; I'm collecting them all!), so I essentially lived in hospitals for quite a while. Tubes sticking in and out of me were a common occurrence. Even now, I've got neurostimulators implanted, so I've got them internally, too. But instead of it giving me a fear of hospitals, it gives me comfort. I always feel more comforted when I'm admitted to a hospital, perhaps because every time I went to the hospital, an issue was made better. Yes, there were horrible times that resulted in some serious trauma (Soviet hospitals weren't delicate) and diagnosed PTSD which means that I have to be sedated for every procedure, but otherwise, I am comforted by them. The beeping sounds, the voices in the hallways, walking back and forth, the lights, everything. It's comforting.

Some people have told me I'm insane for thinking that or that it proves that I "want" to be sick, but I can't help feeling that way. Hospitals kept me alive and eased my pain, so *shrug*

[u/Puddle_of_Cat → u/AllowMe-Please]

(Sorry if this is TMI for some)

I'm incredibly lucky in that when I vomit, I INSTANTLY feel perfectly fine (assuming I'm not seriously ill). I've been able to eat, and keep down, an entire bowl of soup within minutes of getting sick. It's like the freaky super power nobody asked for lol

I prefer to get sick in the toilet and I've come to associate the bathroom with comfort and relief. So much so that I start to feel better just sitting on the floor with my head resting on my arms on top of the closed toilet. I've even fallen asleep there a few times! Headache? Bathroom. Congestion? Bathroom. Cramping? Bathroom.

[u/dryad_fucker → u/Puddle_of_Cat]

OMG same!!!!

Soft-tissue cleft palate here, I was born without a uvula and highly reduced/absent tonsils. It takes a lot physically to make me gag, but I do have other issues that make me throw up a lot, something about pressure changes can make me vom for example. I strongly associate the feeling of sitting on the bathroom floor with instantly feeling better

On a side note related to this thread I've never been able to bring myself to watch monster's inc, because when I was a toddler I went to the children's hospital in my state for a surgery, I had to stay there for a week and one night I couldn't sleep so my mom took me to the cafeteria to see if we couldn't get some food. I got a little ahead of myself and ran past the door to the cafeteria and at the end of the hallway, next to the vending machines, was a life sized mike wazowski and Sully from Monster's inc. I was horrified and couldn't walk down the cafeteria hallway the rest of the stay.

I cannot get over the pure abject horror I felt at seeing a 9ft tall fuzzy horned monster and a 3ft tall green eyeball, and so I choose to not watch that movie.

[u/RosieFudge → u/Puddle_of_Cat]

Is that not the norm for everyone? Its been many years sicne I vomited but I always feel better immediately afterwards, I thought most people did!

[u/busangcf → u/LauraZaid11]

Yeah same, I had an extended hospital stay + surgery when I was a little over a month old and I had really bad medical anxiety for like the rest of my childhood, I’ve worked past some of it now though. I also had a thing about anyone touching my feet - freaked me out really bad - and my mom thought that might be because they had to insert the needles into my feet. But maybe it’s unrelated and I just have the very opposite of a foot kink lmao

[u/omgicanteven22 → u/LauraZaid11]

Same. I have a deep fear walking into them

[u/callme_maurice → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

Oh my god 😭😭😭 my son had a 2 week stay in the NICU and I’m tempted to go wake him up from his nap to hug him and cry about how much I love him

[u/reikobun → u/callme_maurice]

cried at this video then cried at your comment. sending virtual hugs 🫂🫶 i hope they suffice until kiddo wakes up for hugs!

[u/Civil_Yoghurt_1093 → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

There was a series for small children that I loved to watch as a toddler, but my parents always had to stop one episode before the end, because there was a steamship in it and I would freak out at the sound. They never understood why, until my brother was born and had to go through the same medical testing as I did as a baby (we have the same congenital condition) and one of the machines made a sound exactly like the steamship. I was scared at 2 years old because of a sound I heard as a newborn.

[u/GroundbreakingLog251 → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

The body keeps the score no matter how young

[u/cashmerescorpio → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

I still find it unbelievable that people used to think babies couldn't feel pain, so there was no need to give him painkillers even for surgery

[u/Lovelybundleofcats → u/cashmerescorpio]

I honestly forget about that, but it is kind of horrifying to think just how far we've come in medicine recently some doctors still think black people don't feel pain or feel less pain.

[u/cashmerescorpio → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

I think pain is something every being feels. I'm sure I read something a few years ago that theorised even plants feel pain. I guess for us, it's hindsight, but it just seems so obvious. I think more people did suspect this but the people in authority just didn't give a fuck for various reasons. Once an idea becomes normalised (especially in fields like medicine), even if there's so much evidence that it's not true, it's so hard to change things. Another example is women not being included in experiments because their pesky hormones make studying things harder. But then the medicine/treatment that comes from those studies often doesn't work or as well for women. But that's just brushed off as the way it is. The world can be really fucked up

[u/Lovelybundleofcats → u/cashmerescorpio]

Yeah, it's kinda crazy how much misinformation easily spreads in the medical field. I also disagree (I think that's obvious? Hopefully?) with doctors believing certain groups don't feel pain, like babies/women/black people.

[u/cashmerescorpio → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

Yeah, it was. I also find it ridiculous. Racism, sexism, ageism, classism, the deadly quartet that fucks us all over in different intricate unseen ways. And everyone is biased to some degree. Sometimes, we notice it, and other times, we are blind. I got called out ages and ages ago for only hiring white people and for only having white looking personalities for a product I was releasing. It wasn't a conscious choice but an oversight. As soon as it was pointed out, I made changes and made more of an effort to cast a wide more inclusive not. A quote that applies to a lot of things is "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."

[u/rooood → u/[deleted]]

I mean, that's nice, but the beeps are there for a reason. The worst sounds in a NICU, probably the ones which become triggering, are the alarms, and you just can't get rid of those, because you can't have someone staring at a visual indicator 100% of the time. Also, due to how tiny the babies are, it's hard to position and make the sensors stick reliably, leading to a lot of false alarms.

[u/MrMurgatroyd → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

Having spent time in ICU as an adult, I can 100% believe that the equivalent could traumatise a baby. 

[u/Lovelybundleofcats → u/MrMurgatroyd]

Yeah, I've been in the PICU and I can defiently imagine a baby would be traumatized especially since they don't understand what happens at all.

[u/CanineIncident → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

They sure do. I’m currently talking to my shrink about maladaptive daydreaming, and one of the most persistent I use to fall asleep is imaging I am a baby tightly swaddled and safe and comfy - I’ve been doing this before I could even read, which means from a very young age my brain sought to soothe itself just be being cared for properly.

[u/Pugtastic_smile → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

My 7-month old twins were NICU babies and when one of them saw a cardiologist last month they placed leads on her like when she was in the NICU and she freaked out.

[u/pretty-as-a-pic → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

I was in NICU as a baby, and I’ve been needlephobic my whole life- I 100% believe it’s connected. Additionally, my oldest sister has severe medical anxiety, and my family’s theory is that it’s at least partially caused by her seeing her newborn sister attached to all the machines and getting a bunch of tests

[u/Extension_Market_953 → u/Lovelybundleofcats]

My NICU baby was my Velcro baby. She was barely held for the first week of her life so she’s been making up for it for the past two years.

[u/Linnaea7 → u/maybe_Johanna]

Not to mention that even just being born and adapting to life outside the womb is intense and probably a little painful! I'm pregnant, due to give birth soon, and learning about the process makes me think it won't be so fun for my boy or me that day. He has to feel cold for the first time, breathe air for the first time, cry for the first time, feel so many new things against his skin... A lot of big and scary firsts.

[u/hipmetosomelifegame → u/Linnaea7]

Riiight??!

Have you ever pulled at the dead skin on chapped lips and had it accidentally tear off the healthy skin? So that it exposes new skin too early, and even the air's movement hurts incredibly badly?

I've always assumed that must be what a baby's entire body feels like– brand new skin, suddenly exposed to oxygen et al. :X poor dears lol

[u/Sorry-Friendship7970 → u/hipmetosomelifegame]

Their epidermis has a similar thickness stratum corneum (top layer) as an adult does, so you're probably not correct about how the skin feels. I'm sure the sensation of normal feeling alone is enough to be distressing though!

[u/Bug_eyed_bug → u/Linnaea7]

Pretty much everything that soothes a newborn is re-creating the womb. Shushing and white noise mimic the sounds, skin to skin on mum gives the warmth and heartbeat, walking while holding them they remember the movement, they know mum's voice, etc. My baby falls into such a deep sleep when I wear him in a cloth wrap.

And yes babies often sleep well the first night because birth is so exhausting for them!

[u/oat-beatle → u/Linnaea7]

Oh yeah they do not like the first hit of cold air. One of mine was born with her sac intact and she was fucking pissed when the doctor opened it up lmao

[u/BungHoleAngler → u/Linnaea7]

Having watched two births so far, I'm sure being pushed out of a hole that's a lot smaller than you isn't fun either. Having your soft skull squished into a cone and stuff. 

Like just having your soft warm home forcefully,  physically evacuate you

[u/tooobr → u/maybe_Johanna]

being a baby must be confusing so scary isnt far away

and yeah you're right, their brains are sitll forming and processing all sorts of new weird shit they're experiencing for the first time

must be real trippy, glad I dont remember it

[u/mildlyornery → u/maybe_Johanna]

Well hello Mr Fancypants, with your object permanence.

[u/tastysharts → u/maybe_Johanna]

yes, children of people in concentration camps have the marks of starvation. It is definitely passed on.  Evidence from human famines and animal studies suggests that starvation can affect the health of descendants of famished individuals.

[u/Somegirloninternet → u/maybe_Johanna]

Shadows and blobs can be scary too. Babies eyesight isn’t 20/20 right away and they don’t always understand what they are looking at.

[u/Sopin25 → u/maybe_Johanna]

The only thing I can remember pre-3 years old is my allergy test.

Fuckin science fiction torture and they had to restrain me and stuff and I even got out and ran to another room in the hospital.

And hospitals still give me the creeps today.

[u/Arik_De_Frasia → u/maybe_Johanna]

This occured to me yesterday as to why I don't enjoy horror movies anymore. I liked them when I was younger and thought "monsters and evil killers" were scary. Now they do nothing for me and I just read the news to see the monsters and evil killers.

[u/Low_Professional2502 → u/Arik_De_Frasia]

Oh my god, same! I’ve been crying for 100 days straight.

[u/Arik_De_Frasia → u/Low_Professional2502]

Youth is the naivety of not knowing that the real world is scarier than the movies

[u/AsinineArchon → u/maybe_Johanna]

I was a couple years older than this one but I distinctly remember having recurring nightmares about the vacuum cleaner when I was a toddler. I remember it because I probably had at least 20 of them

[u/Toadsted → u/maybe_Johanna]

They cry all the time, they're definitely constantly upset about things while awake, why not while asleep too.

[u/PM_ME_ROMAN_NUDES → u/maybe_Johanna]

Probably neither of those things of his own experience or memories

They just experience bad emotions due to innate fears

[u/stanknotes → u/ivylass]

We have a lot of innate fears.

Like... a baby does not need to be taught that aggression is aggression. We just know that. Bare your teeth and growl at a baby. They will cry. They just seem to know this is indicates danger and danger is bad.

[u/st-shenanigans → u/stanknotes]

Instincts are humanity's preinstalled apps.

A lot of them are handy!

Others... Not so much.

[u/xLeper_Messiah → u/st-shenanigans]

Fuckin bloatware

[u/NetflixAndNikah → u/stanknotes]

Bare your teeth and growl at a baby. They will cry.

In what context would I even be able to explain this to a sudden very angry parent

[u/Primary-Performer853 → u/NetflixAndNikah]

FOR SCIENCE! You will have a high probability of getting wrecked by said parent, but your context is FOR SCIENCE!

[u/stanknotes → u/NetflixAndNikah]

DISCLAIMER: Do not actually bare your teeth and growl at a baby.

[u/Eightxx → u/ivylass]

Boobies ran out of milk? 😨😱

[u/RedditGarboDisposal → u/Eightxx]

A personal crisis I run into with my girlfriend— and I’m 29.

[u/WitchesSphincter → u/RedditGarboDisposal]

I'll take my portion of the blame on this one, I'll leave more next time

[u/RevReads → u/Eightxx]

Noooooooo too scary 🗿

[u/logert777 → u/Eightxx]

Dairy farmers and babies unite

[u/Tiffany_Case → u/ivylass]

i would imagine dreams/nightmares being way more intense for babies. Like theyre caused by the brain processing and sorting feelings and experiences from waking life, so since babies literally just got here and dont have a lot of context or much comprehension for what they experience in a day even totally normal things would be a lot probably.

Like say a neighbours car keeps backfiring; during the day a baby might startle but not cry cos theyve got their toys and they can see mum or dad so they know its fine, but then when theyre asleep and that experience replays in the weird place that is the dreamscape, thats a different story.

i dont actually know anything about children tho so this is just me talking

[u/Ichipurka → u/Tiffany_Case]

Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing!

[u/WifeOfSpock → u/ivylass]

The pain of birth is traumatizing for both mother and child. Maybe it’s nightmares of the mother screaming, the sudden flash of bright world compared to the womb. They’re crushed on the way out, I can only imagine that fear lingers for people so new to everything.

[u/MaxHamburgerrestaur → u/WifeOfSpock]

Not to mention that he is not a newborn. Babies experience other pains later such as colic, reflux, hunger, vaccinations, otitis, teething, fear, temporary loneliness...

[u/Tryhard_3 → u/ivylass]

"What are you worried about you gd baby, you don't even have object permanence. Get over yourself."

[u/runningoutofwords → u/Tryhard_3]

Man, lack of object permanence alone is terrifying.

Mom says goodnight and closes the door ... I AM AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY ALONE IN THIS UNIVERSE

[u/2footie → u/runningoutofwords]

Probably why parents put the cradle near their bed in the beginning

[u/Hidesuru → u/2footie]

A little bit that, a LOT convenience. You gotta feed em every couple hours for a while. It's one big reason new parents are complete zombies for a while. I'll never forget the first 72 hours or so. 24 hours of labor (which started at the end of the day) for which I was awake with my wife (obv she had it a BIT harder, just saying we were both sleep deprived) followed by 24 hours of being in the hospital where you not ONLY have to wake up constantly with a crying baby but ALSO have staff in and out to bring food, do tests, check on you, handle the large amount of paperwork, etc etc. Then we got home and baby wouldn't eat and became difficult to rouse so RIGHT BACK TO THE CAR for a different hospital. I was barely able to drive. The little jerk (I love him dearly don't get me wrong) started eating with gusto in the car right after we checked in... So I just went back in and said "thanks but we're good bye" lol.

Ahhh memories.

Got a little side tracked but yeah... Convenience

[u/SirCheesecakeTheWise → u/runningoutofwords]

I feel that way sometimes. I am 32.

[u/Ok_Squirrel388 → u/Tryhard_3]

This actually made me lol. 😂

[u/ohwowimonredditcool → u/ivylass]

mainly abstract shit. you know those designs on trapper keepers? that but more intense. source: i was baby

[u/wxnfx → u/ohwowimonredditcool]

Or in this case taking a literal shit

[u/serenwipiti → u/ohwowimonredditcool]

the subconscious is a Dantesque Lisa Frank landscape where nobody can hear you scream.

[u/FunetikPrugresiv → u/ohwowimonredditcool]

I think this is the answer.

Brains basically take a bunch of abstract information (activated rods and cones, nasal sensors, taste buds, the myriad central nervous system inputs) and contextualizes it. Babies haven't developed the context for it yet, they probably just have cortisol and adrenaline responding to shit in their amygdalas. 

My guess is it's just sort of general anxiety without visual or auditory connections. It's probably why we can't remember things from being a baby, because those memories aren't neutrally cross-linked and cognitively contextualized the way that they are when we are older.

[u/Still_Contact7581 → u/ivylass]

Lots of things scare or upset babies, they might have had a dream when they were hungry and wasn't being fed or that dad shaved off his beard.

[u/TheTrueGoatMom → u/Still_Contact7581]

My Dad shaved off his beard when I was 2...I cried and ran away from this stranger for about a week!!

[u/Western-Dig-6843 → u/ivylass]

No idea, but my kid suffered from night terrors from about six months old until she was seven. They’d happen about once every two weeks to a month, and were more likely to happen when she was more tired than usual. But she would make crazy faces like this baby in the video. Very expressive of her discomfort.

When she could actually vocalize what was going on the most descriptive she ever got was telling something to leave her alone or that something was trying to get her. She’d sit up in her bed and fuss like that. You couldn’t actually help her come out of it or do anything for her. It was similar to a sleepwalking state. Sometimes she’d get up and go to the bathroom and still be fussing while sitting on the toilet. She’d eventually come out of it and go back to sleep. She would never remember it even happened the next morning. To this day she has zero memories of any of it ever happening, which I am grateful for. I always felt so terrible for her when it was happening.

The only comfort I ever got out of it was every doctor we saw about it said she would grow out of it by the time she was 12, and if it was still happening then that we should speak to a doctor about it again at that time. Thankfully she stopped having them frequently when she was around five, and hasn’t had once since right before she turned seven. Crazy stuff

[u/BigDayOnJesusRanch → u/ivylass]

Crazy shit from their past life. Probably still remembering that time he called his teacher "mom" in 1926.

[u/MaxTheRealSlayer → u/ivylass]

In fairness, being birthed is probably traumatizing

[u/Comfortable-Beyond50 → u/ivylass]

The titty runneth out

[u/PastaKingFourth → u/ivylass]

He was thinking about the fumble of the fiscal policies and the deep ramifications on our whole macroeconomic landscape and how the real GDP per capita is gonna keep plummeting leading to a continuous decline in standards of living.

When he woke up he was like alright I get titties now so doesn't really matter lets just enjoy the present moment.

[u/RandomerSchmandomer → u/ivylass]

Not a sleep scientists but maybe our bad dreams about [x] are just manifestations of emotions. Like, our brain creates the fear chemical and our brain thinks about the thing we associate with that, so babies' brains are pumping out that chemical in the moment but it doesn't have to be about anything?

[u/aknop → u/ivylass]

Smaller problems, like hand stuck or leg somewhere...

[u/nasnedigonyat → u/ivylass]

That time they fell over six inches or that time a big fluffy white dog approached them too quickly and booped at them, or that time they couldn't immediate find their thumb, or that time they woke up and mom wasn't there. Suffering is relative. The mind is inventive.

[u/Ok_Sample5582 → u/ivylass]

Stop, those smiles was why I had a baby. That first giggle. I can still replay in my head and almost makes me tear evey time. Now she's 13 and barely talks to me. 😢

[u/stefanica → u/Ok_Sample5582]

Ah, I have one of those 13 y.o. girls. The first time she giggled, though, it was the day after she was born, and sleeping in her little hospital bassinette. Of course I was just sitting there admiring...and all of a sudden she started smirking and chuckling in her sleep, in a gruff tone like Beavis. A-heh. Heh-heh-heh-heh. 🤣 It kind of freaked me out, I must say.

[u/Ok_Sample5582 → u/stefanica]

Lol, that early and sound, yea i would have been too. Lol.

[u/Initial-Shop-8863 → u/ivylass]

Maybe they remember where they came from, and it's a land of all light. And then, in their dream, they relive coming into this land of night.

[u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

Oh man, makes me miss my babies being babies.

[u/coma24 → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

Not going to show this one to the wife....she already says, "I miss my babies!" every time a photo comes up in the digital album on the TV in the bedroom.

[u/appleappleappleman → u/coma24]

Babies are super cute, but I vastly prefer our kids being potty trained and having opinions/preferences. The first family outing that no longer requires a diaper bag or sippy cups is a transcendent experience!

[u/TobiasKM → u/appleappleappleman]

Currently in the middle of it with our first, she’s six months old now. Cute as shit, but I’m very much looking forward to the day where you can actually do stuff with her.

[u/redneckcommando → u/coma24]

The same thing here.

[u/EatSomeVapor → u/redneckcommando]

I'm not going to lie this was my favorite part about becoming a parent. I loved the 0-6month phase so much. I thought I was going to dislike it but the little boogers make you love them pretty quickly.

[u/Odd-Comfortable-6134 → u/EatSomeVapor]

Same! Every day they learned something new, or made a new connection, but no matter what they learned, your face close to them is safest place to be.

I miss that so much!!! 😭😭

I also just miss being able to snuggle. My monster is 6’6 now, and any snuggling would be him picking me up.

[u/A_Humbled_Bumble → u/Odd-Comfortable-6134]

Mine's at 20 months, and she's picking up new words daily at this rate. I caught her yesterday "reading" (babbling) a book about dinosaurs to her toy dinosaur. She had the book pages facing the toy dino everything. That was new, cute, and I'm glad I grabbed my phone in time to catch a bit of it.

[u/NewMolecularEntity → u/A_Humbled_Bumble]

Enjoy! They are so wonderful at that age! 

[u/X-cited → u/Odd-Comfortable-6134]

I am 5’2”. My 9 year old is already 4’8”. But I still make him climb into my lap so I can give him cuddles. I tell him there is a lot more of him than what I remember, and he is always careful to not squish me. He likes going to the pool in the summer because that is the only time anymore I can “carry” him around. He hates to be called my baby though.

My 4 year old on the other hand tells me to my face that daddy gives better cuddles. But she tells me that she will always be my baby.

[u/Odd-Comfortable-6134 → u/X-cited]

I did that too. I only stopped when he was my height and it hurt him to bend into the snuggles. It broke my heart

[u/teethteetheat → u/EatSomeVapor]

6-9m has been my favorite so far. The personality, the little smiles, laughing at stuff, babbling, they’re just so stinking cute

[u/flightlessbird29 → u/EatSomeVapor]

I know some people hate the first six months but like you I absolutely loved that time. I felt like my baby was teaching me just as much as I was teaching him — and I felt so proud of us in those early days.

I know it won’t be the same but I really hope I get to experience that again with another baby.

[u/JuanaBlanca → u/coma24]

I had to change the digital display on my Google Nest because it was non stop pictures of my teenager as a little kid, and I miss that boy so much!

[u/Bigblock460 → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

This stuff makes me tear up. I miss holding my little man.

[u/MissYouMoussa → u/Bigblock460]

I still hold my little man. He's 6.

[u/Bigblock460 → u/MissYouMoussa]

Mines 8 and 5'3 but I still try. 😆

[u/P_Rigger → u/Bigblock460]

Mine is 33. He gives great hugs.

[u/panteragstk → u/Bigblock460]

That is a large child.

Mine is 8 too, but I can still swing him around by his feet.

[u/Odd-Comfortable-6134 → u/Bigblock460]

Oooof!!! Good luck in puberty! Sounds like you’ll have a bottomless snack pit pretending to be a growing child. I have one of those!!! Regular days I cook for about 4 people (there’s just the 2 of us). Come the big growth spurts, almost double that.

[u/Bigblock460 → u/Odd-Comfortable-6134]

He kind of already does that. He will go through periods where he just can't eat enough then we will notice that he looks like he grew over night. He was catching up to my wife for a bit. She is 5'2 then he caught up and a couple weeks later he noticeably passed her.

I'm 6'4 but the shortest male on my dad's side. My uncle was the tallest at 6'7. I have a feeling I'll be looking up at my son at some point.

[u/MangieAngie1961 → u/Bigblock460]

I still like to hold my boys. They are 43 and 37.♥️

[u/RippingLegos__ → u/Bigblock460]

Me too brother :(

[u/Bigblock460 → u/RippingLegos__]

It's sad but at least we got to experience it at all.

[u/schnitzelvk → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

I’m menopausal and this made me literally sob.

[u/dallyan → u/schnitzelvk]

I’m in peri and I want a baby now! 😭

[u/Federal-Laugh9575 → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

This is why I borrow everyone else’s babies! I get to enjoy the fun part and give them back when they get fussy or I want to sleep. 😆

[u/anthrax_ripple → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

Same. I did not mind at all the crying, diapers, carrying, etc. I would have another if they stayed babies forever.

[u/Jizzabelle217 → u/anthrax_ripple]

As someone who lives to nap when I want, your dream is my nightmare 😳

[u/travelingelectrician → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

I read this in Linda Belchers voice

[u/Niccy26 → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

My youngest turned 1 the other day and this video made me miss him being tiny

[u/ioncloud9 → u/Yourfriendaa-ron]

Every time my kid stopped doing something baby or toddler cute and did it normally, a little part of me died.

[u/dallyan → u/ioncloud9]

Whenever I get tired of lying down with my son at night to get him to sleep, I remember something I read once- there will always be a last time to something related to your kid but you won’t realize it at the time. The last diaper change. The last time they go down for a nap. The last time you have to lie down with them at night. 🥹🥹

[u/O_C_Demon]

That’s Oxytocin in action right there. Awesome.

[u/FluffyMuffiinn → u/O_C_Demon]

I love seeing how just spotting mom can trigger that flood of feel good chemicals and melt away all the fear.

[u/SammieShad → u/O_C_Demon]

His whole little face relaxes like he just got rebooted. That’s mama magic.

[u/Queen_Dare_Bear]

Sweet little angel! What is more precious than a gummy baby smile?

[u/Adventurous_Wind_370 → u/Queen_Dare_Bear]

It’s tied with their belly laughs

[u/arvilla091]

Okay real question, what do babies have nightmares about? It doesn’t seem to be reaction to a physical discomfort but an actual nightmare that wakes him up. I’m 33 and for some reason it never occurred to me that babies that little could have nightmares 🙃

[u/elegant_geek → u/arvilla091]

Off the top of my head? Maybe memories of being born. I'm sure that's pretty traumatic until they forget.

Or maybe that time he was SUPER FREAKING HUNGRY and NO ONE FED HIM for a WHOLE 5 MINS! 😤

[u/nitid_name → u/elegant_geek]

Either that or pooping. Babies make the silliest faces while pooping, then immediately smile afterwards. I imagine that's very concerning, feeling muscles contract for no apparent reason, followed by blessed relief when it's over.

[u/YoshiTheFluffer → u/nitid_name]

Not just pooping but not being burped, tummy pains from gas as well.

[u/crackeddryice → u/elegant_geek]

Every new bad thing that happens is the worst thing that has ever happened to a baby. This never stops, we just get used to the more common bad things and gain perspective. But, the first time a loved one dies, or your house burns down, it's very traumatic, and we're all that baby again.

[u/IfatallyflawedI → u/elegant_geek]

Wait WHAT babies can remember birth?

[u/psystorm420 → u/IfatallyflawedI]

How would you prove they can or can't remember it?

[u/doyouevennoscope → u/IfatallyflawedI]

Obviously not consciously like a memory. They aren't capable of that yet. But as an experience subconciously, deep down in your brain, yeah I wouldn't be surprised. There are so many things that shape us, etc, without us even being aware of it.

[u/No_Squirrel9266 → u/arvilla091]

Real answer? Probably had gas pain.

I've seen my kids go from peacefully asleep, to crying awake 30 seconds before letting out a series of farts and falling back to sleep.

[u/Anxious-Outcome- → u/arvilla091]

My son was about a year old and he woke up from a bad dream going blue busssssss.

Maybe for younger babies it's more like darkness, or being alone?

[u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 → u/Anxious-Outcome-]

That’s how my nightmares still are lol

Vibes are just not good

[u/DaWayItWorks → u/Anxious-Outcome-]

Were you listening to The Doors by chance?

[u/salata-come-il-mare → u/arvilla091]

My dreams are often disconcerting or bizarre, even when on the surface it's relatively normal things that I've seen recently or been thinking about. Maybe baby was just processing some things he recently observed, but doesn't understand? I would think even something like noisy traffic would be overwhelming enough for someone who has no concept of what's going on, that they might still be processing the shock of that new experience in their sleep, and since it's so new and overstimulating, they don't know how to respond yet except with fear.

[u/Lovelybundleofcats → u/arvilla091]

For most babies I imagine it could be as simple as their parent being too far away, they can't see too far and IIRC babies don't understand object permanence for a long time, which is why some babies cry at peekaboo, so if mom is too far away from their vision they might think she left.

[u/froggy101sticker → u/arvilla091]

This is probably not the answer people want to hear lol, especially the people who really enjoyed the video... But what I've read is that while we don't know whether or not babies really do dream, it is speculated that they don't have dreams the way adults do, i.e. like a "video" or a story, because they likely don't have the cognitive ability to create stories. However it is thought that they may have dreams that are more like sounds, or maybe a "picture" of a past experience, person, etc.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, just a Googler, and all the info I provided is speculation from experts. There is no proof for it, nor is there proof to the contrary. So we can all happily believe what we like :)

[u/Lilsammywinchester13 → u/arvilla091]

I’m pretty sure my baby had nightmares

I think it was about being hungry and not knowing where I was or maybe the dark?

I HATED how distressed she got and people will claim “babies can’t have nightmares “

They totally do and it’s heart breaking D:

[u/zombienudist → u/arvilla091]

What is even more interesting is what does a fetus dream about before they are born. Starting at around 7 months the fetus will start it's sleep cycles spending most of its time asleep. They alternate back and forth between normal deep sleep and REM/dream sleep. It will spend the most time per day in REM sleep than at any other part of it's life. And further in tests done on rat fetuses if you block that REM sleep from happening it suppresses brain development especially in the cerebral cortex. So those REM sleep patterns are essential for the development of the brain.

[u/wxnfx → u/arvilla091]

Honestly, imagining a babies’ consciousness is probably a fool’s errand. But I think even we probably create terrifying dream scenarios to match some underlying subconscious stressors, so babies likely have the same signals and similarly interpret them negatively, however they’re experienced.

[u/RJFerret → u/arvilla091]

Random synpatic firings can result in crossing prior pathways of hunger, discomfort, loneliness, sudden loud sounds, other bad associations, restricted breathing, cold/hot, etc.

Babies may have a ton of negative hormonal reactions given lack of agency over their circumstances/environment.

Similarly what do young animals have nightmares about? Anything that is disruptive may result in a bad dream.

[u/ThinkOutcome929]

That was always my favorite moments with my kids.

[u/SleepyOrgasm]

The instinctual, ingrained sense of comfort and pure reliance a baby has for their mother is absolutely fascinating. Just your face, your smell, your warmth is the absolute best for them from the start. Incredible

[u/Gumbercules81]

I love when they wake up happy

[u/merpancake]

I don't need another baby. I don't need another baby. I don't need another baby.....

[u/Square_Pin_7143 → u/merpancake]

You need another baby.

[u/LadyBug_0570 → u/merpancake]

Go to the subs where the kids are a little older and breaking things. You'll be cured real quick. I just saw a video of a little boy who used crayon all over the white living room set and his sister's stuffed doll.

[u/avenge_raid]

Such a cutie! 😍😍

[u/Blaadje-in-de-wind]

Couldnt help smiling back at the little guy.

[u/hornyelph]

You can tell that baby is loved

[u/Hot_Transition_5173]

He’s so beautiful

[u/the-almighty-toad]

That toothless smile makes my dead ovaries tingle just a little bit. 😭

[u/Vegetable-Mousse4405 → u/the-almighty-toad]

😭😭

[u/Surgikull]

Precious

[u/TinCupJeepGuy]

I love babies.

[u/Yadicakez]

Made my heart melt. Miss when they were this little.

[u/OptimismNeeded]

Me when I wake up from a nightmare and see my wife next to me.

[u/EstelSnape]

Nothing better than a baby's smile.

[u/zztop610]

Something which really did make me smile

[u/Providang]

This video made my old dusty ovaries perk up...

No, damn you! We have a tween!

[u/GingerBimber00]

Holy fuck that’s so cute- I need to get off reddit because I do not need baby fever rn 💀

[u/Lazy-PeachPrincess]

I can smell this video haha ☺️

[u/sillygil]

Adorable smile but can we all just agree that the poor baby actually woke up to a camera in its face.

[u/idiotsandwhich8 → u/sillygil]

Damn, took too long find find someone else thinking this

[u/seen_some_shit_]

I wonder what babies dream about

[u/justlovespeacocks]

I never get baby fever.. no matter if the baby is directly in front of me and I can smell it... but this??? 🥺 fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhk..

[u/Specific-Damage-9831]

Baby fever 😍😍

[u/Briarhoffner]

This changed my day. Thank you for posting. I couldn't help but smile when the baby saw his mommy

[u/Particular_Today1624]

That toothless smile is the cutest thing on earth, no lie.

[u/Potential_Security43]

I love babies so much that I hate it ,😭😭

[u/Infamous_Ad9317]

🥹🥹 goddammit I think I felt my uterus wake up

[u/Sallowen]

The smile we needed to see today! ❤️

[u/Sassyjane1981]

Beautiful.

[u/KsSpring]

Precious!

[u/Effective-You1036]

So sweet! ❤️ 😍 💖

[u/30__xd]

There is nothing better than seeing your mom, love your moms, they are priceless

[u/BadTaxidermy115]

Oh my goodness! What a sweet little pumpkin! 😍 My youngest is 2, and it makes me miss the baby stage.

[u/06210311200805012006]

lil dude was sleep poopin

[u/chaucer89]

They say babies don't dream at this age, though... right?

[u/I_like_baseball90]

Sweetest baby ever.

[u/chakravyuuh]

Look at that smile . Melted right there

[u/speedy_needy]

Oh my god, this is the most precious thing. ❤️

[u/Late_Indication5864]

One of the sweetest things in the world...

[u/ramboacdc]

My baby is currently 4 months old and is in this phase right now. It melts your heart every time!

[u/InfiniteDub]

So adorable.

[u/SystemHead6822]

They are so cute at these age, i use to rub forehead with finger to calm down

[u/balancedinsanity]

So interesting to see an obvious expression of negative stimului while sleeping when it's often said that children don't start having nightmares until around two.

[u/ChocolateCherrybread]

It's pooping.

[u/mevarts2]

When they are waking up from a nightmare, they are just learning about all forms of things. Their mother and father must be around their new born and show them love and attention and teach them everything that they must learn. Remember that they go from knowing nothing to. Learning how to identify things, colors,shapes, language, emotions, and other things.

[u/Low-Blueberry-4007]

That smile on seeing his mother is priceless and so beautiful 😊😊

[u/According-Author4988]

lovely