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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Infants
Babies and mirrors
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 9:50 am
I learnt from my mom that baby cant look in mirror untl age 1. Where does that come from?
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Frumme




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 9:55 am
Not sure where it comes from, but from what I understand, there are variations on the custom. Some say it's only for boys, others say it's until they have their first tooth, etc.
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Rappel




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 10:49 am
What? Please explain
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happy chick




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 10:51 am
I also heard until their first tooth. The first tooth might be cuz first teeth can come around age 1.
Don't know the source but it may have something to do w seeing things 3D. It's not good for their brain development to see things in 2D. Same goes for screen time.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 11:04 am
https://www.imamother.com/foru.....=4942

https://www.imamother.com/foru.....=4942

Here's some threads that have tidbits
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 12:04 pm
It's a superstition. The world is full of adults who played with mirrors as babies and are just fine.
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stillnewlywed




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 12:49 pm
I don't know anyone who has a source for this
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flower2




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:33 pm
We hold till first tooth
Other variations I have heard are walking or talking
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amother
Goldenrod


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:45 pm
It’s a superstition. No Halacha whatsoever.
Tons of my newborn’s toys have mirrors on them.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:47 pm
happy chick wrote:
I also heard until their first tooth. The first tooth might be cuz first teeth can come around age 1.
Don't know the source but it may have something to do w seeing things 3D. It's not good for their brain development to see things in 2D. Same goes for screen time.

So should one not read books to babies either? The pictures are 2D.
So are pictures of bubbie.
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4g01o




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:52 pm
My mother told us this too. I never quite understood it. I thought it was bc it was scary for them! Haha
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amother
Ruby


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:54 pm
amother [ Emerald ] wrote:
So should one not read books to babies either? The pictures are 2D.
So are pictures of bubbie.


Totally not! Reading is so important for babies.

There zero medical source for this. As a matter of fact it’s good for babies development to see reflections and reactions in a mirror.

No halachic sources as far as I’ve found either.
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:55 pm
Maybe because... you get all happy they can recognize themselves, and then they might regress if they’re on the spectrum.
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stillnewlywed




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:57 pm
flower2 wrote:
We hold till first tooth
Other variations I have heard are walking or talking


What do you mean, “ you hold”?
Has a Rav told you this?
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amother
Lime


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 1:58 pm
sequoia wrote:
Maybe because... you get all happy they can recognize themselves, and then they might regress if they’re on the spectrum.

So make sure their faces are clean, and then they won't show proof of self-recognition.
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amother
Goldenrod


 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:00 pm
stillnewlywed wrote:
What do you mean, “ you hold”?
Has a Rav told you this?


“Hold” is a yeshivishism
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bigsis144




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:04 pm
Baby boys shouldn’t look at mirrors cuz then they’ll grow up to be gay 🙄 (/sarcasm)

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone added that kind of stupidity to it, with just the slightest hint of spirituality/Halacha/fear to make people keep passing it on.

UGH



I assume this is a (European?) superstition that got absorbed into Jewish lore.

There are so many mirror-related superstitions/legends, like vampires having no reflection, chanting Bloody Mary while looking at one, bad luck for breaking a mirror, mirrors being used for magical scrying by supernatural beings, people’s souls getting trapped in them (and babies’ souls are particularly vulnerable), etc.


Last edited by bigsis144 on Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:09 pm; edited 1 time in total
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flower2




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:08 pm
stillnewlywed wrote:
What do you mean, “ you hold”?
Has a Rav told you this?


Sort of- my family's minhag is no mirrors till baby has teeth. My husband thought it was some silly superstition but went along with it with my oldest (who got teeth really early) until we where at his rebbi's house for shabbos and the whole family was trying to keep my son away from a mirror he kept crawling towards. Turns out they hold until walking and another rebbi of his family does until talking.

After that shabbos my husband stopped making fun of my family's "superstition" lol
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:11 pm
I googled this and came up with a ton of hits. This is one of those things that we see in different cultures, not just Jewish. Here is a link with a Jewish source: https://judaism.stackexchange......irror

if you read the links within the link above, you will see other sources which say this is bubbe meise. Similar to always cutting the ends off the meat before putting in the pot.
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flowerpower




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 09 2020, 2:11 pm
amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:
It's a superstition. The world is full of adults who played with mirrors as babies and are just fine.


This. My babies all looked into the mirror as infants and lived to tell the tale.
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