Babies can make jokes before they can talk

Babies who are too young to speak can still forge friendships with each other and even make jokes, researchers have found. Tiny cameras strapped to a baby`s head have revealed the world from an infant`s point of view and offered scientists a unique view of life.

It was found that young babies, less than 18 months old, were able to communicate with each other through gestures, noises and shared play. The team at Charles Sturt University in Australia observed children aged from six months to 18 months in two childcare centres and nine family day care homes.

Researcher Jennifer Sumsion, professor of early childhood, said the footage showed the babies "were much more capable at a young age than we had anticipated", which "should reassure parents with children in childcare".

She said the babies interacted with each other through making eye contact, subtle gestures, reaching out, and even using humor. She said: "A child less than 12 months old handed a toy to another child then snatched it back at the last minute, and they repeated this several times in a playful manner before he handed the toy over.”

She added that when a new child started at one of the centres, the other children came over and touched her but this frightened her so the children found a piece of material so she could hide and that comforted her. The study was funded by the Australian Research Council.


/telegraph.co/