Baby 'Discovers His Fingers' and His Mind Is Totally Blown
When you're a baby, pretty much everything is new and exciting—whether it's a ceiling fan or a dancing cactus toy. While toddlers and preschoolers can sometimes seem surprisingly jaded for their age, babies are constantly amazed by the world around them, as well as their very own bodies.
In a hilarious video posted on April 24, a baby boy is looking at his hands when he makes an astonishing discovery about his fingers: He can move them, all by himself! In fact, he has the power to make the wiggly guys do whatever he wants. Who knew?!
"Discovering you control the little worms on your hand..." wrote @kimberly.russell_. There's no stopping this kid now! Is there anything sweeter than the totally pure delight of a baby who's just figured out they can do something super cool? Commenters loved witnessing this very important moment.
"So proud of themselves and needed to show you! So sweet," wrote iDontGetTikTok.
"The moment his soul awakened," wrote Jenn!!
The sky's the limit for this boy and his magical fingers. Like all babies, he'll spend the coming months getting better and better at using them!
When Do Babies Realize They Have Hands?
The process of learning how to use their hands is more complicated for babies than you might think, according to Parents.
"'The hand is very complex,' says Daniela Corbetta, Ph.D., who studies infant fine motor development as an associate professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. 'There are joints and muscles that need to be organized and can be moved in very different ways. Babies need to differentiate those sets of muscles to use their fingers, their hands, and their arms in a very fine-tuned fashion.'"
Babies generally don't even realize that they have hands until about the age of 2 months. "Between 2 and 4 months, they'll see something and try to get it with their hands. They'll swipe at the toy, only occasionally hitting it. But accuracy will gradually improve."
By the time your baby is 6 months, they'll start reaching for toys using a "raking grasp," which is a precursor to grabbing.
"Then, at 8 months, your baby will start to strategize. Hold a spoon in front of their face. If they see that it's vertical, your baby will know that they have to rotate their wrist as if preparing to shake a hand. If it's horizontal, they will turn their wrist flat so they can grab it. They will easily seize the spoon because they have mastered something called anticipatory behavior."
Before you know it, your baby will be picking up small objects (using their pincer grasp) and coloring with crayons. They probably won't be as fascinated by their fingers at that point, but they'll be doing fascinating things!
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