What is object permanence, and why does it matter for babies?

You might have heard about object permanence as a developmental milestone for babies. But what is it, exactly?

What is object permanence?

Object permanence is the concept that an object exists even if you can't see it. For example, a person who walks out of the room still exists. A toy hidden under a blanket isn't gone forever just because it's out of sight.

Object permanence isn't something babies automatically understand at birth; it's a milestone that develops as they get older. Before babies understand object permanence, they might get upset when something "vanishes" before their very eyes – like when you hide a toy under a blanket, or even when you leave them in the living room while you take a bathroom break.

Once a baby understands object permanence, they'll know that objects exist even when they're out of sight – an important step in their cognitive development.

"This is part of your baby's larger understanding of the physical world and signifies a big step in their problem solving and thinking skills," says Kelley Yost Abrams , Ph.D., a developmental psychologist and member of BabyCenter's Medical Advisory Board . "It also is an important advancement in symbolic thinking – which matters for language, math, emotional, and social development."

When do babies learn object permanence?

Babies start to learn object permanence sometime between 4 to 7 months old, though it'll most likely be sometime after 6 months old.

By 10 months old, babies usually have a decent understanding of object permanence. It'll be completely developed around 18 to 24 months.

But as with any development in babies, this can all vary. If your baby doesn't search for hidden objects by 10 to 12 months and you're concerned that they're not developing object permanence, talk to your pediatrician. They can help figure out whether your baby is just taking their time learning new skills, or if there's an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

How do babies develop object permanence?

The theory of object permanence in babies comes from psychologist Jean Piaget. He studied the cognitive development of children in the 1950s, and much of his work is still relevant to how we understand child development today.

Object permanence is part of Piaget's first stage of child development – the sensorimotor stage, where babies use their senses (hearing, touch, taste, and smell) and their motor skills to explore the world around them.

During the sensorimotor stage, in addition to object permanence, babies also start to discover cause-and-effect relationships – such as when they touch a ball, it moves. Your baby will do a lot of exploring and inspecting during this time.

[Object permanence] is an important advancement in symbolic thinking – which matters for language, math, emotional, and social development. - Dr. Kelley Yost Abrams, developmental psychologist

Before object permanence is concrete, a baby's frontal lobe will become more developed and they'll develop the ability to form memories . Being able to hold a visual memory of an object is part of what leads to understanding object permanence.

Other things that help your baby learn object permanence are being able to identify objects, being able to pay attention to an object, and being able to track an object's movements visually.

What are the signs your baby understands object permanence?

Here's how you can tell if your baby understands object permanence:

• They react to games like peek-a-boo .
• They drop toys on purpose to be picked up, and they look for dropped objects.
• They look for you when you walk out of the room.
• Around 6 months, they'll look for partially hidden objects.
• Around 9 months, they'll look for completely hidden objects.
• After 12 months, they'll become even better at finding hidden objects. They'll eventually remember objects they haven't recently seen, such as a favorite toy or blanket.

Separation anxiety often develops in infants and toddlers after they learn object permanence. It can develop between 8 to 12 months, or even later. Your baby might get very upset when you leave them with a babysitter, or even when you walk into the other room!

Separation anxiety means that your baby understands object permanence and has an attachment to you as their caregiver, which is healthy and normal. It can be hard, but it'll eventually subside and your child will come to know that you always return.

How to help your baby develop object permanence

There are things you can do to help your baby develop object permanence. Activities you can do together include:

• Playing peek-a-boo.
• Playing reverse peek-a-boo – you help them hide their face with their hands.
• Hiding your face behind a door or corner, then popping out to surprise them.
• Hiding a toy under a blanket, then removing the blanket to show it is still there. Next time, let them remove the blanket.
• Indulging in picking up objects dropped out of sight – just for your baby to drop again.
• Holding a blanket in front of your face and making different facial expressions each time you remove it.
• Talking about objects out of sight. For example, asking, "Where did your blanket go? Let's go find it."
• Narrating when an object disappears: "Grandma walked into the other room"; "The doll is under the blanket."
• Playing easy hide-and-seek: Once your baby can move around, hide with part of your body visible (such as a leg sticking out) and allow them to come "find" you.

Key Takeaways

• Object permanence is when babies understand the concept that an object still exists even when it can't be seen.
• Babies begin to develop object permanence between 4 and 7 months.
• Signs your baby understands object permanence include: reacting to games like peek-a-boo, looking for hidden objects, and showing signs of separation anxiety.
• You can help your baby learn object permanence by playing peek-a-boo games, hiding their toys under a blanket, helping them find hidden objects, and talking to them about objects that are out of sight.