Summary Of The Movie Babies

The documentary, Babies depicts four babies, each born in a different situation and location. It illustrates how children learn the same basic and essential information at a young age regardless of where they are born. These things include, building motor control, talking, walking, and developing a general understanding of their surroundings. The babies are Ponijao from Namibia, Bayar from Mongolia, Mari from Japan, and Hattie from the US. Each baby is exposed to a different environment from the start. Ponijao and Bayar are from rural, outdoorsy communities, whereas Mari and Hattie are from urban areas.
Ponijao’s mother is shown as allowing her son to roam as he pleases and learn from his environment. This allowed for him to learn from what
he saw, in one scene, he is shown mimicking his mother grinding food as a game. Bayar’s parents are absent for most of the movie and he is mostly around animals and his older sibling. His learning also comes from his environment and he becomes more adventurous. His curiosity is what leads him to learn new skills, such as walking, climbing, and other motor skills. He doesn’t seem to learn any form of speech as quickly or as well as the other babies which might be due to lack of encouragement that should’ve come from his parents. Mari and Hattie are from big cities and their parents invest more time in their development. Hattie’s parents own various baby books and both parents take their children to classes where they can sing, dance, and learn general coordination and motor skills. The two babies are exposed to technology and are disgruntled when they become bored or displeased with the activity they are participating in. Mari begins crying when her wooden cylinder won’t go into the disk and Hattie tries to leave the class her parents took her to. Although these two babies seem to learn the same skills as the other two from rural areas, they seem to lack skills that Ponijao and Bayar developed, such as patience and independence.
The movie shows how it is natural for babies to develop certain skills by themselves and that those can either be sped up or delayed through the amount stimulation they receive. Other skills can also be picked up at a young age, such as patience, social skills, independence and more. Such skills are learned through their surroundings and their interactions with older people. Babies are extremely sensitive to their environment and will easily pick up on the information presented to them. Although, a part of their learning is instinctive and they are able to learn at their own pace and by themselves.