What is the the earliest people are able to remember things from childhood??

Question

Just wondering how far back people can remember as I'm trying to make sense of my past and have no idea how far back it's possible to remember things from your childhood? What is the earliest age you can remember things from if anyone knows? Thanks a lot,
J

Answer 1

Seems to depend on the individual. I can remember being one year old but only one event from that time (sitting in my pram and I bit the corner from a loaf my mum had put on top of my pram. Delicious!) After that my memories are from 3 years of age at nursery, but I know some people who remember very little before age 5

Answer 2

Most experts believe that we can't remember anything from before three years old. I can remember exact details of a certain house I lived inat 1 1/2. These are things that my parents never had a reason to tell me, like the floor plan of the house, how there was a step going into the kitchen, how the door handle to my parents bedroom worked from the outside, but not the inside, where their bed was set on the wall, and they cannot figure out how I remember this stuff.

Answer 3

Basically theorists on the subject, say that you are not likely to remember things from before the age of three. I have a good memory of my childhood, and can remember a few things before the age of three, but most are after. Childhood memory theory is slightly attached to John Bowlby's Attachment theory I think.

I remember going to the toilet on my own, and putting my shoes on the right feet for the first time. These are things that I did around the age of 2.

Some people say they can remember their birth, but I'm not sure about this, as you would have no way of contextualising it, to then form a memory.

Answer 4

There seem to be two layers here. We remember how to walk, although not remembering how we LEARNED to walk.
We remember colors, shapes, and heaviness, without remembering all the touchplaying we did to learn that.

We learned our native language, unconsciously at first. I don't remember my first "momma" or "Dadda".

No one remembers being born. That's why we need birth certificates. In courts of law, one's own birthdate is hearsay and can only be proved by a birth certificate or someone present when birth occurred, like the mother.

Now about ourfirst conscious memories--where we made sense of a whole situation and knew what it meant-I once did an informal survery asking people what event they first remember in life.

It's usually at about 4 years of age, and it is also usually some startling, shocking event that seems to "wake us up".

You could call this the first time we become "aware of ourselves" as separate beings.
Then our ego starts to form, and our personality.

Answer 5

Look up the psychological research on "childhood amnesia" and it will explain all. Particularly with reference to "implanted/false memories" and misleading suggestions. Usually people cannot remember stuff before the age of three, many of those who claim to remember before that time have later found out the repetition of childhood stories coupled with photographs of the time have "implanted" false memories in the brain. This was particularly topical in the 80s when lots of people in therapy claim to have recovered memories of abuse. Very interesting subject.

Answer 6

First memory that is really clear in my mind and my parents have confirmed is since just before I was 3 years old, sticking a selfadhesive sticker on the kitchen wall and wondering if anyone was looking. Other memories I have from my childhood aren't as clear when it comes to timing them so I can't say when they happened.

Answer 7

I remember a shocking event at the age of four, when I almost drowned and can to this day graphically retell my experience of it. Other events that happened earlier than that are "remembered" because of photographs, videos, special old toys and the fact that my parents always reminded me of them. Then there are some people who just have better memories than others - I guess it depends on how life's experiences affect us.

Answer 8

I can remember things from when i was about 4 years of age but its very hazy if you know what i mean

Answer 9

I think that it depends on the actual person, i mean i can vividly remember my 5th brithday party but can also remember a plane ride when i was 4 years old.

Answer 10

i remember climbing over a small garden wall at about 9 months old wearing a red coat and bonnett and a scratchy homemade woolen jumper, before i knew i was allergic to wool. oh, and getting into trouble for leaving the garden.