Do Infants Dream of Little Lambs?

Published: 2026-06-25T00:00:00Z
Author: Daniel
This piece serves as my entry for the June 2026 IndieWeb Carnival.

It is a well-established fact that humans generally lack recollections of their first 1 to 3 years. We typically only develop episodic memory between ages 3 and 6, and it isn't until after the first 5 or 6 years that we begin constructing autobiographical memories.

The Mystery of Forgotten Kin

During a conversation with my wife regarding her earliest recollections, she seemed confused. She was aware—via stories from her in-laws—that her late grandfather had held her as a baby and had predicted he would pass away before she ever recognized him.

Tragically, his prediction was accurate; he died shortly thereafter. Consequently, she possesses:

• Direct memories of her grandfather $\rightarrow$ Zero
• Photographs of him
• An intense, inexplicable feeling of love for him

Childhood amnesia, also known as infantile amnesia, is the inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories (memories of situations or events) before the age of three to four years. — Wikipedia

Initially, I suspected my wife had an extreme case of this phenomenon, but a quick search revealed that this "blank slate" is actually the standard human experience.

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A Catalog of Early Recollections

Note: I acknowledge that these could be fabricated memories, as I have no way to verify them beyond the testimony of my parents. I've learned that the brain is an unreliable narrator, yet these images remain vivid.

Sensory and Domestic Memories

1. The Floor: We moved to a new home before I could walk (under a year old). I remember crawling—not on all fours, but sliding—because I loved the sensation of the cold kitchen tiles.
2. The Danger: I recall playing with the wires behind the refrigerator until my father spotted me, panicked, and scolded me.
3. The Scent: I still enjoy the smell of dust, though it now triggers my allergies.
4. Comfort: I remember crawling to my mother's bed to ask for milk and falling asleep on her stomach.
5. The Transition: I remember the switch from a plastic baby bottle to a glass one. The milk tasted different in glass, which caused me to vomit the first time.
6. Routine: I recall the cycle of attending kindergarten, returning home, and eating Alfredo pasta while watching Power Rangers.

The Validation Process

Because I struggle with short-term memory and often unconsciously fill in gaps with imagined events, I questioned if these were real. However, the following were verified:

• The refrigerator cable incident.
• The specific arrangement and rearrangement of furniture.
• The remodeling of the second floor to create my own room.
• The identity of the person who performed the remodeling.

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The First Nightmare

I also retain a memory of a particularly terrifying dream. Usually, I slept in a crib or with my parents, but this specific night, I was alone. My family had watched a war film on the VCR (perhaps Saving Private Ryan), and the imagery of helicopters left a mark.

DREAM LOG:
Location: A sprawling castle.
Action: Running through corridors searching for family.
Knowledge: I knew they were dead.
Climax: Found them at the castle summit; they were undead.
Ending: They departed in a helicopter, leaving me abandoned.

Even now, that memory carries a lingering sense of sadness.

Conclusion: The Emotional Anchor

While there is a high probability that my mind is playing tricks on me, the level of detail regarding my childhood home suggests some accuracy. I suspect that the consolidation of these memories is linked to emotional intensity.

I believe the formula for my early recall looks something like this: $\text{Memory Retention} \propto \text{Emotional Intensity} \times \text{Sensory Impact}$

Though some of these memories are too personal to detail here, they aren't catastrophic—simply poignant moments, such as seeing my loved ones cry, which may have acted as the "glue" that preserved these early fragments of my life.