How Come We Can’t Remember Being Babies?

A new study from Yale University reveals clues

Ever wondered why you can’t recall anything from the time you were a baby? You know, the moments when you were learning to smile, giggle, and fling your GerberCarrots on the floor? Turns out, there’s more going on inside our brains than we thought. A new study from Yale University just dropped some mind-blowing clues that could explain why we don’t remember our adorable baby days.

It’s called infantile amnesia — a phenomenon where we forget the first few years of life. Most of us can’t remember anything from before we were about three or four years old, which has always puzzled scientists. Babies are capable of making memories. But those memories may still be hiding somewhere deep in our brains, just waiting for the right conditions so they can come to light.

The Yale Study That Changed Everything

Yale’s groundbreaking study sheds light on this mystery. Published in March 2025, the researchers took a close look at infant memory by scanning the brains of babies aged between 4 and 25 months. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they observed the activity in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for storing memories. The results are fascinating.

The hippocampus was very active when babies were shown new images. Babies are encoding memories in their early months. But while babies were able to form memories, those memories may not be accessible later in life. So, you might have made tons of memories as a baby, but you’re not able to tap into them as you grow older. This challenges the outdated theory that we can’t remember our early years simply because our brains weren’t developed enough at the time.

Check out the Yale Study here. 

Why Can’t We Access Our Baby Memories?

You might be thinking, “Okay, so babies make memories… but why can’t we remember them later?” According to the Yale Study, the hippocampus may be working overtime to store memories, but other parts of the brain involved in memory retrieval — the prefrontal cortex — are still under construction in those early years. This could mean the memories are in there, just out of reach.

Some scientists suggest that as we grow older, our brains go through changes that reorganize or “overwrite” early memories. Those baby memories may simply get lost in the shuffle. If you’ve ever found yourself going, “Why can’t I remember when I won a goldfish at the fair when I was three?” — this could be why.

But What Does This Mean For You?

Truth is, these early memories may not be totally lost — they’re just inaccessible right now. It’s possible that further research may help us figure out ways to tap into those hidden baby memories. Or perhaps you can meditate your way to that reverie.So, while it might be frustrating that we can’t remember those precious first moments, it’s comforting to know that it’s not just you — it’s a brain thing. The good news? You don’t need to remember every single moment to know which early experiences helped shape the beautiful human you are today.