“Babies are the ultimate mystery,” says a voiceover in the trailer of this landmark documentary series. “They are much more complex than we ever thought.” This series tracks fifteen babies over the course of a year.
The documentary “showcases incredible, groundbreaking science revealing the developmental leaps and bounds babies go through in the first year of life while capturing the personal and emotional journey of the family as a whole,” according to Jane Root, executive producer of Babies. The series is extremely intimate. Invited into the family home, viewers share the parents’ wonderment in their child’s development.
Some of these babies are filmed from the moment they were born. Their journey from helpless newborns to independent toddlers is tracked by leading scientists in the US, the UK, France, Italy and Israel. Who knew universities have “baby labs” where all aspects of an infant’s development is meticulously charted.
There are amazing discoveries such as: a baby’s growth can be a startling centimeter on a given day, naps aid memory, and how toddlers in bilingual homes adapt to both languages. Not only is the scientific research compelling but also the personal stories shared by the scientists regarding their own babies.
Many thanks to the families who invited the cameras and researchers into their homes. Highly recommended to Moms and Dads.