Babies think differently from adults because their brains are still developing, and their thinking is primarily based on sensations, emotions, and exploration rather than complex reasoning or language. From birth, babies experience "protothoughts," which are basic thoughts tied to bodily sensations like hunger, comfort, or sleep. They are highly sensitive to their surroundings and begin to process emotions and social cues early on, such as recognizing faces and responding to caregivers' expressions

. Babies' thinking evolves as they grow:

• In the first months, they rely on sensory input and emotional connections.
• By around 4 to 6 months, they start voluntary movements and begin understanding cause and effect through experimentation, like dropping toys.
• Around 6 to 7 months, memory develops, and babies associate actions with feelings (pleasure or discomfort).
• By 8 months, they grasp object permanence, realizing objects exist even when out of sight.
• Around 12 to 18 months, symbolic thinking emerges, allowing them to associate words with objects and imitate behaviors

Babies also show early social cognition: they prefer helpful over mean characters, respond to emotional tones, and begin to empathize with others. Their brains react not only to their own experiences but also to observing others, indicating early understanding of social interactions

. In essence, babies think about their immediate experiences-sensations, emotions, people around them, and cause-effect relationships-as they gradually build their understanding of the world through sensory exploration, social interaction, and developing memory and language skills