How far back in childhood can you remember? What’s the earliest memory that you can recall?

Question

FunkyMonkee · Accepted Answer

Apparently, 1! If not 1 then VERY shortly after I turned 2!
Well, I turned 2 in July and I recall one Sept. when I WAS 2, mom gave me and my brother a bath upstairs in the tub one afternoon. She pulled me out of the tub and dried me off and, as she went to deal with my brother, I ran out of the bathroom and downstairs to the hallway where mom had her make-up in the top two drawers of an antique dresser under an even older mirror. I pulled one of the drawers open, found a tube of her very red lipstick and started to put it on. First, my lips, then my face, my neck, my chest, my arms, my legs, etc.. Then, I turned around and ran out the front door, walked over to the alley about 50' away and all the way to the end of the alley a block away and into the ballfield where a bunch of older kids were playing football.
Now, the reason I got the lipstick was because I'd seen mom put it on a number of times before so, I MUST'VE seen her do it while I was still only 1!
I also remember a couple months after the lipstick incident, being taken to the apartment where my parents' friends lived, no idea where that was, now but, it took us a while to dive there. I was wearing a little suit with a brown fedora hat and there was this cute girl that lived upstairs of them that I always played with when I was there. Never saw her since then, as far as I know. well, this couple bought me a record as a Christmas present and I remember playing it at their place. It had a red label and was some woman singing and telling the story of a sleepyhead squirrel. Sadly, the record has now vanished from my vast present day collection (at least 60,000 records) and I haven't seen it since then, either.

Chazmatazz269 · Accepted Answer

My earliest memory may have been implanted. I was 3ish, and it was Easter. My family didn’t hide eggs, but our entire baskets. My parents took out the trash, replaced the liner and stashed my basket in the trash can. When i found it i started bawling. I thought the Easter Bunny hated me and threw my basket away. Ell oh ell!
The thing is that i has no recollection of the event until i saw a polaroid taken immediately after i found the basket and was “reminded” why i was crying in the photo. I’m still not entirely sure if the memory came to me or if i conjured it after the telling of the tale.

sage2021 · Accepted Answer

I was 4 years old. We went to a pizza restaurant. Someone had sprinkled Parmesan cheese on their speghetti and it smelled like throw up. I didn't know it was from the sprinkled cheese and I was determined to find out where the vomit was. It made me freak our and I almost got sick.

menina · Accepted Answer

I remember going for walks with my grandfather when I was like 4 or 5 years old. I used to pick up flowers and little stones. I miss those times...

Telekinetic-Potato · Answer

I can remember stuff from really far back but anything before the first grade, it's hart to say when it happened.

I remember bits and pieces from preschool. I remember the room, and how they used to have a tube TV on a cart. And for lunch they always had the most un-ripe pairs.

I think my earliest memory is when my parents still lived in an attic and my dad just got these new speakers or I think he probably had just gotten into pirating music or something. He was playing the wabash cannonball 🙄 but as a kid I loved it haha. I also got blamed for flooding the toilet. I can't remember if I actually did it though. I feel like I didn't but logically I must have.

And while we were living there. A weird guy across the street hat this bird and long story short, I was one of the only people the bird wouldn't basically try to kill if you pet it.

Not exactly sure when we moved away. I think it was when I got into the first grade.

Youryeodongsaeng · Answer

The earliest memory that I can recall, is me, 2 or 3 years old, drinking from my sippy cup (it was like a sippy bottle). I was drinking milk. I think I was watching Barney. I drained the white milk from my cup and walked in the kitchen to get some more milk. I don't remember if my first stepdad was in there or my mother; I do remember one of them being in there. I opened the fridge, took the milk out, sat it on the counter and poured me some milk in my cup. I recall spilling some and leaving it there. I put the top back on the milk and on my cup, putting the milk back in the fridge and then went back into the living room and sat down.

Just recently, my baby sister who is 3 years old, reminded me of that memory of me pouring milk, by pouring milk into a regular drinking cup. She didn't spill a single drop. She put the milk back up and walked away with her cup of milk like it was nothing.

WindAtMyBack · Answer

I remember getting my diapers changed. They were real cloth diapers because it was before disposable diapers became a thing. I was fascinated by how the diapers were folded into a different shape that made it easy to wrap around me. A square diaper is folded diagonally - in my mind it got longer by being folded in half - I thought that was super cool.

I also remember trying to put the pin on the diapers and my mom kept pushing my hand away. It was frustrating because I wanted to do it. Finally she let me try it. I did it wrong. She fixed it and I saw what I did wrong and didn't care about doing it any more.

MarkRet · Answer

Maybe when I was 2. I'd want my mother to get me up to the top of the couch so I could see out the big window. She'd get me up there, but it wasn't long before I got bored and wanted to come down. She'd get me down, but then I'd get bored and want to have her got me back up the couch. I wasn't TRYING to jerk her around, but after a couple of times she stopped doing it.

Bluemax · Answer

I remember being given a bath in the sink. I remember my aunt and uncle coming to visit while I was on the changing table. I remember being given a bottle.

I can more accurately describe the layout of the house I was born in than my brother and sister who are 7 and 3 years older than me respectively.

MTC29 · Answer

This is interesting because in grad school I took part in a psychological interview on this exact subject matter.

My earliest memory is being 3 years old and my dad taking me out of the house while my mother had a baby shower, just prior to the birth of my younger sister. My dad and I went to Jack in The Box, where I had a hamburger which was over salted (yuck).

I have been told stories of things which happened previously, but his is where my actual memory begins.

NathanDavis · Answer

as far as being two years old/almost three years old and I have the memories of our first house, and the bus stop that was near the street, but not much more than that, lol

MikeInHawaii · Answer

Probably the earliest memories were a few around the age of three. I remember when my mother was pregnant with my sister, who was born right after my fourth birthday. I can also remember how frustrating it was, sitting in my high chair, trying to explain something to my parents, and they’d look at each other and shake their heads.

Adronicus · Answer

3. My Grandpa was teasing my Grandma. She was getting around without a walker, picked up a toaster & started wailing his arm with the cord like a whip, Gramps just laughed it off. I learned later I had to of been 3 when this happened, she couldn't get around with a walker after that age.

Anonymous · Answer

My earliest memory is probably me and my next door neighbour and best friend at the time chasing each other. We were about 2 years old.

She and I would run through the front and back doors of both our houses (often completely naked, I might add) in a giant circle.

Good times.

DJB72 · Answer

I lost a lot of my childhood memories through PTSD after my brother died. I have been able to recover a bit, but not a lot.

RasmusAiken · Answer

I was elbowing my way through the birth canal being chased by a placenta.

Lyndsielee666 · Answer

Nothing before 17 because I was traumatized from a young age

slatyb · Answer

I have a pretty good memory of the car seat I had when I was a toddler. It had a steering wheel and I have a strong memory of what that steering wheel looked like. I had a younger sister and I remember thinking that in case of emergency I knew how to work the brake. In those days parents often left children unattended in a parked car for a few minutes.

Emilyis · Answer

I can remember being like 3 or 4 years old and riding on my mom's horse the first time by myself and one of my flipflops fell off and I starting crying.

driven159 · Answer

Being left alone when I was 2 and walked down the street with my diapers on went to a beauty shop, they called the police

Kaamraj · Answer

My earliest memory is of myself when I was 2-3, it was of me squashing an ant. I distinctly remember how hard that bugger was to eliminate.

GettingBetter · Answer

Standing in my crib and my sister had eyelids flipped up with hands out like a ghoul scaring me for a laugh when parents weren't home LOL... being the last of 7 kids made me strong and resilient so I'm blessed!

Marshymallow · Answer

I remember starting kindergarten and a little bit before that. So around 4 to 5yrs old

TrueConfection · Answer

I have a couple of memories from age 2 and a few more from age 3.

Prettygurl12 · Answer

The earliest memory I have is picking out our first family dog at the pound when I was like 2.

Bratsondanielle · Answer

I think for me it would probably be around my 3-year-old when we flew to Africa on vacation

Jaximus-Lion · Answer

4 years old 😁 that's when i hurt my head and got stitches, thats why i remember it.

LiamSawyer · Answer

I can remember having diapers changed when I was 2 or 3.

Sparkie460 · Answer

The earliest I remember is running through the sprinkler in the front yard with the girl next door. I was 4 years old and she was 3 years old.

LivingExample · Answer

My birthday is in November. I remember taking a test when I was four so I could start school at four instead of waiting until the next year when I was five!

Indiana123 · Answer

I remember lying in bed waiting for my mom to lift me out. I couldn't walk yet so it must have been when I was 1 year old maybe I don't know when i learned to walk actually.

exitseven · Answer

I can remember before I went to kindergarten. I was maybe 3 years old.

Juxtapose · Answer

My earliest memory is at 4 years old when my parents were arguing in a restaurant and they wouldn't answer my questions about the universe.

Bubbles16 · Answer

The earliest thing I can remember is when I was like 8 and I went to my now ex best friend's house for a sleepover

God_of_Thunder · Answer

I can remember a few very specific scenarios that, according to my mother, occurred when I was 2 years old.

Jay3344 · Answer

2 or 3…but not as vividly as I could when I was younger

Gent207 · Answer

My memory starts at 5 with me waking up in my parent's new house

Fuentes · Answer

When I was 3 getting dressed up for Halloween as superman

Sonorous · Answer

Getting beat by my parents

josephinelcajon · Answer

Pre school for sure and even earlier but not as vivid

FinneasWilson · Answer

I remember back to about 1-2 I know I was in my cot in the back bedroom and I tried to climb out of it. It was brown and wooden.

Anonymous · Answer

A speech by Jimmy Carter when I was like 4 or something.

BillyBalls · Answer

I can remember being in the hospital at one and half years old. I was there for surgery, so I guess it stuck in my head.

Noodle_fan · Answer

my younger brother poop on my head during sleep , i think was 4 years old

altaboy · Answer

I think 3 years old, watching my mom tend her roses in the garden.

goodgirlsteven · Answer

pre school as a boy playing with my friends on tricycles

fireforeffect · Answer

I was the only one in my family that thought that John Kennedy would be a good president.

rachel776 · Answer

i think 3 years old when i fell one time

abc3643 · Answer

22 NOV 1963 The day JFK was shot.

Guy__ · Answer

I thought I didn't exist before I was 5 years old.

boobliker · Answer

only somethings from about 4 onwards

Wise4myage · Answer

I can remember stuff when I was 3.

skyeee_ · Answer

when i was 3 or 4 ig

Celticwolf78 · Answer

I can remember all the way back

jahaims · Answer

Two.

scooogy · Answer

NSFW

eagle1951 · Answer

2 years old

How far back in childhood can you remember? What’s the earliest memory that you can recall?

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