Couple thinks their 2-month-old baby is a 'genius' after he incredibly mimics his dad's gesture

To every parent, their baby is a genius. From cheering support for taking the first step to blurting out their first word, parents love celebrating the small but significant milestones. However, a couple was left scratching their heads after their little infant tried to adorably copy their father’s gesture. Sitting at a restaurant, TikTok user Britt Dipp (@brittdipp) captured a heartwarming moment while her husband tried to engage with their 2-month-old baby boy playfully. In the brief snippet, Dipp seemingly got a glimpse of their baby’s blooming cognitive development and speculated if he was a genius already. “POV: A cute moment turns into your baby potentially being a genius,” the overlay text on the post read. 

The father, holding the baby in his arms, made his fingers walk on the table as the little one curiously watched. After a brief moment, the infant tried to imitate his father’s actions and pulled out a finger to similarly place it on the table. “He’s trying to do it. He's trying to copy!” the mother said in a surprised tone. The father gleefully made another attempt at his gesture, encouraging the baby to follow through, and so he did. Cheerful waves of laughter followed as the baby tried his best to copy, but could not since his brain was too young to comprehend the motion physically. Regardless, the parents were proud and happy about their child’s growth. “You’re a smart guy,” quipped the father, as the baby flashed a heartwarming smile.

The couple eventually realized that while the baby wanted to do the gesture, he was unable to use his tiny fingers. “Is it me, or do we have the baby from the Boss Baby movie. He’s 2 months old here, I wonder if this is a third child thing?” the TikTok user captioned the post. With over 466,000 views and nearly 500,000 likes, the adorable snippet reached a major chunk of the internet. People reacted to the sweet moment with varying insights, some cheering them on while others noted that it was nothing special. “That child is gonna be a pro athlete,” wrote a person (@d2alt0) while another (@ashleylikescouture) said, “He started nodding his head like I know I'm smart.” “In his head, he’s like 'Move body…move,'” joked someone else (@the.one.guy173737).

However, there were a few kill-joy comments suggesting it was a pretty normal thing to do. “Every parent thinks their baby is a genius when they’re doing the most mundane thing ever,” quipped an internet user (@chris.oh.tine). Similarly, another (@indigogirl222) joked, “Big deal. My baby is 18 months old and is already chief of surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.” “Baby: *farts* Parents: He's a genius!” critiqued a fellow TikTok user (@henrydes1gns). A thoughtful comment by @jemmatoons tried to explain the baby’s behavior. “People really do not understand that his motor skills are holding him back. He is truly observing and knows what he wants to do, but can’t! He’s smart!” it read. 

According to Medical Xpress, a study has shown that imitations and interactions between parents and a young child create connections and increase the latter’s ability as they grow. Therefore, the more sensitive the interaction with babies typically six months of age, the greater the child’s ability will develop by 18 months of age. "These experiences create connections between what the child feels and does on the one hand and what it sees on the other. Associations are formed. The child's visual experience is connected to its own motor activity," said Markus Paulus, Chair of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. 

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