What's your earliest memory?

[duchesse]

This is a spin-off from another thread, on which someone expressed surprise that anyone would remember things from when they were 3 and said that these memories must have been "put there" by a parent.

Now my earliest reliable memory is of looking around our kitchen, at the underside of the sink (can still see the pattern now), then going outside to where my mother was milking our goat. The goat seemed huge to me, taller than I was. My mother had a big stomach and the sun was shining.

This combination of elements puts this memory at around 20 months of age. It's entirely visual. I have an earlier far more smell and feeling based memory that makes people think I'm barking, so I won't pollute this thread with it.

Just interested: what is your earliest memory?

I can remember learning to walk, I had just turned three and was recovering from congenital hip dislocation.

Also have memories of waiting at a bus stop with my father when we went to collect his weekly wages. There would often be another lady there, chatting with him and sometimes she would hold his hand....... I really wish I didn't remember this.

I remember when my mum threw out my wheely panda, must have been about 2.5. I also remember standing in my cot screaming to be let out about 18mths my mum has confirmed this! also going in a helicopter on holiday aged 2.

I remember standing on a stool helping my dad wash up, when a lady knocked on the door asking if I wanted to go to nursery. I remember saying
no lol. I also remember having chickenpox and riding on a plastic rocking horse, not sure which was earlier. Must have been about 3.

Have vague memories before then, but can't be sure they are not from family legend.

I also remember learning to walk, I was a late walker and a bike in front of me apparently led me to stand up and walk. But I really cannot be sure that this is a real memory, or just implanted in me from stories.

horses hooves in the paddling pool. probably.

dunno age.

I have blanked most memories from pre-5 so I have only a few. The horse is one.

I remember standing up in my cot to get the Dentinox, getting the lid off and spilling it on my cot blanket - such a lovely pinky red colour. Not sure how old I was but possibly 2-ish

I was 2 when I went to Spain with my parents and I remember a few things from that; eating kidneys for the first time; saying Wesmass Notches (instead of Buenos noces); and the most bizarre one was at the bullfight - standing to shout Ole! is one, but the odd one is that I remember a lorry coming out afterwards and painting white lines - apparently it was re-painting the football pitch. Don't remember the bulls at all! Definitely a real memory though - I had to ask what the lorry was all about, when I was much bigger.

i remember being in my pushchair so must of been 2ish, i was screaming becasue my dad was pushing me and i wnated my mum to, we where by thr local shops, i still remember exactly where

My mum was very when she realised my earliest memory was being shut in the garden after wetting my knickers - I was 18 months old. In her defence I had been dry for a while and had done it several times that afternoon apparently on purpose. It would not have been harsh at the time remember.

I remember being in my pushchair, with the cover buttoned up and the hood up because it was raining. I remember the view I had through the gap between the two as my mum pushed me down the road to our house.
Weirdly, my dad's earliest memory is of a trip out in HIS pushchair. They were walking round a lake.
Both me and Dad would have been about 3.

My earliest memory is when I was 17 months. we were at my aunty's for christmas, and she lit holly ontop of the pudding with brandy. all the lights were low and the blaze was blue.
we have no photos of this and I remember my gran there also - she died the following april.

It's a nice memory of family, security and celebration.

I'm family oriented and love parties to this day!

The first thing I am certain I remember was my brother's birth when I was 2.8yrs. He was born with spina bifida and I remember playing with the toy ironing board I got as a present and turning round to see my mum crying. My grandparents were there too.

I remembering visiting my brother in hospital 6 weeks later when he had an op and me crying my eyes out, sitting in a high chair waiting for my mum to visit my brother and the nurses trying to cheer me up.

I think I remember having my arm x-rayed when I was about 18mths too - my father saved me from tripping down a slope by grabbing my arm but I cried so much my parents thought he must have dislocated my shoulder. I was fine. I am not convinced of this memory because I see it two ways - one like looking at myself in a mirror which can't be true and another seems a real memory with me sat on the table with a nurse getting me into position for the x-ray. That could be accurate but I don't know. I think I remember my arm in a sling trying to eat smoked haddock and mash potatoes too!

I remember loads about our first house and we left when I was 4.5yrs - most of it after my brother was born.

I remember being put to bed in a white painted cot with 3 little animal transfers on the headboard, the walls were blue in my room, I remember my Mum pulling the door almost shut.

More clearly I remember getting in trouble for dressing my baby brother in one of my Doll's outfits - he is 23 months younger than me so I guess I would have been not too much over 2, I had taken him out of the cot (same white one I had), dressed him in a patchwork dress and put him back! Got in lots of trouble with Dad!

I have many more memories from a very young age and can still remember how clearly I thought and how strong my sense of self was if that makes sense. Scary when you look at your own children and realise they know and think far more than they can vocalise!

My DS1 also has memories from before his brother was born, there is a 2.5 year gap. DS2 however has trouble remembering what he did yesterday!

I would have been 18 months old as we'd just moved into our new house.

I was in 'my' bedroom and I was transfixed by the paper on my wall. It was white but with hot air balloons on it and you could feel them as they bulged off the paper slighty. I still remember how they felt, what they looked like, what colours they were, even the smell of it as the paper hadn't been on the wall for very long. I also remember that I was wearing blue dungarees at the time. I love this memory.