One playful phrase we hear very often in Japan around babies is “Inai Inai Baa.”
Before becoming parents, we thought it was just a simple game, but after having our baby, we realized how naturally it becomes part of everyday life with children in Japan.
Around the middle of babyhood, many babies slowly begin to understand that people and objects still exist even when they temporarily disappear from sight. Because of this developmental stage, games like “Inai Inai Baa” suddenly become very funny and exciting for babies.
Our baby also gradually started smiling and laughing during these little surprise moments.
“Inai Inai Baa” has actually been played in Japan for a very long time, and records of the phrase and game are said to go back more than a hundred years.
We also became curious about how similar games exist in other countries. In English, a similar game is often called “peek-a-boo.”
Even though the words are different, it feels interesting that parents around the world naturally play similar games with babies.
In Japan, there are also many baby books based on “Inai Inai Baa.”
Our baby especially loved the classic Japanese picture book “Inai Inai Baa,” and it quickly became one of the books we read most often together.
The simple repetition, facial expressions, and rhythm seemed to make our baby smile almost every time.
Before becoming parents, we never imagined such a simple game could become such a meaningful and joyful part of daily life with a baby 🇯🇵
Baby Books We Read Often
“Inai Inai Baa” became one of the picture books we read together most often during everyday baby life in Japan.
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