It is difficult not to be moved by a toddler who is taking its first steps, who laughs when we play hide and seek and repeats the words it has just heard. Science is beginning to understand that a big head compared to the rest of the body, big deer like eyes, small ears, soft skin, particular smell and a host of other features of newborns and small children (clumsiness, gurgling sounds) are part of a package prepared by nature to make parents, neighbors, selfish and normal people all shout out “What a pretty child!”. In the presence of a small child our five senses are calibrated to send messages along a privileged neural pathway to reduce aggressiveness (and block contrary stimuli), increase empathy and take protective measures. All of a sudden, smelly stools, vomit and the like, that natural selection worked hard to make us detest and find disgusting (to avoid infection) elicit a smile providing they truly belong to the baby. This is a potent way to protect the child and guarantee its survival as it is totally dependent on those around. It was thought that this was a maternal instinct, but we now know that the privileged neural route triggers precise responses according to a choreography that must touch the pleasure centers in men and women whether parents or not. Cinema and cartoons borrow this effect. Mickey Mouse has an enormous head and big eyes, Superman has a small head and small penetrating eyes. The head/trunk proportions mean that the koala is endearing and the snake frightening. If we really want to scare then we should draw a triangular head with very small eyes and pointed ears and green skin. This is all the opposite of what a newborn looks like.