Newborn's Five Senses

VISION

Can my baby see? Yes, at birth your baby's eyesight is well developed. When you first lift your newborn to come face-to-face, his eyes will open and search your face, almost saying "Is it really you?" This is the beginning of a wonderfully special relationship.

What can my baby see?

Your baby can focus on objects 8-14" away from her Oust about the distance between her eyes and your face as you hold or feed her).Your face, more than any other object, holds a very special attraction for your baby. Babies enjoy exploring human faces. They usually scan the outline and then move to the eyes and mouth. Eyes are particularly stimulating!

Your baby enjoys objects with sharply defined outlines and bold contrasting colors. Examples of this are your face, board books and anything black and white.

Your baby is best able to focus when she is calm and alert. She can become "locked in" or hooked on what she is looking at and will stare at an object or face for periods of up to ten minutes.

Movement or change in her surroundings will also capture her attention. She is able to follow an object or face in an arc from one side of her body to another.

A reflex that presents itself from birth is called tonic neck reflex or " fencer's pose." When a baby's head is turned to one side, the arm on the face side extends and the other arm flexes near the face in a fencing position. Take advantage of this reflex by propping stimulating objects at baby's side.

HEARING

"Months before birth, babies' ability to hear is already acute and well developed. They can distinguish between types of sound (for example, a buzzer or a bell), loudness and pitch, different voices, familiar and unfamiliar sounds, and they can even determine the direction from which sound is coming." (The Amazing Newborn, Marshall H. Klaus, M.D. and Phyllis H. Klaus, M. Ed., C.S.W.)

Newborns prefer human to nonhuman sounds. They also prefer high-pitched voices. Mothers and fathers instinctively raise the pitch of their voices when they talk to their babies. You will find talking to your baby rewarding as he alerts and "tunes in" to your voice and face.

Babies are comforted by rhythmic sounds. These sounds probably remind them of being in the womb and hearing the rhythm of their mothers' heartbeat. Examples of rhythmic sounds are Mother Goose rhymes, music, a vacuum cleaner and a fan.

TOUCH

Touch is an important area of communication between you and your baby. He likes to be cuddled and will often nestle and mold to your body. Both you and your baby enjoy the experience of holding, stroking, and rocking.

One of the most comforting activities for your newborn is sucking on his fingers. As he develops, touch will be an important way to explore his world and initiate contact with you. Your baby also responds to other aspects of touch: different temperatures, texture, moisture, pressure, and pain.

He will let you know when he is uncomfortable!

SMELL

Newborns have a highly developed sense of smell. Your baby can distinguish between appealing (sweet) and unappealing odors (vinegar). By the age of six days, a breast-fed infant can even recognize the smell of her mother's nursing pad!

TASTE

Taste is also highly developed in newborns. Your baby will show pleasure with sweetness and displeasure with slightly salty, acidic, or bitter liquids.