The senses of a newborn
Babies are born with all five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Some of the senses are not fully developed. The newborn's senses are as described below.
Sight
Over the first few months, babies may have uncoordinated eye movements. They may even seem cross-eyed. Babies are born with the ability to focus only at close range. This is about 8 to 10 inches, or the distance between a mother's face to the baby in her arms. Babies are able to follow or track an object in the first few weeks of life. Focus improves over the first 2 to 3 years of life to a normal 20/20 vision. Newborns can detect light and dark but can't see all colors. This is why many baby books and infanttoys have distinct black and white patterns.
Hearing
During pregnancy, many mothers find that the baby may kick or jump in response to loud noises and may quiet with soft, soothing music. Hearing is fully developed in newborns. Babies with normal hearing should startle in response to loud sounds. These babies will alsopay quiet attention to the mother's or father's voice. And they will briefly stop moving when sound at a conversational level is begun. Newborns seem to prefer a higher-pitched voice (the mother's) to a low-sounding voice (males). They can also tune out loud noises after hearing them several times.
Newborns will have their hearing screened while still in the hospital.
Smell
Studies have found that newborns have a strong sense of smell. Newborns prefer the smellof their own mother, especially her breastmilk.
Taste
Babies prefer sweet tastes over sour or bitter tastes. Babies also show a strong preference for human milk and breastfeeding. This is especially true if they are breastfed first and then offered formula or a bottle.
Touch
Babies are comforted by touch. Placing a hand on your baby's belly or cuddling close can help them feel more secure. Wrapping your baby snugly in a blanket (swaddling) is another method used to help newborn babies feel secure. You can buy a special swaddling blanket designed to make swaddling easier.
Don’t use swaddling if your baby is older than 2 months or is trying to roll over on their own. Swaddling may raise the risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) if the swaddled baby rolls onto their stomach.
When you swaddle, give your baby enough room to move their hips and legs. The legs should be able to bend up and out at the hips. Don’t place your baby’s legs so that they're held together and straight down. This raises the risk that the hip joints won’t grow and develop correctly. This can cause a problem called hip dysplasia and dislocation.
Also be careful of swaddling your baby if the weather is warm or hot. Using a thick blanket in warm weather can make your baby overheat. Instead use a lighter blanket or sheet to swaddle the baby.
Some mothers find their babies are comforted when safely worn in a sling or carrier. Holding a baby for feedings is also important. Breastfeeding babies automatically spend several hours a day in their mother's arms.
FAQs
The senses of a newborn. Babies are born fully equipped with all the necessary senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. However, some of these senses are less precise than others.
What is the weakest sense in newborns? ›
Answer and Explanation: The sense of sight is the least-developed sense at birth. One of the main reasons why this sense is not quite as developed as the others is that the infant did not need to use their eyes within the womb.
Which of the newborn's senses is the most fully developed at birth? ›
Hearing is fully developed in newborns. Babies with normal hearing should startle in response to loud sounds. These babies will also pay quiet attention to the mother's or father's voice. And they will briefly stop moving when sound at a conversational level is begun.
What is the most poorly developed senses at birth? ›
Consequently, vision is the most poorly developed sense at birth. Newborns typically cannot see farther than 8 to 16 inches away from their faces, have difficulty keeping a moving object within their gaze, and can detect contrast more than color differences.
Can newborns smell mom? ›
Your baby can smell you.
Newborns have a strong sense of smell and know the unique scent of your breastmilk. That is why your baby will turn his or her head to you when he or she is hungry.
Can babies smell their dad? ›
Right from birth, a baby can recognize their parent's voice and smell, says Dr. Laible.
What is a baby's first poop known as? ›
Meconium is a newborn's first poop. This sticky, thick, dark green poop is made up of cells, protein, fats, and intestinal secretions, like bile. Babies typically pass meconium (mih-KOH-nee-em) in the first few hours and days after birth. But some babies pass meconium while still in the womb during late pregnancy.
What is a baby's strongest sense? ›
Studies have found that newborns have a keen sense of smell. Babies like sweet smells and dislike acidic or bitter smells. This parallels preferences in taste. Within the first few days they will show fondness for the smell of their own mother, especially to her breast milk.
What sense does a baby not have at birth? ›
Babies are able to follow or track an object in the first few weeks of life. Newborns can detect light and dark but cannot see all colors. This is why many baby books and infant toys have distinct black and white patterns.
What body part are babies not born with? ›
They have no kneecaps
Yes, you heard me right! Babies are in fact born without any kneecaps – they have a structure made of cartilage that resembles a kneecap, but they don't fully develop until around 6 months of age.
Vision: The womb is a dark environment void of visual stimulation. Consequently, vision is the most poorly developed sense at birth and time is needed to build those neural pathways between the eye and the brain.
What does a newborn see? ›
Your baby sees things best from 8 to 12 inches away. This is the perfect distance for gazing up into the eyes of mom or dad (a favorite thing to do!). Any farther than that, and newborns see mostly blurry shapes because they're nearsighted. At birth, a newborn's eyesight is between 20/200 and 20/400.
Which sense is least developed in newborns? ›
Sight is the least developed sense at birth. Infants have unfocused vision that improves during the first few months, while other senses like smell, hearing, and touch are more developed from the start.
What is the weakest sense in human newborn babies? ›
Sight. Over the first few months, babies may have uncoordinated eye movements. They may even appear cross-eyed. Babies are born with the ability to focus only at close range.
Which sense is still underdeveloped at birth? ›
Babies are born with all five senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell. However, some are more developed than others at first. While sight takes longer to develop, others such as hearing, touch, taste and smell are keen from day one. In fact, babies already have an acute sense of hearing in the womb.
Which of the 5 senses does the baby fully have in the womb? ›
Babies are born with all five senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell. However, some are more developed than others at first. While sight takes longer to develop, others such as hearing, touch, taste and smell are keen from day one. In fact, babies already have an acute sense of hearing in the womb.
What are the 5 senses of child development? ›
The outside world shapes children's development through experiences that they have, which include using their five senses—hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Drawing a child's attention to the five senses and discussing them increases understanding of and communication about the world around us.
Which of the five senses is least developed at birth? ›
Of the five senses, vision is the least developed at birth. This is due to the womb being a dark place so it is not conducive to the development of vision. Vision, like hearing, does develop quickly outside of the womb.
Which is the most underdeveloped of our 5 senses at birth? ›
Newborns have poor eyesight, in part because they did not get much visual information in the womb.
