Babies are adorable, and there is no denying that. We look at a baby, and we see an innocent little clump, and they drool, babble, and smile, and it can melt anyone’s heart. However, since they are so small and innocent, it is easy to overlook the fact that there is a lot going on with their development.
As humans, you will never develop as quickly as you do in the first few years of your life. You are growing in size rapidly, your brain is constantly learning new things and making new connections, and every aspect of who they will become is starting to be formed.
This means that they are also working on their five senses. That’s right, babies' sense of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing are all developing, and while it starts in the womb, it continues after they are born. Being aware of what developments are happening can help parents know how to help their baby’s development. They can learn how to hinder it, and where their baby should be when it comes to their five senses.
Let’s take a closer look at the five senses in a baby, how they develop as time goes on, and what they are able to accomplish.
Hearing
Parents love to talk to their babies, but they may wonder how well they can actually hear them. According to Boppy, a baby’s hearing starts to develop when they are in the womb. They can start to hear sounds as early as 23 weeks, and at 35 weeks, their complete ear has developed, and they are ready to hear in the outside world. Their hearing will continue to develop after they are born, and there are some things to know about what they hear, and how they process it.
All babies are more tuned into high-pitched voices. A baby will also recognize their mother’s voice right away, but as time goes on, they will start to recognize the surrounding voices.
When the baby is 4 months old, they will start to look for the source of the sounds, and at 6 months, they will start to try and imitate the sounds that they hear. Their hearing will continue to develop until they are 12 years old, and if mom and dad have any concerns about their infant's hearing, they can get it screened.
Sight
Along with hearing, the baby has to develop sight. Sight is not as developed as hearing, and while a baby can see colors at birth, they will not be able to tell one color from another. This means that black-and-white images and objects can really grasp their attention. They also need an item to be pretty close to their face for them to see it clearly, as their vision is pretty blurry at first.
It isn’t until they are 3 months old that they start to see and comprehend depth perception. Their eyesight is close to “full development” by the time they are 8 months old, but they may continue to develop when it comes to colors and tones around them.
Smell
According to Very Well Family, a baby’s sense of smell is the first one to develop in the womb. The receptors that are required for smell start developing as early as 8 weeks, and they are considered fully functional when the fetus is 24 weeks. What this means is that a baby is born with a full sense of smell. As soon as they are born, they can smell perfectly, and everything around them. This is good because your baby relies on their sense of smell to find their food. When they are laying on their mother’s chest, their developed sense of smell will help them locate the breast.
This is also why mothers and fathers are often given the advice to give someone something that smells like them if someone else has to watch the baby. Baby has such a keen sense of smell; they will smell their parent when they are being handled by someone that is not that familiar to them. This is a trick that is often used by dads when mom has to step away for a bit, and it can make feedings a lot easier, as baby is comforted by the smell.
Touch
Touch is another sense that develops pretty early, about the same time as smell, and it is an important sense. It will help them connect to their caregivers when they are born. It is also another sense that is completely developed at birth. This is part of the reason why skin-to-skin is so important. Mom and dad will see their baby start to explore their sense of touch when they are a few months old, and they start to explore different textures and patterns. There is a whole market for baby items that are geared towards the sense of touch, and they are important for a baby’s development.
By the time a baby is 8 months old, they can touch and identify a familiar object without even seeing it. They are able to explore it with their hands and connect that with a mental image in their minds of what the object is that they have. This is a great game to play with your baby, hand them different items and let them explore them and feel them.
Taste
According to Parenting, taste buds are another sense that is completely developed at birth, and that is good for them to be able to taste their milk/formula. When a baby is born, they naturally prefer sweet flavors over salty ones. That is why breast milk, and formula, are both sweet-tasting in nature. As your baby gets ready for solid foods, they are going to still prefer sweeter foods, but their tastes should change as they try more food.
Taste buds in babies are very sensitive, and this is something to keep in mind when starting solid foods. When we feed our baby something like broccoli, its taste is a lot stronger to them than it is to us. That is why it can take a few tries before a baby will take a new food. They have to get used to the new flavor, and how strong it is to them.
Sources: Boppy, Very Well Family, Parenting