What time do babies begin to see and hear ~ Children's City Clinic No. 1 of Magnitogorsk

After the birth of a child, inexperienced parents often worry about everything. For example, why does he sleep so much, cry so much (or little)? Why doesn’t it react to the hair dryer working in the next room? Why are his eyes constantly moving apart? The last two questions will definitely not arise if parents know when their newborn baby begins to see and hear.

Protected by nature itself

Many baby animals are born blind and half-deaf. Human children are also born with reduced hearing and vision. Firstly, the necessary centers of the brain are not yet mature enough. And secondly, this is a kind of protective mechanism with the help of which nature creates more comfortable conditions for babies for further development, partially protecting newborns from severe stress, because a fragile nervous system is not able to survive them.

After 9 months of being in conditions where it is always “almost dark”, “almost quiet”, a newborn child gets acquainted with a new world. And here there are loud sounds, noises, bright colors, blinding lights. If all this is added to the stress that the baby experienced during the birth itself, he simply will not survive such a shock. But he still needs to “quickly” learn to eat, digest food, somehow sleep outside of his mother...

Of course, this does not mean that we are all born deaf and blind. It’s just that vision and hearing work in a “muted” mode in the first weeks.

As the small organism adapts to the new conditions of its existence, the brain centers responsible for the main sources of information about the world improve: auditory and visual perception.

Newborn vision

So, you should not think that the newborn is blind. The whole question is what and how he can see. At the time of birth, his vision is much lower than that of an adult, due to the immaturity of the brain, as well as the eyeball and retina, which still lacks the corpus luteum. Therefore, immediately after birth, the child begins to see large light or dark blurry spots. As well as large bright objects located directly in front of his face. His eyes cannot yet focus together on one object, so it often seems to parents that their baby’s pupils are “spreading apart,” wandering, and squinting.

This state of affairs will continue until at least 2.5 months, when the baby will have binocular vision - the ability to look at an object with both eyes at once and focus. True, this focus is not yet very “tuned”; the baby’s gaze remains a little “sliding”. However, already at the age of one month, babies can recognize the faces of mom or dad located close to them against the general background. It is believed that from this period the child begins to distinguish clear, rich colors: first red, yellow, by 3-4 months - green, blue, by 5 months - all primary colors, closer to a year - many different shades. Therefore, there is no point in surrounding him with objects of incomprehensible borderline halftones; they will not interest him.

It happens that the baby continues to mow at 3 or even 4 months. This can be either the norm or some kind of violation. Therefore, in this case, it is better to show the baby to the doctor.

At 3 months, the baby more confidently and enthusiastically watches the toys in front of his eyes; after another month he can already grab, pull into his mouth, examine toys, and his hands. The focus is already quite sharp. At this time, try to ensure that your baby always sees your face the same: with the same hairstyle, wearing the same glasses. Do not change your facial expressions too abruptly, give him the opportunity to get used to it.

At the 5th month, the child learns to coordinate the movements of his hands with the help of his eyes, and at six months he begins to distinguish small objects and details. Next, the baby learns to recognize the shape and volume of objects, recognize them by individual details, and look for a toy that has disappeared from sight. Closer to 10–12 months, imperfect child vision turns into “real adult” vision.

Newborn hearing

But the baby begins to hear in the womb. He can perceive melodies and voices by ear. Especially often he hears his mother’s voice. Therefore, when born, she is one of the first to recognize him.

As soon as they are born, newborns begin to hear predominantly sharp, loud and high-pitched sounds as significant stimuli. Babies have the appropriate reaction to them: flinching, fear, crying, freezing. Monotonous or blurry sounds (human conversation, a working TV or a hairdryer in the next room) still remain a familiar background. The child will begin to respond to them closer to 3–4 months. Therefore, you should not worry that your baby’s hearing is impaired if he shows a reaction to loud and sharp sounds. But if it is not there, you need to visit a pediatrician.

In the first 2 months of a child’s life, try to protect his delicate psyche from sharp, sudden sounds and screams (even a strong cough or sneeze can scare the baby).

However, already in the first month, babies react not only to loud sounds or rattles, but also to the intonation of an adult’s speech, his timbre of voice. Absolutely all children love listening to music (especially classical).

Outwardly this manifests itself in different ways:

active movements of the limbs;
turning the head towards the sound;
flinching or freezing;
crying or listening.

The baby may also frown or start blinking.

From the second month, the reaction to changes in the rhythm of sounds will be obvious: if the mother speaks faster, the baby’s arms and legs begin to move in time with her speech rate, and vice versa. If she starts talking in a rough voice, the baby may frown or freeze.

With each month, the child shows reactions to increasingly quieter and more distant sounds. During this period, his intellect also actively develops, the baby becomes interested in what is happening around him. After about six months, we can say that the child’s hearing has leveled out. Now he even listens to rustles and whispers in another room.

This is how the organs of vision and hearing develop in newborns. Bright and musical toys and objects, as well as mother’s singing, can help the baby with this.

The condition of the baby immediately after birth raises a number of questions and concerns among young parents. Why does he react poorly to noises - for example, does he not wake up when a vacuum cleaner is running in the next room? Why doesn't he notice when someone enters the room? And in general, is everything okay and when do newborns begin to see and hear? In fact, as a rule, there is no real cause for concern, and now we will find out why.

In the mother's belly it is comfortable, warm and dark, and suddenly the baby finds himself in a new world, full of movement, light, colors, sounds. Nature is very wise: it protects a newly born person from stress associated with a sudden “change of environment.” The development of all functions (vision, hearing, motor activity) should occur naturally over several months. And how correctly this happens, in some cases only an experienced doctor can say.

Why is it important to track your baby's movement frequency?

Gynecologists recommend monitoring the baby’s movements after 27 weeks. To do this, a woman needs to make notes on a special page in the exchange card.

The dynamics of activity allows the doctor to assess the condition of the fetus. At the slightest suspicion of pathology, the woman is prescribed additional examinations.

CTG is performed routinely at 32 weeks, but if fetal activity decreases, it is prescribed again. The study records the baby's movements in the abdomen, as well as the condition of the muscles of the uterus. In some cases, a woman is sent for an ultrasound to find out what is causing the baby’s decreased motor activity.

The doctor will also tell you how often the baby should move so that it does not cause concern to the mother. According to the average norm, it is believed that in 10-15 minutes the baby will make 2-3 movements. Within half an hour you should count 5-6 shocks. And for a full 60 minutes - about 15.

This is generalized data, and much depends on the individual characteristics of the baby and mother. For up to 32 weeks, the position in which the baby is located is also important. If it is turned towards the posterior wall of the peritoneum, the woman may not feel its thrusts for a long time.

The baby may be sleeping so you don't feel him move. Usually the absence of pushes and kicks for 3 hours in a row indicates this.

But if the child is inactive for 12 hours or more, this is a reason to urgently consult a doctor.

Features of hearing development

The baby already has hearing in utero, at 16-17 weeks. Experiments prove that children hear both voices and music perfectly, and after birth the phenomenon of “recognition” of melodies or even poetry is observed. "Recognition" usually manifests itself in animated movements. Most quickly, the baby begins to recognize his mother and the timbre of her voice, because it is this voice that he is most accustomed to.

Rattles and other objects that make not too quiet sounds, as well as light clapping of your hands near the ear, are a good way to test your baby's hearing. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to scare the baby. When talking to him, change the pace, volume of speech and intonation and you will see:

movements of arms and legs;
changes in facial expression;
movements of the head or “search” with the eyes;
flinching or freezing.

Crying or convulsive movements usually appear when sounds frighten the child, for example, an unfamiliar voice nearby, loud conversation, and especially screaming. Do not be alarmed by the baby’s “inappropriate” (too sharp) reaction, he just has very heightened sensitivity, and this is normal. At least in the first month, all family members and guests should behave more quietly, and direct communication with the baby should be calm and even.

Talk to your baby more, sing or play children's songs, tell poems and short fairy tales. This, in addition to the development of hearing, lays the foundation for the formation of speech.

Parental help - exercises and massage

How can parents help their child learn to walk? First of all, create conditions for mastering the skill:

The child needs space to move around.
If the baby is in the playpen all the time, then he has little opportunity to move.
Get the child interested.

You can place your baby’s toys at such a level that he has to stand up and get them, move from support to support.

Give your child a stable toy to play with so that he feels more confident.

The surface on which the baby walks should not be slippery and not too hard so that he does not get hit too hard when he falls.

For example, you should not start walking on tiles; carpet is more preferable. Or walk outside on the ground, grass, and not on asphalt.

Ensure child safety

Was your baby already walking at 1 year old?

Not really

Remove dangerous objects from the baby’s reach: household chemicals, hot, heavy objects, medicines, sharp corners, electrical appliances and wires, sockets, etc.

Buy comfortable shoes for your baby.

Walk barefoot more often, including on the street, of course ensuring his safety at the same time.

Carry out exercises with your child to strengthen muscles : bending and extending the legs, squats and pull-ups, exercises on a phytoball and swimming.
A special massage will help the child relieve muscle tension and strengthen them.

The main movements during a massage are stroking, rubbing, lightly kneading the muscles, tapping and stroking again. The direction of movement is from bottom to top.

Read more about gymnastics to strengthen the back and legs in our video:

Do you want to quickly teach your child to eat on his own? Or do you need to potty train him? Or maybe you are looking for how to teach him how to assemble puzzles? You will find answers to these and many other questions in the materials below.

Features of vision formation

Rest assured, children begin to see immediately after birth, although numerous studies have proven that at this time vision is blurry: adaptation to unusual conditions occurs. Don't worry if your baby rarely opens his eyes or mostly squints. And there are also babies who, already in the first hours of life, look “surprised” at the world around them.

This is how a newborn’s vision is formed and what stages of development visual function goes through over time.

After birth, it distinguishes whether it is light or dark around, everything is in gray tones.
1 month - sees large objects against a general “blurry” background (for example, parents’ faces).
2 months - follows moving large objects (including people). Central vision is formed. The gaze focuses, but does not freeze on the object, but “slides” over it.
3 months - does not take his eyes off toys if they move. Produces red and yellow colors.
4 months - grabs and examines rattles, examines his hands, bringing them closer to his face and away. For now, he incorrectly estimates the distance to objects or their volume (“catches” shadows or highlights). Distinguishes pure colors (not shades). The gaze is already focusing well. The child begins to see well.
5 months - distinguishes all colors. Quickly finds objects and puts them into his mouth with pleasure (thanks to improved eye-hand coordination).
Six months - the child recognizes relatives well and observes small objects. The light sensitivity of the eyes reaches 2/3 of the “adult” level.
7-8 months - recognizes geometric shapes (ball, cube, cone, pyramid).
8-12 months - recognizes objects both as a whole and in parts, tries to find objects that disappear from the field of view, fixes connections between them. Distinguishes shades. He already sees normally, “like an adult.”

When “establishing” eye contact, hold the baby vertically: in this position, his gaze focuses better. Even when the newborn begins to see well, do not rush - wait until he concentrates. Your face (or the object that you are showing) should be at a distance of about 20 cm from the child’s eyes. When communicating, try not to change your facial expression or overall appearance too dramatically, including your hairstyle; do not even take off your glasses if you wear them. - to look familiar to the baby and not worry him.

If your baby starts walking early, should you be happy?

Parents whose child reaches 9 months are often very proud that their baby is ahead of his peers. Is it really that good?

If a mobile and active child, without any help, stood up and began to walk at 7-8 months, then he is already ready for this. But you shouldn’t let him stay in this position for a long time.

Walking so early can have a negative impact on the baby’s fragile spine and leg bones and cause them to bend.

Moreover, there should be no actions on the part of parents aimed at making the child go so early. Gymnastics, massage, exercises with the child are important, but must be appropriate to the child’s age.

It is better to direct the baby’s efforts to master crawling; at this stage it is more beneficial for health.

Typically, your baby will start walking after he or she has learned to crawl well, and if this skill is delayed, your baby will likely walk a little later. Do you want to know how to teach a child to crawl on all fours? Read our new material.

Possible problems

So, you should not immediately jump to conclusions that your baby has poor hearing or vision. But it must be remembered that there are cases in which this assumption may be true.

Hearing problems in the baby (deafness, hearing loss) are possible during pathological childbirth or if the mother during pregnancy:

suffered from rubella, measles;
was addicted to alcohol and drugs;
took drugs with toxic effects (antibiotics).

Be wary if your child:

does not show anxiety at unexpected, loud sounds;
does not respond to your voice by changing behavior or facial expressions;
at 4 months does not pay attention to people talking or to a musical toy;
often pulls his ears (possibly high blood pressure, infection).

Poor vision in a newborn (or blindness) can occur if the mother during pregnancy:

had rubella (risk of congenital cataracts);
suffered from toxemia/toxoplasmosis/toxocariasis.

In the fourth week of life, the baby should already focus his gaze on objects for a short time. Check your vision this way: close your baby's right eye and show the toy, then do the same with the left eye.

If parents have even the slightest suspicion that something is going wrong, they should seek advice from a pediatrician and relevant specialists - an ophthalmologist, an otolaryngologist. They know when a newborn child begins to see and when his hearing develops, and they will notice developmental deviations in time.

When does a newborn begin to see and hear? This question is of great concern to young mothers of first-born babies. When a child settles into his home, the joy of parents and relatives knows no end! What eyes, what hands! Everything pleases in a small creature. But why doesn't he focus his gaze on the object? Isn't it scary? Mommy should know that newborn babies do not see like adults.

When should you contact your pediatrician?

If parents suspect developmental abnormalities, it is better to consult a doctor and dispel all doubts. Doctors have certain standards when the baby must go. If this does not happen, you will need to be examined by a neurologist. When to go to the doctor:

If the child is over 20 months old and still clings to the wall.
The baby's legs are flaccid and do not respond well to touch.
The baby is over a year old, but he still hasn’t started crawling.
During crawling, the legs are practically not used.
A child cannot stand on his feet after the age of 1 year.

Health problems usually appear at an early age. From 3 months after examination by a neurologist, it becomes clear whether the baby will walk in the future. Some problems can be resolved with special therapy and preventive exercise therapy.

Baby's vision and hearing

Don’t worry - all newborns are born partially deaf and partially blind, because they lived for a long time in a specific environment - the mother’s womb. For intrauterine existence, vision and hearing are not required, which is why these organs did not develop. The adaptation period to the conditions of the new world lasts several months. These are the protective functions of the body: nature protects the little man from unnecessary shocks during the transition from one world to another. It was cozy, warm and dark in my mother’s tummy.

Partial blocking of the organs of vision and hearing protects newborns from stress.

Is the baby really born completely blind? At what age does a baby begin to focus his eyes? In fact, a baby is not born blind or deaf, and after a certain time all the functions of the senses come to the appropriate state. When will the baby start hearing? Clear hearing will appear in due time, you will notice it. Children hear even better than adults (this quality is lost over time).

What do newborn babies see? At first, they only distinguish between light and dark: their vision is unclear and their images are blurry. The little one sees a picture - “a hedgehog in the fog.” What can a baby distinguish well in a month? At this time, the child can already catch a bright large object with his vision if it is nearby. Therefore, bright moving toys with music are hung in the cradle to develop the ability to hear and fixate the gaze.

Features of visual skills

How to make a month-old baby see his mother? To do this, you need to bring your face very close to the baby’s face in order to accurately fall into his field of vision. Don't hesitate, your baby will definitely see you! This is how he learns to recognize his relatives. The mother's face is usually the very first visual image that an infant recognizes in the new world.

Why does the baby look strange, does he really have a squint? Don't worry, a baby under four months does not have the ability to clearly fix his gaze on an object. Understand that in the womb no objects came into his sight. The baby and head begin to hold only at three months, especially with a glance!

How many months should I wait for my eyes to stop running and squinting? Some newborns squint their eyes until they are six months old. This is normal, however, it won't hurt to see an ophthalmologist. A home method for checking strabismus is using a flashlight. You need to shine a flashlight into the eyes (not from close range!) and see where the reflection is. If the reflection of light is in the same place, there is no need to worry. If in one eye the reflection is in the center, and in the other eye it is on the side: you should sound the alarm.

Color perception

Until about one month of age, the baby does not distinguish colors. It is believed that he sees everything in black and white. By two months, the baby can distinguish colored objects. At the age of three months, the baby distinguishes between red and yellow tones; other colors are not yet accessible to its perception.

You yourself will notice that a three-month-old baby begins to be interested in colored objects. At this time, you can hang a musical carousel with bright toys above the cradle. The baby also likes to look at:

colored patterns;
beautiful painting on objects.

The child contemplates with interest the design of the carpet and Zhostovo painting on wooden plates. To develop visual skills, it is necessary to hang pieces of carpet ornaments and wooden painted plates above the crib. By the age of six months, the baby begins to recognize all the colors of the rainbow!

Features of auditory skills

When a newborn begins to see, we found out. At what weeks does a baby begin to hear fully? The child distinguishes sounds from birth. Moreover, he distinguishes sounds during intrauterine existence: scientists say so. A distinctive feature of a baby’s hearing is insufficient clarity of perception.

For example, a child immediately reacts to a loud knock, but does not perceive the calm speech of adults. When will the baby have normal hearing? This event will happen by three months: you will immediately notice the baby’s reaction to sounds.

Very loud sounds and screams frighten babies, so do not allow yourself to scream in the presence of the baby.

What do babies like to listen to? Scientists have found that infants respond well to the sounds of classical music . Why this happens is not known. Therefore, turn on a recording of works by classics of world musical culture: Mozart, Vivaldi, Haydn. Classical music has a good effect on food digestion processes.

Developing baby's vision and hearing

Scientists have proven that vision can be corrected well in the first six months of life. If parents have visual defects, they should not miss the chance to correct them in their baby.

To develop your vision, do the following exercises:

from the first weeks of life, show the baby bright pictures: large black objects on a white background;
during classes, you should bring pictures no closer than 30 cm from the baby’s eyes;
periodically cover the picture with a white sheet and then open it;
From the age of three months, continue the exercise with color pictures.

To develop hearing you need:

constantly talk to the baby;
turn on calm classical music;
sing songs to the baby;
you can turn on the radio.

Remember that the development of the senses depends entirely on the parents. Constantly practice with your baby in listening to high-quality musical compositions (not rock!), read fairy tales, look at pictures and beautiful objects.

Don't forget to rinse and clean your baby's eyes and ears.

Little cute packages brought from the maternity hospital delight not only the parents, but also all the relatives surrounding the baby. Everyone is touched by the little snub noses and the first grimaces, so similar to smiles. And a caring mother begins to worry about a bunch of emerging questions. How to feed your baby correctly? How much time does he need to sleep? When does a newborn begin to see and hear?

Nature's care

All babies are born with partially underdeveloped organs of vision and hearing. The same can be said about baby animals. Mother Nature has chosen such a unique way of protecting herself from the overly intense emotions that a baby may encounter at the moment of birth. Spending 9 long months in mother's tummy develops a baby's habit of darkness.

If a child were born with clear vision and clear hearing, he would not be able to endure such severe stress due to a sudden change in environment.

Basically, the child does not distinguish colors and can only hear sharp sounds. Nature has carefully protected infants by limiting these senses. After a few months of getting used to the world around them, they recover on their own, reaching normal levels. This process happens quite slowly. The small organism improves its functions in about 6 months.

At what months do babies take their first steps?

At what time a child begins to take his first steps depends on his individual characteristics.
Some children, who are more active and mobile, begin to get up at 5-6 months, and at 7 months they take their first steps on the crib, holding on to the side, and a little later they can walk independently.

Others, even at 13-15 months, do not dare to walk without support.

Most often, babies master the skill of walking independently between the ages of 9 and 16 months. This largely depends on the baby’s temperament, his constitution, and developmental characteristics.

A premature baby, as a rule, begins to walk somewhat later than his peers.

According to statistics, girls take their first steps earlier than boys.

The long-awaited moment came and the child took his first independent steps. The gait of a baby is very different from that of an adult.

He spreads his legs wide, places his feet parallel to each other.

When walking, the child’s foot does not roll from heel to toe, but becomes completely straight at once, so the baby “stomps.”

The baby's center of gravity is shifted, so his position when walking is not yet stable, and he often falls. Over time, the child will learn to walk correctly and confidently.

Child and vision

One of the common questions asked by young mothers is: when does a newborn child begin to see? Of course, babies develop the ability to see immediately from the moment they are born. However, their vision has some features that make it easier to transition from the warm and dark mother’s tummy to our bright and colorful world. Newborn babies perceive surrounding objects completely differently from adults. How do newborns see? The objects around them seem to be in a fog . They clearly distinguish between bright and dark spots, that is, the baby can understand whether the room is dark or light. They also see bright large objects at close range.

If the mother wants the baby to see her, she needs to lean towards him at a distance of about 25 cm. This is the only way the child will be able to distinguish between a loved one and a loved one. Mom's face is the first object that the baby studies especially carefully, because he sees it up close quite often, every time during feeding. However, even on the dear mother’s face, the child cannot fully focus his gaze. They are not yet able to look at one point for a long time; the baby will receive this opportunity at about 4 months.

Newborns look at all the objects around them with a sliding gaze.

A shifting or unfocused gaze often frightens parents. Unable to concentrate on one subject, the child may slightly squint his eyes. This is a variant of the norm. This condition usually goes away completely within 5-6 months. If this feature persists for a longer period of time, the baby should be shown to a doctor to identify true strabismus. The sooner this happens, the greater the chance of correcting the unpleasant problem.

Stages of vision improvement

The ability to distinguish colors in children appears after 3 months. Before this period, the child clearly sees only black and white. If you decide to buy a mobile for your baby, you can equip it with toys of these two contrasting colors. Simple geometric shapes will do; the time for bear cubs and bunnies will come a little later. Important advice: do not hang toys too low above the crib, close to the baby’s face, to prevent the development of strabismus.

After the baby is 3 months old, he begins to distinguish the first colors - yellow and red. At this age, the child loves to look at carpets hanging nearby on the wall, or toys with large patterns. The baby's vision becomes full by about 6 months .

What do baby kicks feel like?

The sensation of a baby's first touch inside the belly is described by pregnant women in different ways. They are subjective and partly depend on the woman's body type.

Thin women will describe the first movement as a slight push. Ladies in the body talk about a light touch, as if someone tickled them from the inside with a feather.

If we summarize all the stories of women about the first tangible activity of the baby, we get the following comparisons:

butterflies fluttering;
careful but persistent stroking from the inside;
It's like there's a fish swimming in your stomach.

If the first tremors can still be missed or confused with intestinal activity, then as the duration of pregnancy increases, the tremors become more pronounced.

Closer to 6 months, the future father can also feel the child’s activity. If first he needs to put his ear to his stomach for this, then it will be enough to put his hand on his wife’s stomach.

Newborns and hearing organs

At what age does a child begin to hear? After birth, the baby's hearing is quite weak. He may not hear whispers and other muffled sounds, however, he reacts to loud stimuli almost immediately. In this case, of course, there is no need to panic. Weak hearing that newborns have is normal.

Each baby's reaction to loud noises is different. Someone flinches, someone blinks, and someone gets scared and starts crying. Therefore, pediatricians do not recommend playing loud music or turning on the TV at high volume, especially in the first month after birth . Loud conversations and screams are also not welcome, as the child may get scared.

What the child hears is expressed in some of his movements. It can be:

movements of arms and legs;
searching for a sound source with your eyes;
head turns;
freezing and listening;
cry.

For the full development of hearing organs, some doctors recommend playing quiet melodic music for babies. Especially newborn babies love the classics . Symphonies of various famous composers are suitable: Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert and others. This music calms the baby, makes him listen to gentle sounds, helping the development of hearing. About three months after birth, the child hears absolutely all sounds.

With the birth of a baby, parents have to learn a lot of new things; they have a huge number of questions not only about care, but also about the development of the baby. One of the key questions in the first months of birth is when a newborn begins to see and hear. Malformations of the organs of hearing and vision can be noticed from the first days of life.

When does a newborn begin to see?

The opinion that newborns do not see or hear anything is erroneous. The organs of hearing and vision are fully formed in the womb, so they function normally after birth. But still, the image is slightly different from the perception of adults.

A newborn baby begins to see immediately after birth. But the picture is a little blurry and foggy. The baby retains the habit of keeping his eyes closed or opening them just a little. This is fine. There are children who from the first days open their eyes wide and look at everything around them. But they seem to look into the distance, the pupils can run quickly or converge towards the nose. This is due to physiological characteristics.

The baby begins to see only at a distance of 20-25 cm. Parents need to know this in order to interest or reassure him.

Newborn vision can be called light perception. In the first days of life, babies focus their attention on bright lighting; they squint or close their eyes. Children do not recognize all colors; the main ones are white and black.

The ciliary muscle is still weak, so it is difficult for the baby to focus on a specific object. For example, he tries to study his mother, but instead looks in the other direction. The baby can hold his gaze for only a few seconds.

By 1-2 months, babies begin to see better and are able to focus on large, voluminous toys. They observe objects that are at a distance of 30-50 cm from them, and can also follow people.

By 2-3 months, the light sensitivity of the retina improves, so the newborn begins to see more and more colorfully. An infant recognizes not only black and white, but also red, yellow, orange and green. A little later, babies distinguish between blue and purple shades.

Children begin to see their mother by 3 months. They recognize her by the outline of her face. Visual acuity at this age is 0.1, by 6 months it increases to 0.3. The baby sees clearly at six months, as the central zone of the retina is formed.

The child begins to see well only from the age of six months. Before this period, vision is two-dimensional, that is, the baby recognizes only the height and width of an object. From 6 months the space becomes voluminous.

From 7 months, three-dimensional perception will improve. The child begins to see objects located at a distance, but he is still interested in toys nearby.

Baby's first steps

A child begins to walk when his spine is completely strengthened. By the time the baby walks, the bones and joints are strengthened and they acquire a denser structure. This allows the baby to stay in a standing position.

Don’t rush your child to walk and focus on the baby’s age. Boys usually take their first steps later than girls. From 7-9 months the baby begins to stand with support, then tries to walk. The normal age for starting walking is 12-17 months.

Important! From the age of 6 months, babies are placed in walkers, this gives them the opportunity to move around the apartment and train the muscles in their legs.

Every pediatrician will say that on average, babies begin to walk at 12 months. But this does not mean that the child must meet these deadlines. Every toddler is individual, its development differs from other children.

What time should a child go? There are children who develop very quickly and begin to take their first steps as early as 9 months. This does not mean that such a child is a future genius, because he quickly grasps everything. Walking is a natural skill. If the baby is early, it means that his spine has formed faster than that of other children.

Late babies begin to walk after one year. Doctors note that before the age of 18-20 months, the baby must take his first step. If this does not happen, then you need to see a doctor and undergo an examination.

Babies who do not begin to walk after a year may simply be afraid to move away from the support, for example, after a bad experience. The child tries to take a step to the side, releases his hands from the wall, falls and hits himself. At this moment he experiences pain, in the future he is afraid to feel it again.

Important! There is no need to push the kids, if they need support, let it be. You should not force them to go on their own, so as not to cause a negative reaction.

When does a newborn begin to hear?

A newborn begins to hear immediately after birth, but his perception is not yet perfect. He reacts only to loud and sharp sounds, and does not perceive muffled sounds. This is the norm.

The first months of life, the baby should be protected from noise, loud music and screams. The baby gets very scared, which negatively affects his nervous system.

At 4 weeks, the newborn begins to listen to quiet sounds. You can notice how he reacts to the conversation, listens to what his mother tells him. But the baby still reacts painfully to loud noise. He flinches when a door closes or an object falls on the floor.

Only by 3 months can the baby hear sounds of any volume. You may notice that babies love music, so they should turn on a melodic melody, which calms and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

By 5-6 months, babies respond to their name, respond to their parents’ requests, and perceive tonality.

When the fetus begins to move

The embryo begins to move at 8 weeks. No matter how active he is, the expectant mother will not feel it. After all, its weight is about 3.5 grams. The baby's first movements are weak and convulsive.

By 12 weeks the fetus increases in size. He may clench his fists or put his finger in his mouth. His motor activity increases. But the woman still cannot feel it. Some pregnant women at this stage confuse problems with peristalsis and the baby’s first movements.

By the 16th week, the fetus’s facial features are formed, and motor activity increases significantly. But its size does not yet allow a woman to feel the tremors inside her.

Possible problems

You can notice something wrong already in the first months of life. It is important to monitor the baby's reaction. A child may be born with hearing impairment, and he does not perceive high-frequency sounds, but only hears low-frequency ones. Hearing loss can be congenital or acquired.

No less common are vision pathologies in newborns, especially premature infants. This:

strabismus;
congenital cataract (clouding of the lens);
retinopathy (pathology of the development of the vascular system of the eye);
congenital glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure);
nystagmus (involuntary movement of the pupils from side to side);
ptosis (drooping of the lower eyelid).

Eye diseases are dangerous and can lead to vision loss. Most congenital diseases can only be eliminated surgically.

How to avoid problems?

It is necessary to check the baby's vision and hearing. The child should be shown to an ENT specialist or audiologist or ophthalmologist. Hearing problems can be recognized by the following signs:

the baby does not respond to loud noise or rattle;
The baby does not make sounds by 4-5 months.

Under no circumstances should vision problems be ignored. Many newborns have cross-eyed eyes, but by 6 months their pupils are fixed in the center. If this does not happen, you need to go to the hospital.

Other signs of visual pathologies:

the child reacts painfully to light a month after birth, he closes his eyes, lacrimation is observed;
pupils are white or slightly clouded;
the baby rolls his eyes up, he does not react to movement, does not follow the rattle with his eyes;
the baby’s pupils constantly move around, the child cannot focus on an object;
The baby constantly rubs his eyes and cries.

These symptoms indicate congenital diseases.

When does a newborn begin to see and hear? The development of visual function and hearing is individual for all children. In order to recognize deviations in time, it is necessary to be observed by specialists.

Author: Oksana Belokur, doctor, especially for Mama66

Useful tips

Any child wants to receive a lot of love and care from his parents. He needs support from mom and dad. The baby will begin to feel the authority of his parents if any of his successes are not ignored, even those related to walking.

What parents need to do:

Praise your child for every little step.
Show love and support to the baby.
Place beautiful and bright toys around the apartment on the table and sofa within the baby’s reach to make him stand up and reach for them.
Buy a stilt stand with beautiful and bright paintings, stickers, and rattles. The baby will be able to grasp the handles and push her, thus taking steps.
During a walk, take the baby out and place it near the stroller. He will be able to hold on to it and slowly push it forward.
Avoid baby walkers. The baby will have a desire to try to walk earlier.

If there is an impulse to make your child want to start running, these tips will help achieve results. After a month of training, improvements will be noticeable. The main thing is not to rush the baby, he will go when he is ready.

Every parent wants to hear the patter of children's feet in their home as quickly as possible. They begin to look for any options for the baby to start walking. This desire is accompanied by anxiety: what if the child does not walk at all? Of course he will, because he has already begun to crawl, sit and roll over on his own. There is no need to rush children, everything has its time.