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Your newborn’s senses

Smell, taste and touch

Babies are born with their senses of smell, taste and touch well developed. Smell is particularly important to babies, who recognise their mothers by smell before they recognise them by sight.

Hearing

Babies respond to sounds around them, and will display their ‘startle’ reaction to loud noises. They particularly enjoy hearing high-pitched voices and can quickly learn to distinguish their parent’s voices from other peoples.

When to be concerned about your baby’s hearing

Your baby should be startled or cry in response to loud noises from birth. At three months she should be starting to turn towards noises. At six to seven months she should be trying to babble or repeat sounds. If you aren’t noticing any of these developments in your baby, you should consult your GP in order to check if she has any form of hearing problem.

Sight

A newborn baby can only see about thirty centimetres in front of her, so keep your face close to hers so she can start to know your features well. To start with, your baby may look a little like she’s got a squint as she struggles to focus, but this should be gone within a few days. Stimulate the development of your baby’s sight by exaggerating your facial expressions and hanging mobiles above her cot.

When to be concerned about your baby’s vision

As a newborn your baby should stare intensively at new faces or objects held close to her face. At three or four months the squinting should be gone and she should be able to track a bright object with her eyes. At six or seven months your baby should be able to see you from across the room.