The Awakening of the Senses
Dr. Valleteau de Moulliac,
Consulting Pediatrician for Laboratoires Sarbec
Touch, hearing, smell, taste, and finally sight—your newborn is endowed with an incredible potential for perception from the moment they are born. Each sense will then develop at its own pace, but by the age of four, the essentials are in place.
But already, in your womb, your future baby is developing very elaborate perceptions:
They discover touch by rubbing against the walls of the uterus or by feeling the caresses you give them through your belly. After birth, skin-to-skin contact, massages, handling, and games will help them develop this sense.
From the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, taste and smell appear and your baby starts to taste the amniotic fluid, which allows them to recognize certain strong foods you consumed during pregnancy (garlic, anise, citrus, spices, etc.) right from birth. The development of taste continues after birth, especially if you breastfeed, as breast milk carries the flavor of what you eat.
- From the 6th month of intrauterine life, your baby hears your voice through the vibrations transmitted by the amniotic fluid. From birth, hearing is normal; your baby turns toward you or his father when you speak to him. He can even already perceive the tone of your voice, calming down if it is gentle or startling or crying if the voice is harsh or after a loud noise. Hearing is essential for acquiring language, which is the natural and indispensable means of communication. That is why a hearing test is now performed on every baby before leaving the maternity ward.
- Vision, although ready, will be exercised from birth (your baby blinks and reacts to light and will develop over time, but your baby has limited vision that will take about a year to fully develop. Around 1 month, he begins to follow light, but tracking an object with his eyes may not appear until around 3 months. Depth perception only appears around 2 years old. It is very important (and this is the role of your child’s doctor) to monitor his vision and especially the appearance or persistence of strabismus (crossed eyes) as soon as possible in order to optimize ophthalmological care and thus preserve your child’s vision.
- To encourage the development of your child’s senses, let him taste as many foods as possible during the phase of dietary diversification, stimulate his sense of smell while avoiding overly strong odors, but above all, let him play or play with him because playful activities are particularly constructive, motivating, and structuring. However, beware of harmful overstimulation. You must always respect your baby’s abilities.
