When Can Babies See

When Can Babies See


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When Can Babies See

When the baby’s born, the relatives are looking forward for signs of awareness. They want the baby to listen ans see them. It is believed that when the newborn comes into the big wide world, he’s unable to see or hear. It was suggested that the first few weeks the baby can feel nothing, but hunger. That’s why many adults want to know when exactly the baby starts seeing.

A Newborn Baby and Sight

Actually, the baby’s born with fully developed eyesight. The eyes start forming in the womb at the 18th week of pregnancy. By the seven month, the eyeball appears. A little later, the fetus begins to respond to flashes of light that are directed to the mother’s belly. He even turns his head to the light.

Thus, immediately after the birth, the baby can only react to the absence or presence of light. Despite this fact, parents still wonder whether the baby can see. It’s quite understandable. Usually, the baby is born with swollen eyelids because of the pressure that is put on the head while passing through the birth canal. In addition, the baby squints from the bright light.

How do Newborns See?

when can premature babies see

During first days of life, they see the world as in the fog. He can’t see everything around him, but is able to focus on big objects nearby. At what distance can newborns see? During first two months, the baby only sees things located within 20-25 cm from him (the distance between the baby and the mom during feeding). Therefore, it’s no surprise that the mom’s face is a favorite “image” of newborns.

By the end of the first month, the baby is able to distinguish silhouettes and monitor movements of an object at a distance of about 30 cm. By 1.5 months, the baby can tell bulky and flat items, and by 2.5 months – concave and convex objects. Usually, the baby starts seeing things clearly at 3 months old. At this age, the baby starts distinguishing faces of people around him and recognizes mom and dad.

In the first months after the birth, you may notice that the baby’s eyes are a bit slanted. This is because the depth perception of the baby is insufficient, or in simple terms, he hasn’t still learnt to see things. Gradually eye muscles will strengthen, and by the six months, the baby will watch both eyes simultaneously. If the eyes are still slanting when the baby’s already six months, you should consult an ophthalmologist.

By the way, people believe that newborns see things upside down. Actually, that's not quite true: the image on the retina of the eye is really upside down. But the baby doesn’t see things upside down, since the visual analyzer in newborns is underdeveloped, he can’t perceive the picture he’s seeing.

When Can Babies See Color

If we talk about what colors newborns can see, everything is clear. As during the baby sees the word in the form of shadows and lights the first months of life, he is able to tell white and black colors. At this age, babies like contrasting pictures with patterns of black and white elements (circles, stripes).

The ability to see bright colors, as well as the ability to recognize faces comes when the baby’s three months old. Babies like yellow and red, therefore it’s recommended to buy rattles of these colors. At the same time, some colors are still unavailable for the baby – blue, for example. By 4-5 months, the baby will learn to distinguish basic colors.

Video: When will my baby start to see more clearly?

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