Can a month old baby see? When, what and how newborns see

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.

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.

In the first days of life, children notice only high volume (and do not pay attention to the TV or vacuum cleaner, to low-volume conversations and other not very pronounced “signals”). Therefore, the question of whether newborn children hear can be answered this way: their hearing is fine, they just do not respond to all stimuli.

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.

So, when do newborns begin to hear? Of course, right away, but the child begins to turn his head consciously, looking for sources of sounds, by the end of the third month. If he is very passionate about something, he will not react to any stimuli. This is also normal.

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.

Exercises for developing vision

Contact between mother and child is extremely important from the first days of life. It is a proven fact that the baby, while in the womb, gets used to the mother’s voice and after birth easily recognizes it from thousands of others. To improve the vision of a small family member, you need to perform simple exercises:

Turn the baby's head in different directions and talk to him, smile and look at him. Thanks to this, the child will learn to focus his gaze on one object. It is advisable to perform this exercise with a red or orange toy in your hands.
Until one month of age, the baby perceives foreign objects and surroundings better when in an upright position. It is advisable to wear it more often so that it gets used to its surroundings. It is better to take your time when walking with the baby in your arms, giving him time to study bright objects.
Connect toys of different colors. Even though the baby cannot yet distinguish them, the development of small children occurs so quickly and imperceptibly that a little time will pass and the baby will show his reaction to the new color. You need to show different colors every other day. You should start with orange or red objects, since these are the ones that kids notice first.
By the end of the first month, children begin to see objects at a distance of about a meter. This is the right age for a carousel over a crib. During the game, it will be useful to move the toys away, thereby training the newborn’s vision.

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.

The visual acuity of a newborn is much weaker than that of adults: 0.005 - 0.015. In the first months it grows to 0.01-0.03. This is due to the gradual formation of the centers of the brain, eyeball and retina. The part of the retina where 100% vision is achieved, 1.0 (the so-called macula macula), is not yet available in a recently born baby.

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

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.

Binocular vision is formed from the sixth week of life. The baby begins to see consciously only from the fourth month. Until this time, he is unable to use both eyes at the same time, causing him to appear to be squinting or to have his eyes “wandering” independently of each other.

Why do newborns' eyes cross?

When newborn babies begin to see and hear, all mothers should know. While in the maternity hospital, doctors check the baby's vision. Special devices are used to determine the baby's pupil reaction to bright light. A newborn is not able to see this huge world for him in bright colors. In the first month of his life, he sees everything in blurry colors and is able to distinguish only light and dark.

Sometimes it is difficult for a baby to open his eyes, because birth is a lot of stress for his body. Bright colors and light are unusual for him and only gradually will he gain good vision. The mother should take all this into account and not worry about when the newborn begins to see normally. In the first month of his life, the little man looks at this world especially:

he cannot consciously hold his gaze on anything for more than 5 seconds;
infants cannot see with both eyes at once, so they often squint, which is quite normal;
Only by the end of the first month does the newborn begin to fix his gaze on brightly colored objects; during this period it is recommended to hang bedside rattles at a distance of 30 cm.

To develop the hearing system, it is necessary to talk to children often and let them listen to sounds at different frequencies. Experts recommend turning on classical music and limiting listening to loud and harsh melodies. At the same time, the child should not be left in silence. You should talk to your baby during developmental activities and accompany your actions with poems or fairy tales.

At the initial stage of development, the child will respond only to intonation, but over time he will separate words and try to analyze the meaning of sentences. When children listen, they learn to speak at the same time. At 3-4 months, babies try to repeat the sounds they hear.

To prevent your child from having vision problems, it is necessary to let a large amount of sunlight into the children's room. A darkened room slows down eye development. Toys should be displayed or hung at a distance of 50-60 cm. The cradle should be placed in the middle of the room so that parents can approach it from different sides. In this case, there should be no mirrors or lamps near the bed.

Rattles and other play items should be the same color and changed every month. If after birth the child has blue toys, then later they should be replaced with red or orange ones. After six months, you need to purchase items of different colors.

It is recommended to show a child from 1.5-2 months illustrated books or black and white drawings. When children reach 3 months of age, print out bright, contrasting images. During the walk, it is necessary to distract the child by animals, passing cars and other people.

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.

Until six months old, children squint a little - this is natural. But if this look persists after 6 months, be sure to consult a doctor. Signs of strabismus should never be ignored: without adequate treatment, blindness can develop.

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.

The baby is actively growing and exploring everything around him, and all the baby’s organs are improving and developing. The baby already recognizes his mother, gives her his conscious smile and greets her with movements of his whole body. Let's find out what else a two-month-old toddler can do and how parents can help the development of a baby of this age.

Why do newborns' eyes cross?

The baby begins to explore the world around him immediately after birth. 90% of infants see only blurry shapes of objects. The visual organs need time to fully adapt. Due to low fitness, children close their eyes and often squint, protecting the retina from bright light.

Pediatricians explain to parents how a newborn sees and help to identify pathologies in time:

at 1 week of life the child begins to focus his gaze on objects for 4 seconds;
at 2 months, visual acuity increases, so the gaze glides over objects without stopping;
Focus is fully formed by 4 months.

Up to six months, infants squint their eyes. This phenomenon is due to the child’s inability to control both organs of vision and combine their movement. Therefore, up to 6 months of life, it is normal if a child, after looking at a new toy for a long time, suddenly becomes interested in his own nose bridge or squints one eye at another object.

Parents are interested in what the newborn sees when he begins to focus his gaze on one point for a long time. After leaving the birth canal, the baby reacts only to the presence of light sources. At 1 month, children see only large objects. They can then track the movements of large objects and parents.

When a child begins to see, the faces of his parents are of greatest interest to him. Familiar traits evoke positive emotions in children, which are observed in fathers in 80% of cases. This phenomenon is due to the fact that men have a beard, mustache, large facial lines and other well-remembered features. If changes occur in the appearance of relatives, the baby will not recognize him and will take him for a stranger.

Black and white drawings, high quality photographs and geometric shapes attract the attention of newborns.

When a newborn first opens his eyes, he has peripheral vision. As a result, the child sees areas on the sides of his body. The central objects remain blurry. Children learn to control the lens within 6 months. On days 30-36 of life, the child fixes his gaze on objects that maintain a distance of 30 cm from his body.

There are no light sources in the womb, so the embryo's eyes cannot distinguish between the surrounding organs and the placenta. The fetus reacts only to bright rays that can penetrate the layer of skin and muscles of the mother’s body.

To help your baby learn to recognize faces, here are a few tips:

newborns focus their gaze in a vertical position and wait until the child concentrates;
the face or object must be within 20-25 cm;
the voice should be calm and quiet, you must smile and actively use facial expressions;
toys in the cradle should be located in the foot area or on the side of the crib.

Such actions will help to get the baby's attention. Newborns begin to hear early, so a high pitch of voice can provoke a negative reaction. When a child begins to recognize his mother or father, he smiles or laughs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft4MJAAD9yg

The main methods of testing hearing and vision include checking the reaction in the first weeks of life to:

rustle of paper;
movement of objects starting from 3 months;
changes in intonation, timbre and volume of voice;
strong light and sound stimuli.

Children will be able to talk about visual acuity or the color scheme of objects only after they learn to express their thoughts.

Parents should immediately seek advice from an ENT doctor, pediatrician or pediatric ophthalmologist in the following situations:

after 1 month after birth, there is a lack of interest and focus when moving large objects;
the baby does not respond to loud sounds and bright sources of light;
by 4 months, the child does not distinguish parents and relatives who care for him for a long time from strangers;
does not try to repeat combinations of sounds, does not look at objects and does not reach for brightly colored toys;
did not start talking by 7 months - the causes of speech impairment may be caused by a pathological disorder of the hearing aid;
upon reaching 1 year from the moment of birth, he does not orient himself in space, does not play and does not respond to light and sound stimuli.

While playing or caring for a child, parents may notice visually visible defects and developmental anomalies. They manifest themselves in squinting or diffuse strabismus, frequent horizontal or vertical movements of the eyeballs.

Signs of pathologies

With diseases of the hearing system, the child does not respond to sources of loud noise. When a loud sound appears, a newborn should freeze, become frightened, or close his eyes. If at 2-3 months the baby is indifferent to the voice addressed to him or the noise of rattles, it is necessary to undergo an examination by a pediatrician or audiologist.

In rare cases, infants hear only low and mid-level frequencies, while high-frequency sounds do not cause any response. In such a situation, the development of hearing loss of varying severity is possible. To exclude the presence of pathology, you should pour semolina into a glass or metal container and shake it over the newborn’s head. Normally, he should try to turn towards the source of the noise.

Upon reaching 1 month, the pupil's reaction to light should be checked. If it does not narrow, you need to visit an ophthalmologist. The cause of concern may be the lack of reaction at 12-14 weeks of life to silent objects, as well as if the child does not focus his gaze on various objects. In this case, the baby will not follow the direction of the mother’s gaze and movements. Children with visual pathologies do not distinguish parents from strangers.

It is recommended to visit a pediatric ophthalmologist as a preventive measure at 1, 3, 6, 12 months of a child’s life. Premature babies or newborns who have suffered acute hypoxia during childbirth or cerebral ischemia are at risk. Pathologies are observed in the presence of hereditary diseases in one or both parents, Rh conflict.

When a newborn 1-2 months old begins to squint his eyes, this is normal. At this time, their visual organs are not coordinated, so it is difficult for the child to control them at the same time. Children's eyes are characterized by intermittent movements.

If the eyes diverge in different directions, then this indicates the development of a pathological process:

congenital disease;
pathologies of the nervous system;
birth trauma.

For prevention, you need to visit a pediatrician. A doctor should conduct an examination if the child's strabismus gets worse or does not go away for a long time.

When a newborn is taken home from the maternity ward, the most exciting time begins, although often very difficult. A young mother faces enormous responsibility, because she is entrusted with the care and maintenance of the baby. Parents are visited by vague thoughts when the baby does not respond to a voice or light. They worry that the child does not hear or see anything. However, doctors do not advise worrying unnecessarily.

Physiological changes

By the age of two months, the baby's salivary glands begin to function fully.
And although their functioning is not so active as to cause the formation of a large amount of saliva, breastfeeding becomes more comfortable for the baby. In addition, due to tighter contact between the baby’s mouth and mother’s breast, the baby swallows less air, which reduces the occurrence of colic.
The baby's digestive system is actively developing.
In a two-month-old baby, digestive juices and enzymes are more actively produced, beneficial microflora develops in the intestines, and stool changes.
Physiological hypertonicity begins to fade.
First, it decreases in the upper extremities, and a little later in the legs. The crawling reflex also disappears - if you place your palm under the feet of a baby lying on his stomach, the child will no longer push off.
By two months, the communications that were in the child’s heart during intrauterine development begin to close. Changes also occur in the child’s blood formula.
The baby's vision is improving
- the baby can see everything better at a distance of 50 centimeters, but the baby's eyes are not yet able to fix objects that move quickly.
A child has at least 6 urinations per day, and the type of feeding a child has affects his bowel movements.
A baby receiving mother's milk can defecate from 1 time every few days to 12 times a day, and the frequency of feces in artificial babies is on average 1-4 times a day.

The child begins to develop a daily routine

Physical development

The height and weight of a two-month-old baby can vary greatly. A child can grow 3-5 centimeters in the second month of life or gain only 1 centimeter in height, and this will be normal.

On average, in the second month, children gain about 800 grams of weight, but some toddlers may gain less, while others may gain more. The average increase in chest volume is 2 centimeters, and head circumference is 1.5 centimeters.

If you are in doubt and worried, find out the limit values of the main physical parameters of a child’s development, which we have noted in the table:

Insufficient weight gain (if a 2-month-old boy weighs less than 4.3 kg, and a girl weighs less than 3.9 g) should be a reason to consult a pediatrician. An excessive increase in head circumference should also cause concern - this is a good reason to show the baby to a neurologist to rule out problems with the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid.

Monitor the dynamics of your baby’s development and consult a pediatrician

What can the baby do?

The two-month-old baby responds with a conscious smile to his mother’s affectionate speech and games. The range of emotions of a baby becomes very extensive - the baby can be happy, offended, indignant, silently laugh, flirt, attract attention, protest against the actions of an adult.
Thanks to improved function of the eye muscles and increased ability to concentrate, the look of a baby of this age has become studying and attentive. The baby recognizes the mother's face and examines it carefully. The baby is also attracted to various bright objects. He fixes his gaze on them both when they are motionless and when they move slowly in space.
The baby is already better at recognizing different sounds, at the same time distinguishing the mother’s voice and turning his head towards it.
In the tummy position, the baby raises his head more confidently and is able to hold it for about a minute. At the same time, the baby’s shoulder girdle comes off the surface. The baby can hold his head up for just as long when his mother holds him vertically in her arms.
The 2-month-old baby's noises have become louder and more frequent. The baby's sounds become clearer. They are predominantly vowels - “e”, “i”, “u”, “o”, “a”.
If you place your fingers or toys in the palms of a 2-month-old toddler, the baby will reflexively grab onto them.
Lying on its side, the baby has already learned to turn to a position on its back.
The child began to understand some connections between cause and effect. For example, the baby has already realized that his crying causes his mother to appear nearby. At this age, the baby still uses crying to inform his parents about any discomfort.

At 2 months the baby is already smiling consciously

Development activities

To stimulate the physical development of the baby, parents should use:

Massage and light exercises.
Air baths. The baby should be placed on the changing table and completely undressed, leaving him lying naked. Start with 1 minute of such a bath, and then gradually increase the duration to 10 minutes.
Walks in the fresh air for 2-4 hours daily (duration depends on weather conditions).
Frequently placing it on the tummy so that the baby can practice holding his head up.

Carry the baby in your arms, holding him up, showing him the surrounding objects and introducing the baby to other people. Give your baby the opportunity to explore the faces and voices of adults and other children. Provide the opportunity for the baby to explore his own body, as well as his parents’ face by touch.

Many children calm down faster in the upright position

In order for a child to learn to hold objects and improve tactile sensitivity and motor skills, small balls made of different materials (wood, rubber, plastic, etc.) with different weights are regularly placed in his hands. Such balls can be soft and hard, smooth or embossed. You need to place objects in the child’s open palms and get the baby to reflexively grab them. Balls can be tied to ribbons and lowered towards the child, and when the baby grabs objects, pull them towards him, thereby encouraging him to grasp the balls more tightly. The balls can be replaced with sticks (smooth or ribbed) and inserts of different fabrics.

Try to do the exercise “Here is a gift for the baby,” which Tatyana Lazareva shows in the next video.

To develop the baby's hearing, it is worth using quiet classical music, rattles and bells.

Lay the baby on his back, take a bell in your hand and, holding it 60-70 centimeters from the baby's chest, make a few rings. After waiting for the sound to die down, make two or three more calls. You can also tie a fishing line to the bell and move it, stimulating the baby to look for the source of the sound with its eyes. Such ear training can be carried out several times a day, but after 3-4 days of training it is worth taking a break for a week.

To stimulate the organ of vision, put on bright clothes for the baby and surround the baby with objects of different colors. Hang bright toys over the baby's crib about 50 centimeters from the child. The baby will not only look at them, but will also begin to try to grab them.

Conduct unique dialogues with the baby, copying the babble of a toddler. The baby will hear himself from the outside and repeat after you, while training articulation and speech. Children also really like it when mom imitates animal sounds (meows, moos).

After introducing your baby to a regular massage, try using objects for this procedure that can be rolled over the baby’s body, for example, smooth sticks, small balls, pencils. If you take a large object for such a massage, roll it only on the baby’s back, and small objects can be used to stroke the toddler’s entire body.

Massage activates brain cells and promotes child development

For “self-massage”, you can scatter cereals (millet, rice, buckwheat, beans) on the changing table and lay the baby on it with its back down. If the baby’s hands are not yet very dexterous and cannot grasp the grains, you can place the baby on the cereal and on the tummy. Moving on such a massaging material, the child will develop tactile sensitivity.

How to determine the quality of vision in a child

None of the parents can independently understand how well the child’s eyes are developing. If necessary, adults will also be helped by some additional observations that may alert them:

after 3-4 months the baby cannot hold his gaze on an object;
brings toys too close to see, or squints;
the baby constantly rubs his eyes with his hands;

The period of adaptation of a child is a difficult process for both him and his parents, so contacting doctors at the first signs of negative symptoms will protect you from more serious complications in the future.

Daily regime

Many babies develop their own daily routine by the age of two months. It is important for parents to take into account the baby’s biorhythms and adjust the main routine moments to suit them (walking, developmental activities, bathing).

A two-month-old baby spends most of the day sleeping. The baby sleeps at night for about 11 hours, and in the daytime 4 times for 1.5-2 hours. It will also be normal if several daytime naps last up to 3 hours, and the rest are very short (half an hour each). Periods of wakefulness at this age are still short. On average there are 4 of them, lasting from 1 to 1.5 hours.

The number of feedings in 2 months is 6-7, and the interval between them is approximately 3 hours. There is no night break in feeding at this age, and during night feeding the baby no longer fully wakes up.

Care

A two-month-old toddler should not be left alone - let the baby always be under the supervision of an adult. When caring for the baby, you need to wash the child every day, wiping his eyes, nose, ears and face. Wash the baby under running water after each fecal discharge and after several urinations.

Daily bathing of a 2-month-old child should last 5 minutes in water at a temperature of 36-37 degrees.

A 2-month-old baby's head is washed two to three times a week.

Various herbs can be added to bathing water.

Nutrition

Breast milk is considered the best food for a 2 month old baby. It provides the baby with the necessary nutrients and changes simultaneously with the growth of the baby. The best option for breastfeeding is called feeding on demand, when the baby is fed as many times as he needs.

The vision of newborns is strikingly different from that of an adult. What are these differences? How to take into account the peculiarities of a baby’s visual function for a more harmonious and competent development of the child? What mistakes should be avoided so as not to worsen your baby’s vision?

How newborns see

Many people believe that children are born practically blind. Actually this is not true. They are already physically formed and can see the same as an adult. It's all in the brain. It is he who is not yet able to process information so that the child can see the full picture of the world.

Newborn babies are able to distinguish light, the outlines of people and objects located no further than 20-30 cm. Everything around them appears blurry, unclear, and lacking contrast. This is not surprising, because visual acuity is only 0.005-0.015. Colors and patterns are also not perceived.

You may notice that a few days old baby does not focus his vision on any object, his gaze is constantly moving. Don’t be afraid of this, the situation will definitely change for the better.

What do children see? How does vision change with age?

1 month

At one month, the main objects of visual perception for the baby are the mother’s face and sources of bright light. It is still difficult for the baby to fix his gaze, so his eyes wander around the room.

Don't be afraid to leave the light on while your baby sleeps. This will not disturb or wake him up, and when he wakes up, the child will definitely look for a light source with his eyes, which will serve as stimulation and training of visual function.

There is an opinion that newborn children see the world around them upside down. It is a myth!

2-3 months

During the second and third months, vision begins to improve noticeably. The world is starting to play with bright colors! Children of this age distinguish colors such as bright yellow, red, orange, and bright green. The baby sees objects and people as if in two-dimensional space; the baby’s brain is not yet able to perceive a three-dimensional image. At this age, it’s time to buy your child bright rattle toys. You can place the baby on your tummy more often. This position promotes proper visual development.

4-6 months

From the fourth to the sixth months, visual function becomes even more perfect. The central zone of the retina and visual centers in the brain begin to work more harmoniously and correctly. Infants of this age are already actively examining surrounding objects and are interested not only in them, but also in their own body. They clap their hands, play with their feet, and are able to pick up an object in their hand.

By the end of the sixth month, it's time to get examined by a good pediatric ophthalmologist.

It is necessary to make sure that the baby’s eyes see equally well, there is no strabismus, eye movements are coordinated, and there are no diseases that could interfere with the further development of vision.

7-12 months

During this period of life, children's vision becomes absolutely the same as that of an adult. The only difference is the spiciness. Fully 100% visual acuity is formed only closer to school age. But this does not mean that the child sees poorly! It can be noted that the volumetric spatial perception of the world has already been mastered. The baby actively crawls, walks, sees his parents and recognizes them, distinguishes objects and is interested in everything that is around him.

At this age, it’s time to start practicing with objects that have a certain shape - cubes, balls of various sizes, a pyramid, a sorter toy. It’s not scary if the child doesn’t immediately create a tower of cubes or a regular pyramid; kids of this age are just learning to distinguish the shapes of objects.

Formation of hearing and vision before birth

Many people mistakenly ask at how many months of life newborn babies begin to see and hear. During a clinical study, doctors were able to find out that the senses are activated at the 17th week of pregnancy. At the end of the 6th month of embryonic development, the eyes have time to fully form and try to transmit visual information to the occipital part of the brain. At this time, the rudiments of the ears pick up vibrations, and the auditory ossicles transform them into nerve impulses.

Embryogenesis of the hearing aid begins at the 5th week of fetal development with the formation of the inner ear. After 10-12 days, this process ends, and the cells switch to creating the auditory canal. At 6 months, the auricle begins to develop, but the cartilage tissue remains soft until the 36th week of pregnancy.

At week 17, the embryo's ear is able to hear intestinal motility, pulse and heartbeat of the mother. At the same time, the cerebral cortex remains unformed, so the unborn child does not realize and does not analyze the received sound information. The embryo begins to respond to sounds passing through the abdominal cavity and amniotic fluid at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy.

Visual tubercles are formed from the 2nd week of intrauterine development. In the first month of embryogenesis, cells create the lens. The eye becomes covered with sclera and eyelids by 18 weeks. The center of vision in the brain develops by the beginning of the third trimester, so the fetus begins to respond to light and distinguishes the time of day.

What parents of a newborn need to pay attention to

To monitor the correct development of vision, it is necessary to undergo timely examinations by a professional ophthalmologist. However, parental vigilance can help matters in the event of any eye disease. You should pay attention to the following things:

Eyeballs should be normal size. Eyeballs protruding from the sockets, when the child’s eyes seem to be “bulging out”, is a bad symptom that requires immediate examination by a doctor.
The pupils should be round and of the same diameter. If you shine light on the baby's eye, the pupils will narrow.
You should also pay attention to eye color. Normally it is the same. The baby's eye color is fully determined only by the end of the third month. In nature, people have different eye colors, but this is rare, so if the baby’s eyes are clearly different colors, it is better to consult a doctor.
It is imperative to monitor how the baby focuses his gaze on the object. This can be done starting from 2 months of age. From the third month of life, you can move the rattle in front of the baby's face from side to side. The child must follow the object.
Constantly watery eyes are not a sign of the norm and need to be examined by a specialist.
Severe strabismus or movement of the eyeballs in different directions also requires immediate examination by a doctor.

Reasons for serious concern

Babies are usually examined by specialists in various fields. A visit to an ophthalmologist is no exception. Parents should not ignore any deviations, even minor ones. Reasons for contacting a doctor may be:

the eyes are in motion, but the child is not able to fix his gaze;
one or both pupils are located close to the bridge of the nose, or they roll back;
white and slightly cloudy pupils;
tearfulness, excessive light sensitivity.

At what age should you regularly visit an ophthalmologist?

In most cases, the first visit to a vision specialist occurs at one month of age during a mandatory examination of the child. If this does not happen, then you definitely need to get advice from this specialist before the age of six months. The next time an ophthalmologist is visited is already a year old, also during the mandatory full examination of the baby. After this, you need to regularly check your eyes every year.

Of course, if any problems arise with the eyes or there is a suspicion of abnormal development or deterioration of vision, then a visit to the doctor cannot be postponed!

How to promote the development of a child's vision?

There are several simple ways to help your child develop visual functions effectively. To do this, it is enough to play with the baby, choose the right toys and carefully watch the child.

From the first days, you should definitely let him look at mom or dad’s face close up, and allow him to feel them. This pleasant pastime has a very good effect on the development of vision.
What colors of toys do you prefer? In the first months of life, you need to buy bright toys in yellow-red-green colors. In the future, you can expand the color variety, because vision develops.
The children's room must be decorated in light colors and care about good lighting. Too bright, irritating shades are not suitable for a nursery. Bright colors can only be used in the form of small accessories and in the selection of toys.
There is an opinion that a child should not be brought to the mirror. It is a myth! Children love it when they see their reflection in the mirror. This is not only fun for the baby, but also a good activity that develops vision.
For small children (from 2-3 months), you can use hanging toys, a mobile, tie multi-colored bows and scraps to the side of the crib. It is important to remember that all toys for children under one year old should be bright and large, no small parts!

The visual health of a child is inherent in nature. The task of mom and dad is to preserve and develop it.

Do you want to know what color and how your baby sees the world? After all, the baby’s vision is still developing, so he sees everything differently. A doctor from the UK decided to show young parents how a child’s vision changes from 0 to one year.

The baby’s visual organs, like many of his other organs, are not yet fully formed at the time of his birth and continue to develop until the baby reaches one year. An eye surgeon at one of the British clinics, Dr Romesh Angunawela, decided to talk about how this happens on the pages of dailymail.co.uk.

A baby's eyes open for the first time in the womb, so the first thing babies see is darkness and light. Once born, babies use this basic understanding of contrast to form images from shapes and lines.

At the same time, the first few weeks the baby sees everything in black and white, his eyes, like the nerve fibers immediately after birth, function poorly.

By about two months of age, the first color that the baby begins to distinguish is red. It’s not so easy to imagine this on your own, so it’s better to look at photos that clearly show it.

Dr. Angunahuela says that the development of a child's vision is a very complex process, and the newborn must constantly develop this ability.

“The part of the brain responsible for processing vision occupies 1/3 of the cerebral cortex in a baby. It begins to “work” as soon as the first streams of visual information arrive, as soon as the baby opens its eyes for the first time and sees the world.”

An adult can distinguish different colors, including pastels, shades of black, iridescence, etc. Babies under one year old cannot do this. And all because they have almost no connections between brain receptors. Only very bright colors, which contrast and stand out strongly, begin to be perceived by the child first.

The process of creating connections in the brain that lead to color recognition lasts for 3 months, and only then the baby can see the world at the most basic level.

Vision is only one of the factors that shows how a child develops nerve fibers, receptors and nerve connections.

This means that each parent can determine when their baby begins to distinguish color: approximately when the baby reaches 3 months, he begins to distinguish between mother’s and father’s facial expressions and fixes his gaze. In time, this coincides with the period of the appearance of the baby’s first reciprocal smile, when he already knows how to control his facial muscles.

By the age of 4 months, children begin to distinguish objects located approximately 25 cm from their face. By the way, the baby begins to coordinate the movements of his arms and legs at about the same age.

The long-awaited birth of a tiny baby only adds more questions for moms and dads about the development of newborn children. One of the most common is when does a child begin to see? In the first days, the baby's eyelids are swollen due to the passage of his head through the birth canal and are therefore half-closed. It is not surprising that some parents believe that young children cannot see yet. However, from the moment of birth, a baby is able to examine some objects; it’s just that his vision has a number of significant features, which we will talk about in more detail.

Stages of development

The eyes of the embryo begin to form at 8-10 weeks of pregnancy.
It is important that at this moment the mother is healthy, and no negative factors affect the correct formation of the organs of vision and the optic nerve. Pathologies that arise during the period of stay in the womb are quite difficult to correct, if they can be corrected at all. In the mother’s belly, the baby distinguishes between light and darkness, demonstrates unconditioned visual reflexes, but he does not see bright light, getting used to a darkened and dim atmosphere. After birth, the toddler needs to adapt to its new living conditions. The baby begins to distinguish something other than light at about 3 weeks after birth. It is at this stage that object and color vision begins to form.

By the beginning of the second month of independent life, the baby can already hold his gaze for a very short time at large bright and large objects located at a distance of no more than 60 cm from him. By 3 months, the baby is able to follow a silent toy with his eyes for much longer. Moreover, the toy itself can now move left and right and up and down. The child repeats similar movements with his eyeballs, turns his head towards a bright object of interest to him.

By six months, children develop stereoscopic vision. The baby has no problems focusing on objects, following them with his eyes, and can reach out and take toys in his hands.

After 6 months, toddlers learn to see distant spaces. Stereoscopic vision allows them to see the world in a three-dimensional, full-fledged way, and the improving capabilities of the body (it learns to sit, crawl, walk) gradually stimulate the development of the cortical part of the brain, which is also responsible for the accumulation of visual images. The baby learns to estimate the distance between objects and overcome it; the color scheme also becomes more saturated in the second half of life.

Congenital physiological farsightedness, characteristic of all infants, usually disappears by 3 years. During this time, children's eyeballs actively grow, the eye muscles and optic nerve develop and improve. A child’s visual organs become as similar as possible to adults only by the age of 6-7 years.

When does a newborn baby begin to see?

It turns out that the baby in mom’s belly already distinguishes morning from darkness. If a woman who is eight months pregnant turns on a bright light in the middle of the night, the baby will feel it and close her eyes. In recent weeks, many babies turn their head towards the light source aimed at the mother's belly.

When does a child begin to see after birth? The answer is obvious: from the first days of life, although his visual abilities differ significantly from the vision of an adult. The baby sees only a blurry picture and reacts to bright lighting.

However, many young mothers have the mistaken impression that the baby does not see or hear anything. For the first two to three weeks, babies sleep around the clock and wake up to eat and remind their mother about the wet diaper. It is not surprising that at this moment children have no time to explore the world around them. We've eaten - it's time to sleep!

At what weeks do babies begin to see well?

Eight weeks – able to hold their gaze on large objects (no more than 10 seconds);

16 weeks – able to focus vision on an object and track the movements of adults passing by. This is the age when the child begins to recognize his mother, reacting to her appearance with a smile and hum;

The sixth month of life - they recognize not only their parents, but also other significant adults, and look at toys and interior items with interest.

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So, the baby begins to explore the world around him with the help of vision from birth. However, he sees completely differently, not like adults. What are the features of infant vision?

1. Babies see best large objects that are 20-25 centimeters away from them. It is at this distance that the mother’s face is located from the baby during breastfeeding. Therefore, the newborn recognizes its mother earlier than other relatives.

2. The most attractive object to look at is the human face. The child happily examines his mother and father and other household members, trying to capture their images. The newborn looks at his dad with special curiosity, because men have clearer facial features.

3. Until three months, children do not distinguish colors; all objects around them are black and white. Therefore, you should not hang a carousel with colored toys over the crib. The best option is a mobile of black and white figures. In addition, newborns prefer to look at geometric shapes and patterns of cells and stripes.

4. At three months of age, a baby can already distinguish between red and yellow. Other shades are not yet available to him due to the structure of his visual organs. Now you can exchange black and white toys and images for bright, colored objects. When a newborn begins to see toys and distinguish colors, his vision adjusts and acquires adult, “perfect” features. Experts call this process visual memory. It is extremely important for a child because it is the basis for the formation of personality. The baby remembers his things and forms a special point of view regarding them.

Features of hearing and vision after birth

When newborns begin to see and hear, they reflexively flinch. Strong light and auditory stimuli can trigger the development of stress, so in the first months of a child’s life you should speak in a quiet tone. Within 30 days from the moment of birth, the newborn only adapts to the environment. After this time, he begins to remember intonations and distinguish colors.

After childbirth stress, the child needs to recover:

For 5-10 days, the baby spends a large amount of time sleeping, waking up to feed. During lactation, the baby remembers the main facial features of the mother.
As it passes through the birth canal, the newborn's head is subjected to high external pressure, causing vision to remain blurry. Swollen eyelids and capillaries bursting from bright light also interfere with focusing.
The child concentrates on objects only by 4 months. Until this time, due to weak eye muscles, the organs of vision may squint towards the nose.

Vision and hearing are formed gradually, going through various stages of development. After birth, the child does not perceive three-dimensional objects and does not remember the tone of voice. He reacts only to simple stimuli:

light and noise sources;
large size objects.

The baby does not notice differences in color.

Newborn

Vision is fragmented, causing the infant to see only isolated images and images. Afterwards, vision is narrow, so the child does not observe small things located on the sides of the body. A newborn can distinguish between two objects if only one is shown to him. The image received from both eyes is not combined into one picture.

The child reacts to bright light sources, cries and screams. He hears people's voices that seem loud to him. Any sounds irritate the delicate ear.

The child adapts to the world around him. At this stage of development, he does not distinguish between colors and intonations in the voice. Children constantly squint, trying to get used to the lighting. They see objects in a two-dimensional plane. Farsightedness is observed, so the baby cannot distinguish objects at a distance of 40 cm.

1 month

The baby learns to distinguish between white and dark shades, reacts to the absence or presence of light sources. Objects are perceived vaguely, of the same color range. On the 30th day, visual acuity increases 2 times. The gaze glides over the surface of objects. The child learns to recognize intonation in the voice.

2 months

Children begin to see objects at a distance of up to 80 cm. They are interested in large objects of a uniform shade that they can concentrate on. In this case, objects should not move.

3 months

At 12 weeks of life, the baby is interested in simple geometric patterns. Children look at faces, but do not remember what they see. Infants begin to follow moving objects.

4-5 months

At this time, the child begins to distinguish the distance between objects. It focuses the gaze on both near and distant objects. Lateral vision is actively developing. If children detect movement in the periphery of the visual field, they turn towards the moving person or object.

The baby distinguishes red and yellow colors, but does not distinguish shades by their depth.

6 months

Binocular vision allows you to combine the visible image of both eyes into a single whole. In addition to lateral objects, children are good at distinguishing objects located in front of them. The child has good control of the lens and is attracted to bright shades and depth of color. Children look at contrasting images and complex drawings for a long time.

7 months and older

During this period, memory is actively developing, so the child actively reacts to his name. Infants are able to associate the name of an object with its visual shape. Babies begin to see clearly, and visual acuity stops changing. The eyes are fully formed and must fully convey visual information.

Vision continues to develop after birth, the eyes and nerves mature. This process occurs simultaneously with the development and formation of brain functions.

After birth, babies' vision is weak and they cannot boast of its sharpness. The big and bright (compared to the mother’s womb) world is a great stress for the baby, who, moreover, cannot really see what is happening around him. What we see for a baby in the first month of life is a “patchwork quilt” - a cluster of multi-colored spots that do not have clear boundaries.

But the process of formation of visual organs and neural connections in the brain occurs continuously and also very intensively, and therefore, already at the age of one month, the baby can generally distinguish certain shapes if you bring an object close to his eyes.

However, it is still very difficult for a baby of this age to maintain a focused gaze; the muscles responsible for moving the eyeballs and fixing the gaze are still very weak.

Do newborns see everything in black and white? The answer to this question is rather negative, but the newly born child does not perceive a special variety of colors. Rather, it is a set of spots in halftones. Statements that babies perceive everything upside down are generally far from reality. Your newborn sees everything in the correct projection, only very vaguely.

Since the eyeballs are significantly smaller in size than adults (16 mm in newborns versus 24 mm in an adult), the image is formed not on the retina, but immediately behind it, so all newborns, without exception, are characterized by a certain physiological farsightedness.

Let's look at the main stages in the development of visual ability in infants.

Newborn

In the first days after birth, the child distinguishes only between light and darkness. He cannot see his mother, father, or even his grandmother, no matter how hard his relatives try to prove the opposite.

If you shine too bright a light on a child, he may cry; a sudden change in lighting (from darkness to light) causes lacrimation and quite understandable indignation in the little man. These abilities belong to the category of visual reflex reactions; they are assessed in the parental home after the baby is born. If there are reactions, the child is considered to be sighted.

Why do babies cross their eyes?

Some mothers get very scared when they notice strabismus in their newborns. Meanwhile, intermittent squinting of the eyes is normal for children under six months of age.

The reason for this phenomenon is weak eye muscles. It is quite difficult for infants to look at an object or parents with both eyes at once, which causes their gaze to become unfocused. At the age of six months, strabismus disappears. If the baby mows constantly or after six months this feature does not go away, be sure to consult a specialist.

To confirm or refute suspicions, arm yourself with a dim flashlight. Shine it into your baby's eyes and watch the reflections. If they are placed in the center of the pupils, everything is fine with children's vision. If the reflections are removed from the pupils, you need to show the child to an ophthalmologist.

Useful tips for parents

Make sure that no foreign bodies get into your baby's eyes.
Watch how your newborn's eyelashes grow. Sometimes they do not grow exactly straight and can get on the cornea, which leads to injury when blinking.
Do not overprotect your baby's eyes from light. Remaining in twilight, the eye muscles develop poorly.
For better development of children's vision, hanging toys (mobiles and carousels) that rotate and make pleasant melodic sounds are great. The baby carefully watches the bright figures and listens to songs. In general, it develops with pleasure.

With a child who has not yet turned one year old, you should visit an ophthalmologist once every three months.

The specialist will monitor how the baby’s visual system is improving and will give comprehensive answers to many burning questions - when newborns begin to see and how to care for their eyes.