The Newborn Baby’s Vision – Understand Its Development

Curiosity about the sight of babies is a subject that piques the interest of parents. Can the newborn baby really see and recognize the father, the mother , as well as visualize the objects?

To solve this question in 1996, the researcher TGR Bower dedicated himself to studies aimed especially at newborns. Research has shown that babies are able to recognize the mother’s face within four hours of birth.

The vision of the newborn baby is able to detect colors and abstract patterns, strong outlines and contrasts between light and dark. The primary colors blue, red and yellow usually draw a lot of attention at this stage.

Therefore, contrary to what many people think, the newborn can see in the first days of life , although there are still some limitations that will develop over time.

How Do Babies See?

Between the first and second months the baby sees with a certain limitation. However, with three months, visual connections and the neural system develop , making it possible to acquire good vision in both eyes.

He can better monitor the movement of toys, the mother also perceives the way he fixes his eyes when she moves, as well as the observation of objects, showing restlessness and a certain curiosity .

Sharper Vision From The Third Month

The ability to see improves greatly after the third month . Minor details and total clarity are developed in the months to come.

Visual experiences are valuable for children’s cognitive development , once they are able to see more clearly, they assimilate, memorize images, recognize objects and, of course, become familiar with the face of their parents, who are most important to them.

IMPORTANT: Newborns can more easily see objects that are between 20 and 25 cm away from their eyes.

Tests observed that when placing a yellow or red object 20 cm away, the babies showed reactions, such as more attentive eyes, movement of the face and even turned the neck slowly to follow. Interestingly the distance between 20 and 25 cm is the same as the face of the mother and baby when breastfeeding .

Vision with Quality from the 8th Month

Although at four months they are already very smart, look at colorful objects , play with their parents and recognize the closest people, only in the 8th month do they see with quality and quite sharpness, similar to the vision of an adult person.

At eight months the baby is already able to see objects from a long distance , captures the depth, begins to define the colors, previously restricted to red, yellow and blue, already at this stage has a greater ability to differentiate colorings.

My Baby Seems To Have Some Vision Problem, When Should I Worry?

Because the newborn baby’s visual development is gradual, some parents are concerned, especially when comparing their child’s behavior to that of another child of the same age.

Any eye problem in the child, if any, is diagnosed in the maternity ward with the aid of the eye test . Congenital diseases, such as cataracts or glaucoma, can be diagnosed in the first weeks of life by a pediatrician and medical follow-up during this period.

Some diseases that affect the baby’s vision are developed over time and diagnosed by the pediatrician. Medical follow-up is of paramount importance for early diagnosis and treatment, in case of any abnormality.

Main Symptoms of Vision Problems

Pay attention to some signs:

  • Strabic vision: when the child constantly presents strong distortion in the eyes;
  • Inadequate or strange positioning of the eyeball;
  • When he doesn’t move his eyes towards objects after three months of age.

When noticing any different signs, seek assistance from the pediatrician and if necessary, he will refer the case to the ophthalmologist for analysis. Stimulating the baby’s vision is also a healthy habit, of course, without exaggeration. Mobiles, colored objects, among others, help to develop visual skills and assimilation of colors.

Activities To Stimulate Baby’s Vision

Play and Fix Eye to Eye
In the first days of life the baby sees between the distance of 20 and 30 cm, so it is easier to see the mother’s face. Take advantage of breastfeeding, changing diapers and bathing to make eye contact.

Talking to the Baby
This is a stimulus not only visual, but cognitive. Interacting with the baby from the first months of life shows attention, affection and helps him to imitate her both in speech development, as well as in facial expressions.

Toys
Colorful objects, mobiles and everything with color contrast are excellent for the development of the baby’s vision. Black and white colors attract a lot of attention, especially in the first month of life. Until the third month give preference to objects of primary colors, such as yellow, blue and red.

Mobiles Mobiles
usually draw a lot of attention from babies and work on hearing, vision and motor development, as they already move their arms to try to reach objects from the fourth month onwards.

Playing Hide and Seek with the Toy After
five months this activity can be developed. The view is already clearer and you can hide an object and leave only a small part visible for it to locate with your eyes.

Photo Recognition At
eight months old and practically with impeccable vision, the child is able to recognize people in the photos. Show Daddy, Grandma and see his reaction.

See Also: Newborns and Their 5 Senses

Dr. Alexis Hart
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My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.

Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

Dr. Alexis Hart

My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

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