Development of the Senses

Did you know that a baby’s vision is almost fully developed within the first year of life? The article we’re sharing this week describes how the five senses emerge and progress in young babies. The author includes useful tips for parents to safely stimulate each sense and encourage healthy development. Check out the article here: (https://www.parents.com/baby/development/physical/your-babys-developing-senses/)

"We have this impression that babies are helpless, but they absorb a lot of information with their senses to bond with their caregivers and explore things around them."

Babies are learning about the world around them as soon as (and to some extent, even before) they are born. As the senses grow, parents can seek out opportunities to boost each of the senses.

“[F]ull-term and late preterm newborns who share bare-chested snuggles with their moms (sometimes called "kangaroo care") may breathe better, cry less, and breastfeed longer.”

Physical contact with mom and dad is not only comforting, but also incredibly beneficial to young children. The author also recommends providing babies with plenty of objects and fabrics of differing sizes and textures to help them learn.

For the sense of hearing, reading picture books with your young child (or child of any age) is great. And so is making music with toy instruments including the shakers and bells we love to play with in Blooming Bébé classes!

Bright colors and movement games are highly beneficial to your baby’s sense of sight and hand-eye coordination. The author specifically mentions “Open Shut Them,” which is a tried-and-true favorite of ours!

While Blooming Bébé classes for infants tend to focus on the development of touch, hearing and sight as they relate to healthy movement patterns, smell and taste are also important to babies’ growth. Newborns rely heavily on their strong sense of smell, for instance. Parents can use certain gentle scents to calm and soothe their child. The article advises encouraging babies to try new foods early on to combat the all-too-common picky eater phenomenon.

We found this week’s article to be packed with well-organized and useful information and loved the inclusion of fun facts. Have you noticed any of your child’s senses to be particularly strong? Has this changed as they’ve grown?

Reference

Rones, Nancy. (December 3, 2018). Your Baby’s Developing Senses https://www.parents.com/baby/development/physical/your-babys-developing-senses/

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