Development of the senses

Physical development in the under 2 year old is intertwined with both intellectual and social development and is difficult to separate. The senses need to develop to provide the baby with the means to explore and understand the world and to communicate with others. Newborn babies are able to use each of the five senses, however these continue to develop after birth.

In terms of vision, babies learn very quickly to focus their gaze on a single area around 20 to 25 cm away from the face, usually the distance between the mother's face and the baby's eyes when they are being fed. They are usually able to follow a moving object at this focal distance, although their gaze does jump.

By 4 months old, the baby should be able to fix on an object and follow or track the object from side to side. For babies who are able to use their hands and mouths to explore items, their vision will develop as the brain connections develop, so by around 1 years old the majority of babies will have a normal 20/20 vision. They will develop an ability to see colours around 8 months old.

In terms of sound, research undertaken with unborn babies has shown that they are able to hear through the mother's body and react to sounds. Following birth, newborn babies continue to develop this ability reacting to loud sounds by being startled and to quiet sounds by relaxing. They will focus on where a sound is and start to combine what they see with what they hear. Babies therefore start to make connections between familiar faces and voices usually when they are most alert, around the point at which they are fed.