Key Milestones for Newborn Speech, Hearing, and Vision

Major milestones in a newborn's life are some of the most exciting moments for new parents. Your baby's first step, first word, first smile, and first laugh are often recorded in the baby book. However, several other, less obvious milestones should also receive attention. Here, we'll review some key milestones for newborn speech, hearing, and vision.

Age-Appropriate Milestones for Speech and Hearing

Unlike eyesight, your baby's hearing capabilities are fully functional from the moment they're born. This is because the internal hearing structures are developed in the womb. However, that doesn't mean newborns understand how to react to sounds. Here are some speech and hearing milestones track once you've both been released from the hospital:

• Birth to 3 Months
• Reacts to loud noises or sounds with the startle reflex
• Newborns may be soothed and stop crying with soft sounds
• Begins to turn their head when you speak to them
• Might wake up from sleeping if there are loud sounds or talking nearby
• Starts to recognize certain voices and smiles in response
• Regonzies mom and dad's voices

   

• 4 to 6 Months
• Actively looks or moves to look at new sounds
• Imitates their own voice, may start to babble
• Enjoys toys that make sounds like baby rattles and musical mobiles
• Starts to recognize changes in tones of voice
• May start to repeat small sounds (e.g., ba-ba or ooh)
• Still reactive to loud noises or voices

   

• 7 to 12 Months
• May start to babble even when they are alone
• Responds to their name
• Responds to familiar voices
• Baby's first words
• Starts to use words of common items (e.g., bye-bye, cup, shoe, mom, dad)
• May respond to simple demands (e.g., wave bye-bye)
• Imitates simple words and sounds

   

• 1 to 2 Years
• Begins to use words that are used often in the house
• Follows simple commands and gestures
• Starts forming small sentences
• Understands simple yes-no questions
• Enjoys being read to
• May choose things by size
• Starts to understand action words

Tips to Stimulate Your Baby's Hearing

You can begin strengthening your little one's hearing from the day your baby is born. Some tips to do so include:

• Talk to your baby regularly, narrating daily activities.
• Use different tones and pitches when speaking.
• Play a variety of music genres.
• Sing to your baby frequently.
• Read aloud using books with rhymes and rhythmic patterns.
• Use noise-making toys like rattles and musical toys.
• Introduce gentle household sounds at safe volumes.
• Play white noise to mimic womb sounds.
• Point out and explain everyday noises to your baby.
• Encourage your baby to respond to sounds.
• Expose your baby to different languages and accents.
• Practice turn-taking conversations by imitating their sounds.
• Attend baby music or sound classes for interactive learning.
• Ensure a quiet sleep environment, free from loud noises.
• Monitor your baby’s responses to sounds.
• Schedule regular hearing check-ups with your pediatrician.

How to Encourage Speech and Language Development

There are also plenty of ways to stimulate your baby's speech and language development. Some of the most beneficial ones include:

• Talk to your baby often, describing what you’re doing.
• Use simple, clear language when speaking to your baby.
• Repeat words and phrases frequently.
• Read books aloud daily, even to newborns.
• Choose books with simple pictures and repetitive text.
• Sing songs and nursery rhymes regularly.
• Play interactive games like peekaboo and pat-a-cake.
• Use gestures and facial expressions to communicate.
• Avoid baby talk; use correct words and sentences.
• Encourage older siblings or family members to talk and play with your baby.
• Monitor your baby’s progress and respond to their communication attempts.
• Celebrate and encourage any verbal or non-verbal communication.

When to See Your Doctor Regarding Speech and Hearing Development

Your newborn probably had a hearing screening before being released from the hospital, so major issues should have been caught. Still, if you notice that your baby stops responding or is not startled by loud noises, it's important to see your pediatrician. Hearing problems can also occur at later stages, so the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends regular screening at ages 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 in addition to during newborn development.

Vision Milestones at Different Ages

Your baby's eyesight is nearsighted; they can see between 20/200 and 20/400 at birth. This means they can see at 20 feet what someone with perfect vision sees at 200 or 400 feet. Essentially, babies are pretty blind until their vision develops. They can still see muddled shapes, but the crisp world we're used to isn't something we're born with—it takes some time to develop. To help you track infant vision in the first few months of life, consider some of the following milestones.

• Birth to 1 Month
• Newborns see in black, white, and shades of gray
• Color vision slowly begins to develop
• They can see objects within 8 to 10 inches
• Newborns are very sensitive to bright lights
• Eyes appear much larger than their body
• Eyes may be uncoordinated or appear cross-eyed
• Newborns may focus on their parent's face or light, then change their gaze to moving objects

   

• 1 Month to 3 Months
• They can see objects within 12 inches
• Focuses on faces and pictures that have high contrast
• Tends to keep an eye on parent's faces more intently
• Newborns can follow objects up to 90 degrees
• Their tear ducts begin to form
• Can track objects more accurately
• They start exploring their own hands
• Begins to spot familiar faces
• Visual memory strengthens

   

• 4 Months
• Vision becomes more clear
• Depth perception begins to develop
• Babies may start to reach for objects in their visual field
• They can recognize themselves in the mirror
• Babies may recognize their bottle

   

• 6 Months
• Color vision has fully developed
• Will start to turn their head to see different objects
• Babies begin to prefer certain colors
• May reach for themselves in a mirror

   

• 7 Months to 12 Months
• Starts engaging in peek-a-boo
• Depth perception strengthens
• Can follow fast-moving objects

   

• 1 to 2 years
• Hand-eye coordination should be well-developed and active
• They can put shapes in proper holes
• Children should be interested in their environment
• Children can recognize familiar objects and pictures in books

Although problems may be suspected in children who are not responding to visual stimuli at these milestones, it doesn't necessarily mean they are. However, age-related guidelines can help you decide whether or not your child should see a pediatric optometrist. In many cases, even if the milestones are present normally, it's good to request an appointment and get confirmation of appropriate development.

Can You Help Your Baby's Vision Develop?

As new parents, you can do several things to help your baby's visual development. Age-appropriate activities can strengthen eye health and encourage your child's eyes to develop properly. Some of the most beneficial things you can do include:

• Use a nightlight in the nursery.
• Change the position of your child's crib or their sleeping orientation to help change the visual environment.
• Encourage play-time with reach-and-touch toys that are hung eight to twelve inches above their face.
• Talk to your baby while you walk around and see new environments.
• Hang a mobile or crib gym in their nursery.
• Alternate feeding sides so your child's eyes turn naturally each way.
• Encourage playtime and exploration.
• Incorporate sensory playtime.
• Play hand games to help develop hand-eye coordination.
• Play hide-and-seek games to strengthen visual memory.
• Name objects when you're talking to help with word association.
• Play with balls, rolling them back and forth, to help your child learn to follow moving objects.
• Play with building blocks and balls of different shapes and sizes to boost fine motor skills and visual recognition.

When to See Your Doctor Regarding Vision Development

Remember that not every child will follow the same path of development. Children reach milestones at different ages, so it's important to be patient and avoid comparing them to others. However, missing milestones could be a sign of hearing or vision problems, so monitoring and regularly seeing your pediatrician is important. During regular visits, your pediatrician will screen for problems with all five senses.

With that being said, premature babies do tend to have a higher risk for vision problems, so it's recommended that you see a pediatric eye doctor by the time your baby is 1 or 2.

There are also a few instances that could indicate an issue. If you notice any of the following, call your pediatrician for advice or to schedule a checkup:

• Different sized pupils
• Eyes that aren't properly aligned in all directions
• Eyes that aren't working together or moving cohesively
• Excessive tearing or crusting along the eyes
• Staring at lights for long periods
• Extreme sensitivity to light
• Inability to follow a moving object
• The appearance of a white pupil

Of course, you can call your pediatrician anytime you're worried about your little one's development.

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