What newborn babies see in the first days. When does a newborn begin to see normally? Features of color vision

16.04.2019

The birth of a baby is always a pleasant and solemn event in a young family. From the first days, newly-made parents have a lot of worries and questions. How does vision adapt and when does a newborn begin to see? What can distinguish, at what age does he recognize mom and dad?

How do newborn babies see after birth?

For the first time in several weeks, the baby only eats and sleeps. And it seems to many parents that his vision is at the stage of development. But pediatricians say that a child begins to see from the very first minutes after birth.

Features of vision: from 1 to 6 months:

1st month. Vision is blurry, without a clear focus on the object of interest. The eyes of a newborn are just beginning to get used to the new world. He clearly sees only at a distance of 15-20 cm. Very often you can notice how, after childbirth, the child squints his eyes, thereby closing the corneas from bright light;
At two months. The ability to focus on one thing for only a few seconds, but the look is not yet stable and sliding (floating);
3-4th month of life. The ability to consider an object of interest and follow its movement (children's toys, people close to him). AT three months old The newborn is already able to distinguish colors. Some of the first are shades of red and yellow;
Six months. At 6 months of age, the child recognizes his loved ones, their special features of appearance (mustache, beard, tattoos). They especially prefer to look at various color patterns, paintings, photographs.

At what weeks (months) do babies begin to see well?

Adaptation of visual perception in children occurs gradually. In the first month, the baby closely examines and studies the face of his mother. At such moments, his gaze is not focused on one object. The baby sees the objects located near him, but he is not yet able to concentrate on one.

Consider what a newborn sees after birth (by week):

1-4 weeks - vision is fuzzy and blurry (as if in a fog);
6-8 - able to hold his gaze on the objects around him (up to ten seconds);
16 weeks - the ability to track the movement of objects and the movements of people. At this age, the baby is able to recognize mom and dad, smile, make sounds and coo;
24 weeks (6 months) - sees well in an upright position. At six months, the baby focuses intently on his favorite toys and small items. In addition, his vision is able to distinguish the faces of mom, dad, close relatives and strangers.

What does the child like to look at?

It has been noticed that babies at the age of 3 months like to watch what is happening, developing their worldview:

most of all, a newborn focuses on the faces of his parents. He recognizes mom and dad, looks at character traits face, therefore reacts negatively and emotionally to people he does not know.
a sudden change in appearance is a subject of special interest and observation in children. For example, if dad shaved off his beard, grew a mustache, shaved his head, this can cause discontent and loud crying.
After 2 months, the child looks with interest at the patterns on the wallpaper, black and white figures, photo pictures and other bright objects.

How to establish contact with the baby?

The gradual development of the visual abilities of a newborn is possible only with the direct participation of parents. What needs to be done to attract attention to yourself and establish contact with him?

To create conditions for the child that can improve his spectator perception of the environment, observe the following nuances and subtleties:

it is easier for an infant to focus his eyes while in an upright position. Hold your little one in a “column” as often as possible, especially after feeding and while awake;
look closely at the cilia, sometimes they may not grow evenly, which can lead to damage to the eyelashes and distortion of vision;
the objects in question should be at the optimal distance for the infant's vision (no further than 25 cm);
properly hang a cradle and rattles by the crib. Children's play accessories should be hung on the side, not in front of the child's head. Another option is to hang toys in legs. In this position, the baby will better see the object in question, while not straining the neck muscles.

So, we examined the main stages in the development of vision in children, after their birth. Now, knowing how a newborn sees, the features of his visual sensation, you don’t have to worry too much. However, only a qualified doctor can understand whether vision develops correctly, whether there are deviations from the norm.

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

The organs of vision of the baby, 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. About how this happens, I decided to tell the eye surgeon of one of the British clinics, Dr. Romesh Angunawela (Dr Romesh Angunawela) 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 shapes and lines.

At the same time, for the first few weeks, the baby sees everything in black and white, his eyes, like the nerve fibers immediately after birth, do not function well.

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

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 takes up 1/3 of the cerebral cortex in a baby. She begins to "work" as soon as the first streams of visual information arrive, as soon as the baby opens her eyes for the first time and sees the world.

An adult can distinguish various colors, including pastels, shades of black, overflows and more. Babies under one year old can't do that. And all because they have almost no connections between brain receptors. Only very bright colors that contrast and stand out strongly begin to be perceived by the baby in the first place.

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

Vision is only one of the factors showing 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 child reaches 3 months old, he begins to distinguish between mother's and father's facial expressions, and fix his gaze. In time, this coincides with the period of the appearance of the first reciprocal smile of the baby, when he already knows how to control the muscles of his face.

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

Some parents are sure that a month is too short term in order for their baby to learn some other science than how to eat, poop and scream around the clock. Others, on the contrary, with a wet gleam in their eyes, are ready to prove that their one-month-old baby is almost ready to enroll in a university - after all, he already “listens carefully”, “nods in response”, “waves goodbye” and even “everything understands everything. In fact, both are far from the truth of life. What does a child really know at 1 month old, and should he be able to do anything at all?

Being born is hard work! But the neonatal period (the first 28 days) for the baby is no easier: after all, the world around is so big and complex ... How does a child develop at the very beginning of life, and what does a baby already know at the turn of 1 month?

Baby 1 month old: new world, new schedule

In just twelve months, your baby will change beyond recognition, and not only externally. He will turn into a mobile and curious toddler, already starting to walk, talk and show the first signs of character. But this “ascent” has 12 steps, 12 months. The first step - the starting one - consists mainly in the adaptation of the baby to the new conditions of "being". But this does not mean at all that a child of 1 month has nothing to boast of at all!

The development of a child in the first month of life really for the most part comes down to the fact that he gets used to a new, big, strange world. And you get used to the fact that from now on you must constantly and inseparably be near him and take care of him.

Child development in the first month of life: losing weight, gaining weight

Do not worry if your baby loses a little weight in the first days of life. Newborns are born with extra fluid in their bodies and usually lose up to 10% of their body weight in the first week. After that, their body stabilizes, and the child begins to gain grams again. At the end of the second week, babies, as a rule, weigh about as much as they weighed at birth.

But by the end of the first month of life, children, in conditions of adequate care and diet, begin to rapidly and steadily gain weight - an average of 15 to 30 grams every day.

What a baby can do at 1 month: touching reflexes

Despite the fact that in the first month of a child's life, his nervous system still in the process of development, he already knows a lot. You will see that your baby has several congenital reflexes. One of these, for example, sucking. Shortly after birth, your baby is able to latch onto the breast and eat, albeit with your help. And if you touch his palm or put your finger on it, he will involuntarily squeeze it into a fist.

This reflex has made more than one generation of fathers happy. A rare dad will miss the opportunity to touchingly boast that his offspring has a strong male handshake or an “iron” grip.

If the baby is suddenly frightened of something, for example, a flash of bright light, he spreads his arms and legs to the sides, and then presses them back. This is called the Moro reflex, it will remain with the child until the 4-5th month, then it will gradually fade away.

A child of 1 month: “I would take it and go - let them let me go!”

By the end of the first month of life, your baby already has an instinct to walk. If you, holding the baby, put his foot on a flat hard surface, he will try to take the first steps. This reflex is called "automatic gait of the newborn." But don't rush! There is a time for everything - no need to try to put the child on the floor or table, supporting only the handles. The baby's spine is still too weak and definitely not ready for such a load.

Moreover, despite the fact that monthly newborn already able to turn his head when lying on his stomach, his neck is not yet strong enough to support his head on his own. So always support the back of your baby's head when you pick him up.

Sleep like a baby?

For the first few weeks, it may seem to you that the only thing a newborn needs besides is this. In fact, newborns really sleep a lot, 15-16 hours a day. These hours may not be regular as the child is not used to the normal day/night cycle.

Remember, in the first month of a baby's life, their sleep and wake cycles are very different from yours. Unlike adults, infants sleep for the most part in REM sleep. This means that during the first weeks your baby will wake up as suddenly as he falls asleep.

You can help your little one get used to natural biorhythms faster by playing and talking with him during the day, and keeping things monotonous and boring at night. In the end, the baby will “understand” that they play during the day and sleep at night. And gradually, just in time for the end of the first month of life, the baby will become more and more awake during the day and sleep more and more soundly at night.

Child development at 1 month: what does he see, how does he hear?

In the first month of a child's life, the development of his vision is just beginning, newborns are short-sighted. The kid sees only those objects that are no further than twenty to thirty centimeters from him. This means that the baby will be able to more or less clearly see your face when you feed him or are near him. By the way, he would prefer to look at your face instead of some kind of muzzle. plush toy- neonatologists note that newborns are naturally attracted to a greater extent precisely by "live" human faces. The baby will also prefer to look at high-contrast objects, because they are more visible (this does not mean that you need to fill the children's bedroom with only black and white toys, pastel "soft" colors are also good and useful).

It is likely that you will notice that in the first month of life, the child will squint his eyes, trying to focus. This is normal, because the visual control apparatus of the newborn has not yet formed. However, if the baby continues to "mow" up to three or four months, it should be seen by a doctor, this may be a sign of strabismus.

Hearing in a newborn has not yet developed either, but by the end of the first month of life, he already hears many sounds clearly. Especially the voices of his parents, to which he was accustomed while he was in the womb. By the way, newborns like to listen to high-pitched, shrill sounds. So don't be too indignant when your mom or nanny specifically talks to him in a squeaky baby voice - it's even useful for a while.

If your baby at the age of one month does not react at all to any sounds, show him to the doctor. Despite the fact that in the maternity hospital, a neonatologist checks the hearing of all newborns, a safety net will not hurt.

Achieving the first month - love for sweets

Like older children (and many adults), newborns love the sweet taste. The thing is that in the first month of a child's life, the development of his taste buds is just beginning - the baby does not yet know how to recognize bitter and salty. But the sweetish taste of his food (which is formed due to a special one) is already recognized by a monthly baby very well.

As for the sense of smell, month old baby it is already well developed - from the first days of life, he is quite capable of distinguishing the smell of the nipple of the mother's breast and the smell of breast milk.

Baby 1 month: communication through tears

A 1 month old baby has only the only way communication with the outside world - crying. Your baby may cry for up to three hours a day, and that's okay. Don't panic - the older he gets, the fewer tears there will be. Crying is your baby's way of saying "I'm hungry - feed me!" or "My diaper is wet - change it!" or simply "I'm tired." In the end, you will learn to distinguish this cry and choose.

Achievements are not great, but the will to win is huge!

So, monthly baby still can not boast of many new skills and abilities. So far, he is only getting used to the new conditions of life, which are radically different from those in which he was before birth. However, he already knows a few things. Namely:

interested in watching the face of a person leaning towards him
trying to repeat the facial expressions of his "interlocutor"
speaks with curiosity
sometimes repeats some sounds "in unison" with the speaker;
distinguishes bright solid colors(red, black, white, yellow);
recognizes the voice, smell and touch of the person who spends the most time with him (most often it is his mother);
able to focus on a motionless bright object;
in the position on the stomach actively tries to raise and turn the head.

Compared to what your baby will be able to demonstrate in a year, all of these skills seem insignificant. But you evaluate the success of your child "from the other side" - compared to that tiny "blatant lump" that your baby looked like at birth, today's one-month-old toddler is already an incredible hero and hero. Is not it?

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

How newborns see

Many believe that children are born almost blind. In fact this is not true. Physically already formed and can see the same way 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 that are no further than 20-30 cm. Everything around them is seen as blurry, fuzzy, devoid of 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 baby a few days old does not focus on any object, the gaze is constantly moving. Do not be afraid of this, the situation will definitely change for the better.

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

1 month

per month main objects visual perception for a baby, it is a mother's face and sources of bright light. It is still difficult for the baby to fix the gaze, so the eyes wander around the room.

Do not be afraid to leave the light on while your baby is sleeping. 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 the visual function.

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

2-3 months

During the second and third months, vision begins to noticeably improve. The world starts to play bright colors! Children of this age distinguish colors such as bright yellow, red, orange, 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 a child bright toys- rattles. You can often spread the crumbs on the tummy. This position contributes to the correct 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 the visual centers in the brain begin to work more smoothly and correctly. Infants of this age are already actively considering the surrounding objects and are interested not only in them, but also own body. They clap their hands, play with their feet, and are able to take an object in their hand.

By the end of the sixth month, it's time to be 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, there are no diseases that could interfere further development vision.

7-12 months

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

At this age, it is time to start classes with subjects that have certain form- cubes, balls of various sizes, a pyramid, a sorter toy. It is not scary if the child does not immediately get a tower of cubes or a regular pyramid, kids of this age are only learning to distinguish between the shapes of objects.

What should parents of a newborn be aware of?

To keep track proper development vision, it is necessary to undergo examinations by a professional ophthalmologist in a timely manner. However, the vigilance of parents can help the case in the event of any eye disease. You should pay attention to such things:

Eyeballs should be normal size. Eyeballs protruding from the sockets, when the child's eyes seem to be "rolling out" - this is a bad symptom that requires immediate examination by a doctor.
Pupils should be round shape and the same diameter. If light is directed at the baby's eye, the pupils will narrow.
You should also pay attention to the color of the eyes. Normally it is the same. The color of the baby's eyes is completely determined only by the end of the third month. In nature, different eye colors are found in people, but this is rare, therefore, if the baby's eyes are clearly different color it is best to consult a doctor.
Be sure to monitor how the baby focuses his eyes on the subject. You can do this starting from 2 months of age. From the third month of life, you can drive a rattle in the face of the crumbs from side to side. The child must follow the subject.
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 direction also requires immediate medical attention.

At what age should you regularly visit an ophthalmologist?

In most cases, the first visit to a vision specialist occurs at the age of one month during the mandatory examination of the child. If this did not happen, then it is necessary to get advice from this specialist at the age of up to six months.
The next time the ophthalmologist is visited already in the year, also during the obligatory complete examination baby. After that, it is necessary to regularly go to check the eyes every year.

Of course, if there are any problems with the eyes or there is a suspicion of wrong development or deterioration of vision, then a visit to the doctor should not be postponed!

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

There are a few simple ways help the child develop effectively visual functions. To do this, it is enough to play with the baby, choose the right toys and keep a close eye on the child.

From the first days, it is imperative to let him examine the face of mom or dad close to him, allow him to feel them. it have a good time very good for 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 bright colors and take care of good lighting. Too bright, annoying 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 the child should not be brought to the mirror. It is a myth! Children love to see their reflection in the mirror. This is not only entertainment for the crumbs, but also good activity developing vision.
For small children (from 2-3 months) you can use hanging toys, mobile, tie multi-colored bows, shreds to the side of the crib. It is important to remember that all toys for children up to a year old should be bright and large, no small details!

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

To see the world and have the opportunity to enjoy this miracle throughout life is a great gift that must be appreciated and protected. We are so accustomed to it that we hardly think about when exactly it appeared in our country, how we would live if it were not there.

And really - very interest Ask how newborns see, when it appears and how their vision develops. Let's figure it out.

Features of vision at this age

It's no secret that almost any parent (especially those who became parents for the first time) is looking forward to the moment when God's tiny child, born into the world, begins to use certain feelings to understand the world. They want as soon as possible for their child to see or hear their parents, begin to recognize their faces and rejoice at them. It's no secret that we remember the mother's face all our lives.

To date, it is believed that a child who has just left mother's womb does not yet have such senses as hearing or sight. There is even a point of view that at first the child is only able to feel the feeling of hunger, while other feelings are not yet open to him. To be honest, this assumption is far from reality.

As the latest research has shown, a child is born with an already existing visual sense. The stages of embryonic development are well studied. Already at the 18th week of pregnancy, the zygote begins to form an eye as such. Closer to the seventh month, the eyeball is finally formed in the fetus. After a short period of time, the child in the womb is able to perceive light flashes if they fall on the mother's belly. Moreover, the child is able to turn his head in their direction, that is, he can react to light.

Any obstetrics student will tell young parents that almost immediately after birth, the child is able to respond to changes in light, distinguish between light and darkness: in bright light it squints, and in twilight it opens its eyes. Therefore, it can be argued that the infant has a certain vision, but it is not yet associated with consciousness.

The perception of information will appear a little later, it will happen in stages, month by month. Although some parents are convinced that their baby looks at everyone and everything quite consciously from the first day.

How do they perceive visual information?

In the first month or two, the baby perceives the environment vaguely, like shadows or fog. Purely physically, he fails to concentrate his attention on specific objects, but especially large objects that are nearby, he is already quite capable of distinguishing from the general blurry (foggy) picture.

By the way, to the question of how far objects can be that the baby is able to perceive. For the first month, the baby distinguishes objects located at a distance of 20-25 cm. Note: this is the interval between the nursing mother and the baby. For a baby, a mother's face, a breast, a bottle of milk are large enough objects to catch them with a glance.

When the first month ends, the baby is already able to notice silhouettes at a distance of up to 30 cm. As the second month of life approaches, the baby can distinguish between voluminous and flat objects. And closer to the third month - concave and convex.

After first three months, the baby is already beginning to see a picture of the world with sufficient quality. He follows with his eyes the moving toys, the movements of his parents. Around this time, children are able to recognize the faces of others, which allows them to fully get to know their mother and father. He is especially attached to these individuals. Therefore, when the appearance of the parents changes, the baby can express his attitude by crying and whims.

The often observed phenomenon of supposedly slight strabismus is quite normal for a baby. This passes closer to 6 months, when the baby should already learn to look straight with both eyes. If the baby continues to cross-eye even after six months, this is a sure signal to go for an examination to the clinic to an ophthalmologist. If this moment is delayed, then serious complications may occur in the future.

It is worth noting that the child very quickly remembers the mother's face and always reacts very emotionally to it. He is also able to distinguish the outlines of the mother's breast.

Another interesting fact. It is widely believed that babies perceive the picture upside down. But in reality, this is only partly true, because the picture on the retina itself is actually upside down. But since the baby is not yet able to fully analyze what is happening, he is simply not able to perceive it.

When a child becomes able to distinguish colors

In and in the second environment perceived by the baby either as a shadow (black) or as light ( White color). There is no clear color differentiation for him yet.

Note to mothers: in the first month or two, children look with great delight at any images with a predominance of black and white patterns. Keep this in mind when buying appropriate toys and rattles for your baby.

Ability to recognize bright colors appears in the baby along with the ability to recognize specific faces. Approximately in time it comes in three months. At first, children are able to recognize yellow and red hues. For this reason, we recommend purchasing toys of these colors for them. At the same time, shades such as blue or green may not yet be perceived by the baby. He begins to recognize them closer to the fourth or fifth month.

Experts say that when there are a lot of attractive colorful and bright moving objects in the child's field of vision, the visual function develops faster.

As you can see, a person’s vision is an innate gift, it appears immediately after birth and begins to gradually develop as it grows. special transition period is the first month. It is worth considering these features, for example, when buying toys for your child.

Be attentive to your children, and when they grow up, they will be attentive to you!