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The development of the 5 senses of the baby
Touch: the first sense to develop
The tactile sense is the first to develop. From the second month of pregnancy, the baby experiences his first sensations. When it moves in the amniotic fluid, it feels touches, caresses … By the fourth month, his fingers are already receiving receptors. The baby needs to regain skin-to-skin contact with his mother. This is why the pressures, the caresses, the rockings, the massages, reassure him and give him a lot of pleasure. Nestling in your neck is what he prefers!
The development of taste
From the eleventh week of pregnancy, the baby already has the same taste buds on the tongue as us. Through the> amniotic fluid it tastes like everything you eat. The baby already knows how to differentiate the basic flavors perfectly: sweet, salty, bitter and sour. He also has a clear preference for sweet, which could be explained by the flavor of amniotic fluid. He generally hates anything that is sour or bitter.. If you breastfeed him, he will continue to taste everything you eat as the flavors pass into breast milk.
Baby’s smell
From birth, when the umbilical cord is cut, the baby breathes. He is already sensitive to good smells as well as bad. Make her smell an aroma of vanilla, you will see her delighted face. Take the test with a rotten egg and see his grimace! Without a doubt, what your baby prefers to feel is you. At 6 days old, he is able to recognize your scent, which reassures and soothes him. So, when you entrust him, give him a scarf or a piece of clothing that you have worn.
Hearing: how does hearing develop?
Already in your belly, he could hear your heartbeat. Abarely born, the infant knows the difference between low and high sounds, their mother tongue and other languages. Very early on, it recognizes your voice and the music you listened to when you were pregnant. He immediately reacts to an incongruous noise, like a horn. He jumps, fidgets, and looks at everything that passes around him as soon as he hears a new sound. Some, at a regular pace, have the gift of soothing him, a precious power that you also hold if you whisper in his ear or sing a lullaby.
Your baby needs to hear familiar house noises that give him cues. The sound of the water announces the time of the bath, the clinking of the plates signals the meal. In the same way, your discussions, the sound of footsteps, those on the television remind him that he is not alone. Be careful not to knock him out with noises.
Sight: the last sense to be formed in utero
Sight is the last sense to be put in place during pregnancy. At birth, the baby’s visual field is limited to 30 centimeters. Beyond this distance, he sees trouble. However, he manages to differentiate between light and penumbra, and distinguishes shapes. Around> 3 months, your child recognizes his relatives: grandparents, brothers and sisters, nanny… He identifies his parents even more quickly, to whom he reserves his most beautiful smile. Do not hesitate to show him colorful objects because he can better and better distinguish shapes and colors.