Section 3.2 Postnatal development

1.2. Sensory and perceptual development in infancy

Visual Perception

• By 3 months, babies can see clearly and notice colors.
• They show interest by staring at things.
• By 5 months, they can see shapes and facial features.
• By 6 months, they can recognize familiar faces like their mother’s and tell them apart from strangers or objects.

Hearing

• Between 8 and 28 weeks, babies can tell where sounds are coming from.
• They move their eyes or heads toward the sound.
• Smell
• Newborns can tell the difference between good and bad smells.
• Pleasant smells (like vanilla) make them happy, while strong or unpleasant smells (like alcohol or petrol) cause fast heartbeat or breathing.

Taste

• Babies can taste from birth.
• They prefer sweet tastes and suck more when milk is sweetened.
• They show dislike by pursing lips when given sour, bitter, or salty tastes.

Touch and pain

• Newborns respond strongly to touch, especially on sensitive areas like the feet, palms, ears, and eyes.
• They can connect what they feel with what they see.
• Babies feel pain, as shown by crying during procedures like circumcision, even at just a few days.