December 25, 2023

Sylvie Pagovich

11th Grade

Ramaz Upper School

    Just like fully developed humans, babies also have the five senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Babies begin to experience touch when they are still in the uterus before they’re born. Touch can give babies a warm feeling and a feeling of security. Babies are sensitive to touch and prefer warm and soft touches. The sense of touch for a baby is fully developed at birth but continues to grow and evolve along with the baby. A fetus can even feel the vibrations when its mother’s stomach is rubbed. Touch influences the emotional status of a baby. Affectionate touch can lead to a baby having less negativity and stress. 

Touch is also important for a baby to learn about the world. Babies gain knowledge through experience and learning about different objects. Babies can differentiate objects through touch, not only by vision. A baby's vision is one of the last senses to develop and isn’t always finished developing by birth. A baby’s vision only begins to develop in the second trimester, and by the time a baby is born, they can only see about 12 inches in front of them. Babies don’t see color when they’re first born and only develop that skill a few months after birth. 

     Hearing is fully developed in newborns. They enjoy quiet and soft noises and have a bad reaction to loud noises. They are sensitive to loud noises and cry as a result. Babies can kick in the uterus in response to noises. Babies can hear your voice in the womb and recognize it after birth. Babies can have trouble separating background noise from speech. It’s best to speak with a baby one-on-one to help them learn.

    Smell develops very early in a fetus and is one of the first senses to develop. A baby is born with a fully developed sense of smell. A baby’s sense of smell can even be superior to an adult’s. Babies learn to recognize the smell of a parent and can tell when someone else is holding them. The smell of their parents can put a baby more at ease. A baby likes sweet smells and dislikes bitter and acidic smells.

     Taste begins to develop early in a fetus. Babies can distinguish between the taste of breast milk and any other liquid. Babies prefer sweet tastes over sour ones. Babies also prefer foods that they were exposed to while breastfeeding or through formula.

In addition to the five senses, there are also other senses that babies experience. One of them is the vestibular sense of balance and movement. They can experience this when they are being rocked or bounced. Another sense is the proprioceptive sense, the sense of body awareness. At first, this sense isn’t fully developed in a baby and they aren’t able to control their movements yet. Another sense is the interoceptive sense, the perception of what’s happening inside the body. This sense is also notably developed in babies. It can include hunger and using the bathroom. This sense develops as they grow and don’t have it at first.