Starting from the first day of his life, the child gradually develops physically, on a mental and emotional level. However, to realize all this, visual information helps him. At first, the baby sees only blurry objects. However, with each subsequent day, his field of vision expands and, accordingly, the stage of studying the new world begins.
Nevertheless, many parents worry how the child sees at 1 month and after. In order not to worry unnecessarily once again, it is worthwhile to examine this issue in more detail.
When and what newborns see
First of all, it is worth saying that the ability to see is inherent in every person. Most of the newly born children see everything around them as if in a fog, very vague. This is because vision is gradually starting to adapt to new conditions that were not there before. Therefore, the baby’s vision at 1 month is significantly worse than that of a baby who is 4 months old or more.
Newborn babies begin to squint if they see a bright light, and prefer to keep their eyes closed more often. However, there are those children who, from the first hours of their lives, prefer to inspect everything around. Although it seems to parents that during this period of time the child’s gaze is quite interested, in fact, the baby is unlikely to see anything clearly. To understand this, just look at the photo as the baby sees in 1 month (see below).
It is also worth talking to a doctor who will explain how the development of optic nerves occurs.
As babies see after birth
The first 14 days, newborn babies usually only eat and sleep. Many parents suggest that during this period of time, children see absolutely nothing. However, experts strongly disagree with this statement, and they assure that the child can see the first images only a few minutes after his appearance in the world.
If we talk about how the baby sees at 1 month, then during this period of time the baby sees everything around him very blurry. In addition, he cannot clearly focus on one object. This is due to the fact that the eyes of the newborn gradually begin to get used to the new atmosphere.
A little later, he begins to see at a distance of 20 cm. With the onset of 2 months comes the ability to focus on a specific object, but only for 2-3 seconds. During this period of time, the child is still not able to hold his attention for a long time on a person, a toy or any other thing.
By the fourth month of life, the baby can already independently examine interesting objects in his environment and monitor how they move. In addition, starting from three months, the child begins to distinguish between color schemes. First of all, he sees shades of red and yellow.
By 6 months, the child already sees everything clearly and in bright colors. During this period of time, he begins to recognize his family and distinguish them from other family members.
When babies start to see well
It is worth noting that parents need to be patient and wait until the child’s visual perception adapts to the outside world.
Does the baby see at 1 month? Of course, yes. However, many mistakenly believe that he shows a strong interest, since he easily distinguishes between different objects. In fact, at this time, the baby sees the outlines, which, of course, cause his interest. But he still cannot recognize and distinguish them.
When a child begins to focus
By the seventh month of gestation, the vision is already fully formed. However, after this, some more time is needed to complete the full development of the brain centers, which will be responsible for visual perception.
Therefore, speaking of how newborns see children under 1 month old, it is fair to say that they start processing a picture only from four months old. That is why before this period one should not expect much from a child. Up to 4 months, the baby can only see two-dimensional images. However, at this stage, he does not need more, as he begins to try to focus his eyes on both moving and static objects.
What newborns look at
It’s no secret that the baby who has just been born with great curiosity loves to look at the faces of his parents. This is explained by the fact that they are always nearby, and he can see them, at least with minimal outlines. As a rule, children are more attracted to fathers during this period of time, since they can distinguish between their beard or mustache.
Based on what the child sees at 1 month of age, it is not recommended to change your appearance, as this can upset the baby. Also, the newly born baby will be interested to look at contrasting pictures, patterns and other figures. They do not have to be bright, since the child sees in this period only in black and white.
How to make eye contact with the baby
There are several recommendations that will help you get closer to your child faster and teach him to recognize his parents. Knowing what the child’s vision is at 1 month, experts note that in an upright position, a newborn baby can focus his eyes much better. Therefore, in order to draw the attention of a child to itself, it is worth keeping it not in a horizontal, but in a vertical position.
It will also take several minutes for the child to calmly focus on the parents. Keep your face at least 25 cm from your baby’s eyes. In order for the baby to quickly begin to recognize various objects, it is recommended to install toys not directly in front of his eyes, but on the side or closer to his feet.
When talking with a child, you need to talk rather slowly and quietly, while smiling, then he will begin to distinguish his relatives much faster, first by voice intonation, and then by external parameters.
When a child begins to recognize parents
Newborn babies begin to clearly distinguish facial features of the mother from 3 months. This is because this period of time in the crumbs is the setting of binocular vision. This means that the child gradually begins to see with both eyes simultaneously and synchronously. To quickly teach him to recognize the appearance of mom or dad, it is recommended to change facial expressions as often as possible, smile and not talk, looking at him.
Although the vision in newborns at 1 month does not differ in clarity, this does not mean that they cannot hear or cannot smell the smells of relatives.
When to start worrying
During a visit to the pediatrician, doctors should talk, who, as a rule, checks the vision of a newborn baby. At this time, it is worth telling the specialist about all your worries. For example, the therapist should pay attention to the condition of the baby in the event that he can not follow the object with two eyes at once, despite the fact that he is already more than 4 months old.
Also, concerns should be caused by the fact that the child’s eyeballs begin to move in different directions. If the baby is more than 3-4 months old, and at the same time he cannot hold his eyes for a long time at one object, this can also become a cause for concern.
The same applies if the baby mows or closes his eyes alternately. It should be borne in mind that if a baby is born prematurely, then there is a big risk that he will have vision problems. That is why in the first weeks of his life it is recommended to visit specialists as often as possible and check him for astigmatism, myopia and other pathologies.
If we are talking about a healthy newborn, as a rule, then, as the child sees in 1 month of life, a specialist can easily determine.
How to check the vision in a newborn
As a rule, in order to assess how well the child sees, the doctor uses special flashlights. With the help of bright directional light, the doctor can evaluate the reaction of the pupil of the baby. If such a check does not give any results, then in this case, you can use special contactless equipment. In this case, the child will not suffer, since all manipulations are performed in a playful way.
The equipment allows you to determine with the greatest accuracy how a child sees at 1 month and identify possible pathologies.
Tips & Tricks
Do not worry if, before the age of 6 months, the baby will squint his eyes very slightly. In the process of forming binocular vision, a child can see various objects with two eyes separately. Only at the age of 6 months the baby is able to combine the picture and see it with both eyes at the same time. During this period, strabismus passes. However, if this did not happen, you must definitely visit an ophthalmologist.
When communicating with the baby, do not move sharply or change the picture in front of him. If a parent wears glasses, then do not remove and wear them. During this period of time, any changes in appearance can greatly scare the baby. It is also worth watching the mucous membrane of the eyes of the child. Hair and other foreign objects must not fall into it.
Although at first the baby tries to close his eyes when in the light, do not hide it in a darker place. The eye muscles must learn to function normally. Therefore, even during the sleep of the baby, it is recommended to use a nightlight. Toys in the baby’s crib should be changed at intervals of 2-3 months, so that he learns to distinguish different objects.