We hope you enjoy these new AV Baby pages at Activity Village! We have much
more planned and coming soon...
Dislaimer
AV Baby content is for information only. If you are at all worried about your
baby, please seek the advice of your midwife, doctor or paediatrician.
How Your Baby Develops Vision
To understand what a newborn baby can see, we need to briefly describe how
the eyes focus on near and far objects. When one looks at something, the muscles
within the eyes automatically change the shape of the lens so that an image is
projected to the retina. This ability to change focus to see near and far
objects is known as accommodation, and is like adjusting the lens of a camera to
get a sharp image when taking a photograph.
The eyes of newborn babies are actually capable of focusing on objects at any
distance. The problem, however, is that they have not yet attained good enough
control of their muscles – just like the lens of a camera, the ability to
control the muscles for near and far vision is a voluntary action. Before the
age of 2 months, there is a great inaccuracy in the power to focus the muscles
of the eyes, however after this age, your baby will begin to gain better ability
to focus images onto the retina.
Can babies see in color?
The part of the retina responsible for detailed color vision is the fovea. In
very young infants, the fovea and other parts of the brain responsible for
detailed imagery are immature, so images will remain blurry even if the baby’s
ability to focus is intact. Detailed vision is therefore dependent on the
ability to focus as well as the development of the necessary muscles.
What can my baby see?
As your baby grows, his vision will grow and develop with him:
The first 4 months
Babies usually see movement before anything else while their visual pathways are
maturing. During this time, color vision is not fully developed. Eye
co-ordination is also very immature; that’s why a squint or strabismus is
sometimes observed in younger babies.
4 to 8 months
By the time your child is between 4 and 6 months of age, he should be able to
reach out for objects held in from of him as his depth perception increases.
Between 6 and 8 months of age, your child will also begin crawling. Crawling
should be encouraged because it helps your child develop eye-hand coordination.
When will by baby start to see color?
Researchers at the University of California have shown that infants as young as
2 weeks of age have color vision and can distinguish between red and green
objects. Although they can see color, they cannot distinguish very subtle color
differences (like distinguishing between red and reddish-orange).
When will my baby recognize my face?
Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that newborn babies tend to
look at the borders of objects, especially high-contrast borders. Therefore,
when looking at a human face, a newborn will look at the hairline or edge of the
face. By 2 months of age, infants will begin to pay attention to the eyes and
mouth, and by 4 to 5 months of age, they can and do recognize your face from all
others.
Read our Diary Of A New Mum and discover what happens when Jessica-Ann comes
home from the hospital and during her first year at home. This fun read is
perfect for new mums and experienced mums alike! New episodes weekly. Diary Of A New Mum
Diary of a New Mum Week 30
The Great Escape In which the in-laws allow us to escape parenthood for a day - to buy a new
car!
You'll be amazed at how much equipment you will need for your newborn
baby! Here we help you to think through and plan for your requirement. De-cluttering Before
The Baby Comes Home
Make sure you know your rights so that you can use your maternity or paternity
leave to good advantage. Maternity And
Paternity Leave
Surprising numbers of parents get their baby's nurseries wrong - filling them
with pretty accessories but often leaving out the real essentials! Don't fall
into these traps... Nursery Do's and Don'ts
What do you need to buy for your baby's first clothes and bedding? A Basic Layette
If there is one parenting issue which causes the most anxiety, disruption and
unhappiness, it is baby sleep problems! Establishing a good sleep routine from
the very beginning can be crucial to a peaceful and happy family. Baby SleepLots NEW!
What should you expect at 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year? We provide useful
milestones and developmental stages so that you can keep an eye on your baby's
development in the first year. Baby Stages
Print, cut and assemble a mobile to decorate the baby's room - or make
use of matching room signs, door hangers, photo frames and more! Room Decorations To Print
Everything from nursery mobiles and cut-outs to birth announcements and baby
shower invitations and scrapbook paper! Baby Printables
