From when can babies see: Many people know that the sense of sight develops gradually in newborns. But in which month does what happen? And how can parents support their children right from the start?

Does my child actually recognize me? And if so, how? Is it my smell or is it really looking at me right now? These and other questions are essential for many new parents. Because seeing means much more than just perceiving.

Find out more about the important connections around your baby’s sense of sight here!

From When Can Babies See?

When can babies start to see – initially only light and dark. This is related to when they open their eyes for the first time: not at birth. Rather, the embryo already looks around in the mother’s belly with its eyes open.

At first, newborns are better able to recognize objects that are close by, while anything further away is only visible in a blur. Over time, the sense of sight develops further, the eyes coordinate and slowly the child can also see in three dimensions. Here is an overview: From when do babies see what?

Fromw When Can Babies See: Milestones In Baby Development

When Can Babies Start To See? Eyes Open Already In The Womb

From the second to the seventh month, the embryo keeps its eyes closed. In week 28 of pregnancy, it opens its eyes for the first time. In 2017, there was an interesting study on what the baby’s sense of sight is already capable of in the womb.

Scientists found that embryos in the last trimester of pregnancy already have the ability to respond to faces!

Development Baby Shortly After Birth

From when babies can see what: Although the baby’s eyes are already quite large at birth, your child does not yet see much. From when babies can see also depends on the distance.

It is true that the size of the early childhood eye is 65% of that of an adult. But anything further away than ten centimeters becomes blurred.

But the newborn still lacks many other visual skills. The developing brain is responsible for this. On the one hand, the nerve cells concerned are not yet fully functional, because they have to mature first.

For another, the brain has to learn how to deal with these nerve cells and translate the signals. Nevertheless, babies react primarily to movement and contrasts. However, it cannot yet control what it looks at in the beginning.

So the question of when babies can start seeing is not so easy to answer: In the first quarter of the year after birth, the baby’s development changes step by step. First, the radius within which the child can recognize something increases to up to 30 centimeters. This is roughly the distance of the mother’s face during breastfeeding.

Baby Milestones: The World Becomes Colorful (From One Month)

From when babies can see: This also means seeing colors. At first, they recognize the bright colors red, green and yellow. They can also perceive orange correctly, but need more time for blue.

The reasons are the human eye in general and the wavelength of this color.

When Do Babies Start Seeing: Follow This Object! (From Three Months)

The baby learns how to follow an object with its eyes. Whereas previously there was increased squinting because the child cannot yet bring the two eyeballs together properly, it is now learning to focus.

At the same time, his field of vision expands more and more. This also improves depth perception. From when can babies see is now changing to: From when do babies see what?

Darken the room at night. During this phase, the baby becomes much more sensitive to light. Whereas a light stimulus previously had to be 50 times stronger than in adults before the child perceived it at all, this value is now approaching. Now the stimulus only needs to be ten times stronger to be perceived.

Life In 3D (Developing Baby At Six Months)

Of course, children do not all develop in the same way. But at about six months, the baby usually learns to see 3D. This is also urgently needed because at the same time it feels a great urge to move.

But if you want to discover the world, you have to be able to see it properly! Soon the child will have everything he needs to do this.

Therefore, the first appointment with the ophthalmologist should be made by the age of one. Problems are not always immediately apparent or the rapid learning process covers up many things. From when can babies see – the doctor knows best!

What continues to happen during this time is less spectacular: Actually, it is only a matter of constant improvement, learning, and refinement of already learned skills. The facilities are there – now the child has to practice! This involves everything from eye-hand coordination to color or even distance vision.

From When Can Babies See: Visual Acuity

Most parents don’t just ask: When can babies start to see? It is also important when do babies start to see sharply? The answer can only ever be a general one: When children can see properly, they are about two years old.

In babies, however, so much is in flux that sharp vision in the true sense of the word rarely occurs.

Developing Babies: Squinting Is Completely Normal!

It takes a while for the eyes to work together perfectly. So don’t worry if your child squints sometimes: It doesn’t stay that way! Once the child’s brain has taken over the coordination of both eyeballs, this hardly ever happens. It is only a cause for concern if it occurs permanently. Then you should talk to the pediatrician about it.

When Do Babies Start To See: That Also Depends On You!

When can babies start to see? The development of your child’s sense of sight can be encouraged! This can be done very easily with the help of games. But the right environment also stimulates the baby’s development: Because babies love contrasts, set up the nursery in this way from the very beginning.

Choose many different colors, rich in contrast and imaginative. Think, for example, of furniture with a strong contrast to the wall in a different color.

Promoting The Sense Of Sight

Development Baby To Four Months

• Attract your child’s attention even from a distance: To do this, you should talk to him frequently, even when you are moving around the room.
• Do not always feed him from one side only. Alternate regularly: sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right.

When Do Babies Start To See: Development Of Babies Up To Eight Months?

• From when can babies see: If your child crawls around a lot, he or she must be able to see well. Then it trains the sense of sight quite incidentally!
• Motor skills have also been shown to promote the development of the sense of sight. Teach your child to do this in a playful way, for example by “baking, baking, cake”.
• Movement draws the baby’s attention. Mobiles above the bed do this virtually by themselves.

Baby Development: Developing The Sense Of Sight Up To One Year Of Age

• Now your child can already participate in light games of hiding and seek. Anything that stimulates the eyes and lets the child look around the room is good!
• Stop pointing at things in the room and start naming them. This helps the child quickly recognize the word-object connection. Good for encouraging vocabulary as well.

Promote Sense Of Sight: Development Baby From One Year And Older

• Toys should be as varied as possible. This is a good way to practice recognizing different shapes.
• Ball games promote many senses. When babies are able to see also depends on the training of the eye muscles. If the child follows the ball with his eyes, he is training them.

From When Can Babies See: FAQ

At What Age Do Babies Recognize People?

Several factors are important for recognition: We do not always store a face in memory. For infants before they reach full vision, this is even more difficult.

Nevertheless, it is known that babies recognize people at around three months of age. They show this by smiling, while strangers are not smiled at. By the second trimester, this process should be complete. From when babies can see is now quite clear: When they recognize someone, they really beam and kick joyfully.

From When Can Babies See: Do Babies See Upside Down?

No, this is an outdated idea. What is true: Babies must learn to use their eyes. Up and down doesn’t matter to the brain because it uses its own kind of map that helps us see.

From When Can Premature Babies See

Their development is the same as that of a healthy baby as far as vision is concerned. So they can see from birth, but not well yet.

When Do Babies Start To See: Baby Growth Spurt

During the first baby growth spurt at about 5 weeks, your child makes a huge leap forward. This also improves his sense of sight enormously.

When Does Your Child Need To See An Eye Doctor?

The following problems can occur. If you observe one of them, you should take your child to the pediatrician and ask him about it. He will then clarify whether an earlier appointment with the ophthalmologist is necessary.

• Eyes are constantly red: Redness, like crusting, can indicate an infection.
• Eyes watering a lot: Possibly a sign that something is wrong with the tear ducts.
• Baby is extremely sensitive to light: Perhaps eye pressure is elevated?
• Increased eye rolling: In this case, a doctor should take a closer look at the condition of the eye muscles.
• In photos taken with flash, your child always has white pupils: Possible indication of retinoblastoma, a rare cancer.

Otherwise, the normal preventive examinations are effective: Your child should see an ophthalmologist from the age of six to twelve months.

Conclusion: When Can Babies See?

When babies start to see properly is, of course, always an individual matter. But there are certain milestones in the development of every baby that are always the same. A newborn baby initially sees the world in a rather gray and blurred way.

In addition, it cannot yet see far, only up to ten centimeters. But then everything happens very quickly: color perception, facial recognition of people, and depth perception already develop in the first few months. But it still takes almost two years before a child can see really well. When babies are able to see depends on many areas, including the brain.

That’s why your behavior is important for the answer to the question: When can babies see? Because this also depends on the brain, your child’s sense of sight can be promoted.

The best way to do this is through games and a stimulating environment. Don’t forget to take your child to the ophthalmologist when it’s time: a child should see a specialist at the age of twelve months at the latest to prevent problems.