Developing baby's vision. When does vision appear in newborns? How does an infant see?

The formation of the visual analyzer begins as early as the 3rd week of intrauterine development and continues throughout pregnancy. By the time of birth, the eye is anatomically formed, but some structures have not yet fully matured.

The vision of a newborn child is caused by the following conditions:

• retinal immaturity;
• immaturity neural connections optic nerve with brain;
• immaturity of the visual centers of the cerebral cortex;
• weakness of the ciliary muscle;
• incomplete development of oculomotor nerves.

Given the immaturity of many structures responsible for vision, a newborn sees only light and shadow, that is, his vision is at the level of light perception. As the child grows and develops, the visual analyzer is formed, which leads to an improvement in visual functions.

Vision development in newborns by month

As the child grows and develops, visual functions improve. The visual acuity of a newborn will reach the level of an adult only by school age, by about 7 years.

Important! If, after the newborn's vision has formed, the eyes deviate in any direction, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause of strabismus.

There is an opinion that a newborn has inverted vision. But this is not so - the visual center of the cerebral cortex, processing information from the retina, turns the image to the desired position.

How is a newborn's vision checked?

A healthy child is first examined by an ophthalmologist at the age of 1 month, but if in the maternity hospital the neonatologist has any doubts about the condition of the eyes, he prescribes a consultation with a specialist.

There are various methods determination of visual functions in children, the possibility of their use depends on the age of the child.

It is impossible to determine visual acuity in a newborn in the maternity hospital and at 1 or 2 months due to age. To assess the condition of the visual analyzer, external inspection and ophthalmoscopic examination. During an ophthalmological examination, pay attention to the following features:

• shape and mobility of the eyelids;
• location eyeball in the cavity of the orbit;
• symmetry of eye placement;
• assessment of eyeball movement. Before the child learns to follow an object, eye movements are determined by changing the position of the child’s head (turn the head to the right, left);
• determine the presence of strabismus;
• assess the size of the pupils and their reaction to light;
• check the transparency of the eye media: cornea, anterior chamber moisture, lens, vitreous;
• assess the condition of the retina, retinal vessels and optic nerve head.

After the child learns to hold his gaze on an object, the value of refraction can be determined. Refraction is determined in the following ways:

• skiascopic examination;
• using the PlusOptix pediatric autorefractometer.

It is very important to promptly detect the presence of eye pathology in children. Therefore, parents should know how to test their newborn's vision at home. To do this, you need to closely monitor the baby’s development:

• see whether the child reacts to light, whether he pays attention to his mother, what size the pupils are, whether there is squint;
• In children older than 1 month, you additionally need to pay attention to how the baby looks after the toys and whether he sees small details.

To check vision at home, you can do the following test: cover first one eye of the child with your palm, then the other, and show the toy. If the child looks and follows the toy and does not try to remove your hand, then his vision is normal.

Vision in premature newborns

The eye of a premature baby is distinguished not only by its functional immaturity, but also by its incomplete anatomical structure. It is the underdevelopment of retinal vessels that plays a role important role in the development of such a terrible disease as retinopathy of prematurity.

Children with retinopathy of prematurity are at risk for the development of low vision and blindness among the pediatric population. Premature baby, born at less than 35 weeks of gestation and/or weighing less than 2000 g, should be examined by an ophthalmologist no later than 4 weeks of life. During the examination, attention is paid to the transparency of the eye media, the condition of the retina and retinal vessels.

The formation of the retina and vision in premature babies occurs as they grow and develop, but there may be some lag in the development of visual functions in relation to full-term babies.

Vision training for newborns

The main stimulus for the development of vision is the presence sunlight. Therefore, the children's room must have a window to let in sunlight.

For vision, it is important to have visual stimuli - bright toys that the child could pay attention to, and as he grows, reach them. From 2-3 months, you can show pictures to train vision for newborns - contrasting black and white drawings.

Yulia Chernova, ophthalmologist, especially for the site

Useful video

Vision is one of the most important human senses. It is through our eyes that we receive the bulk of information from the world around us, learn about it and develop ourselves. If a person is blind, it is more difficult for him to learn to distinguish between the beautiful and the disgusting, he will never learn to read, write and will not be able to fully work on an equal basis with others. This is why it is important to monitor vision in newborns from the very first days of life. Not only does this depend on correct formation the child’s visual apparatus, but also his general development.

It is important to know: vision is not just our eyes and what we are able to catch with them. Actually it's very complex system, in which the eyes are only a small outer part. They perceive information, transmit it to the cerebral cortex through the optic nerves, and there it is processed and causes appropriate reactions. Understanding this, it is easier to understand how, what and why a child sees when he is first born.

The world through the eyes of a newborn - what he sees

The first stage of vision development in a child begins, in fact, long before his birth, in the womb, approximately in the third week of pregnancy. During this period, the formation of the pupillary membrane and optic nerves occurs, further formation eyes occurs before the birth of the baby.

There is a myth that a child is born with black and white inverted vision, but this statement is not entirely true, this is only his perception, and vision is no different from an adult

There is no exact data on how well the fetus sees or whether it sees at all in the womb. On ultrasound examination It’s easy to notice how an unborn baby opens its eyes slightly, squints, closes and turns away from the light, but this is not confirmation that he is, in fact, already able to see. It is only precisely confirmed that the eyes of even babies born at 28 weeks of pregnancy already react to bright light. Fully term and full-term children are also born with an imperfect visual analyzer. The complete completion of its formation occurs only by the age of 10.

Nowadays, the theory that a newborn's vision is upside down has become widespread. But is this really so? If you think sensibly, based only on confirmed facts, then the situation looks like this. The visual image of every person, including adults, not only babies, is displayed on the retina, indeed, upside down. This is an objective law of optics. But the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for processing the information received through the optic nerves, adapted to this phenomenon and learned to “flip” the picture.

Whether such features of the nerves of the cerebral cortex can be attributed to congenital properties or whether they appear after birth, scientists do not know for sure. This is explained by the fact that a newborn child cannot yet clearly explain how exactly he sees his mother’s face - in normal position or upside down. Therefore, it cannot be said with certainty that infants have inverted vision. Likewise, one cannot say that they see in black and white. It has only been proven that children begin to react to bright colors only after a few months.

The fact that babies are born half-blind is quite logical, natural and thought out by nature itself. Just imagine how much visual information bombards a newborn as soon as he emerges from the dark womb into a huge, bright world. His still immature visual analyzer is simply not able to cope with the processing of all stimuli. Therefore, nature is limited to the perception of only the most important visual stimulus - the mother’s face bending towards the baby. But he also sees him vaguely and only at a very close distance - about 40–50 cm. It is interesting that it is precisely at this distance that the baby’s face is removed from the mother’s when feeding.

At birth, the child’s visual apparatus is not yet ready to perceive large quantity visual stimulants, but during the first year active adaptation occurs

How vision develops in stages

So, immediately after birth, the child sees practically nothing, and this is even good. But then his visual apparatus begins to rapidly adapt to the world around him.

The development of vision in a newborn by month is as follows:

• At 1 month, the baby’s gaze cannot focus, but the newborn’s pupils already react to light. They become smaller, while the child himself begins to blink intensely and try to tilt his head in the direction opposite to the source of the bright light that irritates him. About two weeks after birth, the child begins to linger with his gaze on various objects, but not for long. Most of the time his gaze is unfocused, and squint may occur. Parents should not be frightened by this fact, although most of them are very worried when they notice how the baby’s eyes run in different directions and turn to a children’s ophthalmologist. True strabismus can also be detected in a one-month-old baby, but such a disease is rare.
• At the age of 2 months, a newborn already sees much more and better. He can hold his gaze on one object for a long time and examine it, fixing both eyes at once. The baby is able to recognize the mother and those people whom he sees most often, reacts to light and darkness, the approach of objects and their movement from side to side.
• At 3 months, babies no longer just focus their eyes. They are able to distinguish between the two most bright colors- red and yellow.
• At 4–6 months, the following two colors are added to the main two colors - blue and green. The development of the visual apparatus is inextricably linked with the development of motor skills. The baby sees a bright rattle, he likes it, and he immediately tries to grab it with his hands. Having received the desired object, he brings it to his eyes and can look at it with concentration for a long time.
• At 6–8 months, infants are able to distinguish between simple geometric shapes. If you work with them, then others will join the first four colors. The child already clearly distinguishes between objects that are far and near, and reacts violently to familiar people and familiar toys.

At the age of one year, babies see almost as well and sharply as adults. They are not yet able to analyze what they saw as fully, but the visual image perceived by the retina is virtually no different.

Basic rules for caring for a newborn's eyes

Caring for the eyes of a newborn at home after discharge from the maternity hospital is based not only on washing and instilling eye drops, although this is also an important point. How quickly and correctly a baby’s vision develops depends largely, of course, on the parents. What they should take care of:

• In order for a newborn’s eyes to develop more quickly, they need sufficient exercise. That is, the child should be in a well-lit room, the walls and ceiling of which will also be light. You should not deliberately darken the nursery with curtains and blinds. daytime, as many mothers mistakenly do. The more bright light, the better.
• The eyes, not only of a child, but also of adults, are a fragile and sensitive organ. From the very beginning they need the correct hygiene care, they must also receive all the necessary nutrients, that is, the baby should be provided with adequate nutrition, both breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
• At birth, nature limited the baby’s visual organs from perceiving a large number of visual stimulants. But then, on the contrary, there should be as many of them as possible for proper development. You should place as many bright objects as possible in the nursery. different forms, sizes and colors. At the same time, it is important to change them periodically so that the load on the eyes also changes and is varied.

In addition to following the rules of hygiene, constant visual stress is necessary for the organs of vision and their successful development; bright multi-colored toys and objects will help with this

The mother and immediate family should play and talk with the child as much as possible, call various colors, demonstrate them in the outside world. And if any abnormalities or simply suspicious phenomena are suddenly discovered, it is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

When to see a doctor

The first check by an ophthalmologist is carried out in the maternity hospital in the first hours of a newborn’s life. This point is especially important for premature babies, because their eyes are much less developed than full-term babies. The reason why the child was born also plays a role. ahead of schedule. If it was an infectious disease of the mother during pregnancy, then doctors will pay special attention the development of his visual apparatus will take a long time.

The first examination by an ophthalmologist is carried out immediately after the baby is born; it is very important, since the doctor can identify congenital disorders based on the condition of the eye

Causes and factors that can provoke the development of congenital anomalies, underdevelopment and pathologies of the visual organs in newborns:

• tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, rubella, others infectious diseases suffered by the mother while carrying a child;
• unfavorable environmental conditions;
• genetic predisposition.

With the help of simple tests and a simple device, the doctor will be able to check the functions of the visual apparatus and detect a disorder, if any. The following points will be assessed:

• pupil sizes;
• their symmetry;
• reaction to light;
• motor capabilities of the eyeball;
• shape and size of eyelids.

The next examination by an ophthalmologist is recommended at three months of age, then at six months and at one year. Visual acuity during these examinations is checked by determining refraction and examining the fundus. All procedures are performed with a dilated pupil, that is, the doctor will use special eye drops. In the future routine examinations will be carried out once a year for all children without identified disorders, and as necessary for those children who will be registered with an ophthalmologist.

Proper care, attention and care from parents will help you cope even with congenital anomalies and ensure the correct development of the child’s vision

You should consult an ophthalmologist unscheduled if you notice the following symptoms:

• constant lacrimation;
• souring eyes;
• redness of the eyelids, change in their shape;
• inadequate reaction to light;
• signs of strabismus;
• any spots or formations on the cornea.

The most dangerous congenital ophthalmological pathologies of infants are glaucoma and retinopathy.

If you properly care for your baby's eyes from the very beginning, take care of his good nutrition and harmonious development, most likely you will be able to do without unscheduled inspections and will not encounter unpleasant surprises. Although not everything depends on the care and attention of parents, many ophthalmological diseases in children, unfortunately, they are congenital in nature; nevertheless, they are very important and always help to cope with detected pathologies.

There is an opinion that infants see the world upside down. This is more a myth than truth. However, young children do perceive things a little differently than adults. The reason for this is the visual characteristics of children under one year old. Parents should know what these features are to help their child see better.

By the time a child is born, his visual system is not yet fully developed. The most intensive formation occurs in the first year of life. And mom and dad will help with this.

Newborn vision

U small child May be . It occurs due to immaturity optic nerve and muscles that control the movements of the eyeball. Strabismus is considered normal and goes away by 2-3 months.

Eyeball infant 6 mm less than that of an adult. Therefore, he has a developed and narrowed field of vision, i.e. he perceives only those objects that are directly in front of his eyes. The surroundings seem blurry and flat to him due to underdeveloped binocular vision (the ability to see clearly with both eyes).

Reduced visual acuity does not allow the child to notice details. His gaze is poorly fixed on objects. He reacts well to light, can distinguish between dark and light, but color perception is not yet developed. He is able to distinguish objects located at a distance of 15-100 cm from him. Objects located at a distance of 20-50 cm are best perceived. The child sees in black and white colors and turns his head and eyes behind a moving object about 30 cm away.

• Let's look at your child's facial features more often. It is necessary to use facial expressions and specifically enhance the manifestations of various emotions.
• Talk to your child more. Mom or Dad's voice makes him turn his head, following the sound. In this case, you can speak either next to the child or at a distance from him. This is a good way to quickly learn to look for a sound source and focus your gaze on it.
• The child distinguishes black and white colors well, so for the first few weeks it is better to wear clothes in contrasting colors with a simple pattern. A newborn perceives better large figures, squares, circles, large stripes, and a combination of white and black. Bright clothes should also be used - they help develop color perception.
• Training can be done using a bright rattle. You should slowly bring it to the eyes of the child lying on his back until he fixes his gaze. The distance from the rattle to the eyes should range from 20 to 50 cm.
• It is necessary to train synchronous eye movement. To do this, slowly move the rattle in a horizontal plane in one direction and then in the other direction.

Vision at 1 month

The child can briefly hold his gaze on objects that are 25-40 cm away from him; follow moving large bright objects for a short time; distinguish contrasting colors. By the end of the 1st month (approximately 20-22 days), the movements of the baby’s eyeballs become clearer.

Training the synchronous movement of the eye muscles can be done using the following exercises:

• bring a large bright toy at a distance of about 30 cm from the eyes of a child lying on his back, slowly move the toy up and down;
• hold the child in front of you, establish eye contact, slowly move relative to him left and right, then you can also slowly move the child in different directions relative to you;
• A good simulator for strengthening tracking skills is a mobile - a musical hanging toy with rotating objects, 30 cm is the optimal distance for installing it.

Vision at 2 months

The child watches moving objects longer and can concentrate on a distant object. He welcomes the mother's breast with joy, since he already associates it with a pleasant meal. By the end of the second month, the eyeballs move more smoothly and coordinated.

• Eye training should be continued to strengthen continuous tracking and fixation skills.
• Let your child look at new interesting objects, pictures, photographs.
• It is beneficial for the child to communicate frequently with the parent, maintaining eye contact. You can repeat his facial expressions or grimace.
• It is necessary to show the child as many objects as possible. You also need to say the name of each object that the child sees at home or on the street. The more he sees in the first year of life, the more developed his intellect will be.

Vision at 3 months

The baby can distinguish objects at a distance of up to 3 meters. Farsightedness continues to be developed, and nearby objects are less visible. The child recognizes his mother's face and follows moving objects well. Better perceives the volume and shape of objects, distinguishes blue, red, green, yellow colors.

• It is useful to play peek-a-boo with your child. This develops spatial thinking, memory and three-dimensional vision well.
• You should offer the child a toy so that he can first see it, estimate the distance to it and reach it with his hand. This exercise can be performed by placing the child on his stomach, and the toy at arm's length from him.
• At three months, your baby usually enjoys transferring things from one hand to the other. To do this, you can give him a rubber ring or any large object of a simple shape.

Vision at 4 months

The child has finally developed stereoscopic (i.e. three-dimensional) vision. He distinguishes colors well, can fix his gaze on distant and nearby objects, and is better coordinated when grasping an object. He likes to watch the people around him and play with his legs and arms.

• You should choose toys that are easy to grasp and pictures that are interesting to look at.
• You can place your favorite toys in front of a baby lying on his stomach so that he can reach them.
• Continue playing hide and seek.
• Toys should be gradually placed further away from the child (up to 2-4 m).

Vision at 5-7 months

The child learns to distinguish small objects and recognize shades; he understands which toy is in front of him, even if some part of it is hidden; perceives objects located at a distance of 4-5 m. At 6 months, the formation of the structures of the visual organs, which are responsible for focusing the image of objects on, is completed. A baby at this age masters space well and learns to correlate and estimate the distance between objects. Continues to develop nervous system, are formed stable connections between the visual analyzer and the brain. The child begins to remember and interpret surrounding objects. In addition, the speed of information transfer from the organs of vision to the brain increases significantly. By the 7th month, the baby’s vision is no longer much different from the vision of an adult.

• To learn the skill of assessing distance and the ability to calculate your capabilities, you should place the toy at a distance of about 5 meters from the child so that he wants to get to it.
• You can also set a net from the child at some distance and call him to crawl.
• In order for the child to practice taking objects large and index fingers, you can put objects in the box that he will take out of it.

Vision at 8-12 months

The eyes appear to have a permanent color. The depth and acuity of a child’s vision is almost like that of an adult. He can already distinguish soft pastel shades. He perceives objects well as a whole and in parts. Actively searches for objects that suddenly disappear from his field of vision. Coordination of body and eye movements occurs well.

• To develop coordination of movements under visual control, you should play games in the bathroom: pour water, blow soap bubbles.
• Very interesting game in repetition: let the child copy the parent's gestures, actions or facial expressions.
• You can place cubes of the same color in a line and ask the child to repeat the action.

Caring parents really want to know how their newborn baby feels. They peer into the baby's small face, and do not yet see a conscious gaze. The baby either squints his eyes to the side, or looks around indifferently. Inexperienced mothers and fathers may mistake these signs for visual impairment, but this is normal for a newborn baby. He sees only a blurry picture, and he has yet to learn the world around us.

In a baby, the visual system is structured in the same way as in an adult, but in the first months of life it is just beginning to develop. Therefore, the baby sees everything differently than an adult. To understand this issue in more detail, you need to find out physiological structure human visual system:

• The eyeball, which itself consists of the optic nerve, retina, vitreous body, lens and cornea;
• The socket or eye socket. This is the cranial cavity in which the oculomotor muscles, eyeball, optic nerve, fiber and blood vessels;
• Eyelids, which perform an important protective function of the eye;
• The lacrimal apparatus, which is no less important for the proper functioning of the human visual system. It washes and moisturizes the mucous membrane of the eye; moreover, tears contain antibacterial substances that protect the mucous membrane from all kinds of microbes.

Parents may have a natural question. If a child's eye is designed in the same way as an adult's, then why do babies see everything differently? The fact is that all organs of the visual system of a newborn are at the stage of active development. They are still unfinished and immature, and in order for a child to see a full-fledged picture, like an adult, about a year must pass.

What changes are undergoing? visual processes small child?

• The eyeball of a newborn is still very small, weighing about 3 grams and measuring 16-16.2 mm. And although the baby’s eyes seem very large in facial proportion, they still have a period of active development and growth ahead of them. By the age of five, the size of the child's eyeball will be as close as possible to that of an adult. The visual system completely completes its development at the age of 17-18 years.
• Attentive parents noticed that the color of the newborn's eyes is cloudy and uncertain, mostly bluish. This occurs due to a lack of pigment cells. The final color of the eyes will be formed by the age of two.

• The sclera, or tunica albuginea, also has a bluish tint, because the eye vessels are visible through it.
• Tears perform an important moisturizing and protective function. Their excess is released from the lacrimal sac through a special tear duct, which is located at the base of the eye next to the bridge of the newborn's nose. This canal opens in newborns some time after they are born. But it happens that the lacrimal canal remains closed, and inflammation of the lacrimal sac occurs, that is.
• Babies produce tears from birth. But in the first month, parents can observe that their baby cries without tears. This is a completely normal development process for a newborn. The baby's tears begin to be actively produced after a month, as a result of the improvement of the visual system and facial muscles. In addition, the child may not cry, but scream to attract attention. This is how he communicates with his mother and tries to communicate that it is time to change the diaper or eat.

• In the first days of vision development, a baby may notice a wandering gaze. He does not look at his parents, does not react to changes in his mother’s location, etc. This is quite natural, because the baby sees only a blurry picture and cannot yet focus on individual objects. A newborn may cross his eyes and his pupils sometimes move as if out of alignment.
• Although a baby's vision is not yet fully developed, ophthalmologists can already do a simple light sensitivity test to determine whether the baby's eyes are normal. Young parents should know how to check the eyesight of a newborn. To do this, the doctor shines a flashlight into the child's eye and looks at the change in pupil size. The pupils should narrow, this indicates normal vision. A fixed pupil may indicate pathology. Over time, the mother herself should notice how the baby’s vision develops, fixation on objects, etc.

Vision development in newborns by month

• A newborn sees only shadow or light, he does not distinguish the outlines of objects at all, and for the baby the entire world around him appears blurry.
• The vision of a newborn at 1 month is slightly different from the perception of the world in the first days of life. The baby can already distinguish from the entire surrounding world a fuzzy image of the mother’s face against a blurred background. By the end of the first month, the child begins to follow moving objects. And also keep your gaze on the light source. The child sees objects located no further than 30 cm from him.
• At the 2nd month of development, the newborn appears central vision. He can already focus his vision on objects that are 80 cm from him or closer, especially on bright toys. The child develops a two-dimensional perception of objects, that is, he distinguishes between width and height, but cannot yet understand that things have volume; in his perception they are flat.

• At 3 months, the baby begins to distinguish colors (primarily red and yellow) and recognizes contrasting patterns. The toddler can already hold his gaze on the toy for a long time. He begins to develop binocular vision. Now he can recognize his mother and distinguish her from other people.

• By 4-6 months, the baby distinguishes more and more colors, lingers on objects longer and follows movement longer. The child sees himself in the mirror, but does not yet realize that it is his reflection.
• At 7-12 months of development, the baby sees 7-8 meters. His visual acuity and perception of small objects increases. Due to the preparation for the first steps and the fact that the baby is already crawling confidently, he is already oriented in space and can relatively estimate the distance to objects. At this age there should no longer be episodic strabismus. By the age of one year, the baby sees quite well, but his visual system continues to actively develop.

Light mode and choice of toys

Light

When choosing lighting, remember that a child's room needs several light sources for different purposes. This should be a chandelier, which is the main lighting, also a wall sconce and a night lamp. For basic lighting, choose lamps with a fairly bright yellow light; they have a beneficial effect on the baby’s vision. Dim lamps will aggravate the newborn's already weak vision. Blue light bulbs can be used to game room or play area.

It is important that the children's room is on the sunny side, and there is light in it, primarily from sunlight.

A night light is very important for night sleep. He will come to the mother’s aid so that she can safely swaddle and feed the baby. Over time, the baby will also need it, who will see objects in soft light and fall asleep calmly. Complete darkness can be frightening to a small child. And too bright light interferes sleep soundly not only children, but also adults.

When choosing colors for decorating a nursery, give preference to pastel and light colors. Don't go overboard with white. Psychologists believe that this can negatively affect the development of the baby’s psyche. But you shouldn’t paint the ceiling or completely remove this color from the children’s room. Just dilute it with other colors and shades so that the nursery does not look like a hospital ward. The walls can be painted soft pink, blue or sand, but furniture, pillows or some accessories can be made bright and memorable.

Choosing toys

• For the development of babies under one year old, simple and non-functional toys are needed. Don’t rush to buy cars for boys and dolls for girls; they won’t be interested in them at the moment. In general, up to three months, toddlers may not respond to toys and may not try to pick them up. Subsequently, they will be attracted to rattles and other bright objects. When babies start teething, they will pull them into their mouths, remember this.
• When cutting teeth, special toys that can be used to bite and scratch the gums can bring relief to a baby. They may be different colors and sizes, but to interest your little one, choose bright options.

• Pediatricians advise choosing bright toys to attract the baby's attention and to concentrate his vision.
• Don't forget that the rattle must be safe first and foremost. Therefore, it is advisable to buy such an item at a pharmacy or store that has certification for all products. Do not buy cheap Chinese toys secondhand from all kinds of stalls and spontaneous markets; often such goods do not meet safety requirements. When purchasing a toy, check it for damage, chips, and sharp edges. Sometimes plastic objects have sharp, unpolished ridges at the joints. A bright toy should not smell bad. Too strong a chemical smell indicates the use of harmful substances in the production of this item. High-quality toys should not leave smudges of paint on your hands, but chipping paint is also very harmful.

Myth about babies' vision

The main myth is that children see everything upside down. This opinion appeared quite a long time ago, and it was formed thanks to the structure human eye and visual features.

The structure of our eye is similar to a converging lens, which has the property of inverting the image. Therefore, our eye actually receives an inverted image, which, in turn, is processed by the brain. As a result, we see the correct image.

It is not known for certain who first put forward the theory of inverted vision in infants, but this person was guided by basic knowledge, although he made the wrong conclusion. This erroneous theory is very popular to this day.

Video

The first month after birth is a special period in the life of a baby. This age stage is usually called the newborn period.

This period is distinguished from the stage of infancy, since it is during this month that the baby must adapt to external environment. At the same time, such a small and, at first glance, helpless baby already knows a lot, but there is still a lot to learn.

The newborn period is recovery period after childbirth and the time of restructuring of the main vital functions baby, such as breathing, blood circulation, digestion and thermoregulation. All sense organs at the moment of birth of a little man do not work properly. full force, adapting to the surrounding life outside the mother’s tummy, but the baby can see and hear, distinguish taste and smell, feel touch, experience pleasure or discomfort. Your task is to help adapt and promote the development of the baby’s sensory perception.

Baby's vision at 1 month

Many mothers are interested in questions: are newborns able to see small objects; can they distinguish colors; Do they recognize their mother and other loved ones?

A child's vision in the first month of life is not vigilant enough. At a distance of more than 20-30 cm, the baby sees everything blurry. Newborns also have a wandering gaze that does not stop at a specific object. But after just a few weeks, the child’s vision becomes clearer.

The baby is also able to perceive bright, saturated colors, such as yellow, orange, red and green. But in the first month, children distinguish more clearly black and white images, probably due to their greater contrast.

Newborns are receptive to the human face, and it is not surprising that they begin to recognize their mother's face in the first week of life. Interestingly, the baby is able to recognize the facial expressions and facial expressions of those around him already at the newborn stage. IN short periods When your baby is awake, try to do a couple of developmental exercises for your eyesight.

“I see everything!”. Move a bright colored toy in the baby’s field of vision, either increasing or decreasing the distance to the eyes (from 20 to 50 cm). This exercise helps the baby learn to focus his gaze on an object and try to examine it.

"Teases". Leaning over the crib in which the baby is lying, change your facial expression: smile, frown, stick out your tongue, make a dissatisfied face, etc.? Try to catch his gaze and, moving in the direction where the baby’s gaze is sliding, try to keep it on you.

Day after day, the baby will watch with increasing interest the changing facial expressions and try to copy this or that facial expression, for example, smile in response to your smile.

"Mom's Portrait". Hang a large photograph of yourself or a sketch of a human face on the side of the crib, drawing out the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth. The baby will look with interest at the rounded smooth lines of the human image. This is how the ability to focus your gaze on an image and examine it develops. We also facilitate the child’s perception and identification of the image of a person from the surrounding space.

Baby's hearing at 1 month

The baby's hearing distinguishes loud, familiar or unusual sounds from the surrounding sound diversity. For example, the beat of a mother’s heart when a mother presses her baby to her chest, or the sound of a door slamming.

The baby also reacts differently to a variety of sounds: he freezes, listening, or flinches in response to a strong stimulus. Therefore, the sound of rattles or musical toys offered to a child should not be too loud or harsh.

The main feature of infants' auditory perception is that children prefer the sounds of the human voice to all other noises and sounds. In such early age, not understanding the words, children freeze at the sound of the voice and begin to look for its source with their eyes.

During the newborn period, the baby experiences an indicative reflex - a motor reaction to a new stimulus. The child tries to turn his head towards the sound source. The presence of an orienting reflex is one of the evidence normal functioning nervous system.

"What's happened?" Ring the rattle to the right and left of the baby. The baby should try to turn its head towards the sound source. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out right away - the neck muscles are not yet strong enough, and such movements are difficult for the child.

Place a toy with a pleasant sound (for example, a tumbler or a musical carousel) next to the crib or hang it above the baby. Looking at the toy and listening to the melody, the baby combines visual and auditory sensations.

"Lullaby for a Baby". Taking the child in your arms and rocking him, sing him a song. It can be any melodic composition. You will feel how your baby's muscles relax, he calms down and may even fall asleep in your arms.

Please be quiet!

We live in an active sound environment, and it’s also not worth surrounding the baby with silence. Try to observe moderation in everything. A too “loud” environment will only harm him now, so put off going on a visit with your baby, hold off on inviting a group of friends and relatives to your place, and observe moderation in the use of noisy household appliances(vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, TV). Create an optimal sound environment around him, with moderate pleasant sounds (quiet classical music, quiet voices of parents, sounds of a rattle, lullabies performed by mother, etc.).

Baby's sense of smell at 1 month

The olfactory organs are fully functional from birth. The baby is able to distinguish the smell of mother's milk or other food, as well as the mother's smell from strangers.

Naturally, the baby prefers familiar smells. The smell of the mother's body and milk is the most pleasant aroma for the baby. Inhaling it, the child calms down, feels the presence of the mother nearby and feels protected. Newborns also respond to strong odors, and are attracted to certain unfamiliar but pleasant aromas.

Baby's taste buds

A newborn can distinguish between bitter and sweet, salty and sour. Already now the baby is able to recognize the slightest changes and shades of taste of milk depending on the mother’s diet. For example, the baby may not like it if the mother includes thermally unprocessed onions and garlic in her diet. Later, with the introduction of complementary foods, work taste buds becomes more complicated. The child becomes more and more selective in food.

Baby's sense of touch at 1 month

The baby's skin contains many receptors designed to provide the necessary sensations from contact with surrounding objects. It is no coincidence that in maternity hospitals there is the concept of “skin to skin” contact - contact between mother and child immediately after birth. Such touches of the mother's tender hands and the warmth of the mother's body give the child a feeling of security and trust in the surrounding, as yet unknown world.

Tactile sensations are well developed even in premature babies. The “breast search” reflex (when the baby opens its mouth and begins to look for the mother’s breast in response to stroking its cheek) is the most stable in newborns. Rhythmic stroking of a tiny baby helps regulate its breathing and other physiological processes.

Children in the early stages of development are characterized by physiological muscle hypertonicity. The child's arms are pressed to the body, and the fingers are tightly closed, and a certain amount of effort is required to open the tiny fist. The following exercises will help you gradually overcome increased tone muscles and introduce the baby to new tactile sensations.

“Hold-grab!” Place a small round rattle, a ping-pong ball, or any toy that is easy to grip into the child’s hand, carefully separating the fingers. The baby will tightly grasp the object - the “grasping reflex” operates. Pull the toy, the baby does not let go, squeezing his fist even more tightly. When removing the toy from your hands, carefully open each finger.

"Soft - smooth - fluffy." You will need several small toys or objects made of materials of different textures: rubber, smooth or fleecy fabric, wood, paper. Gently move each toy along the baby's arms, legs, and back. Observe how the baby reacts to contact with different objects. Contact with one material causes a pleasant sensation in the child, while with another it causes discomfort. The baby freezes, as if listening to new sensations, or, conversely, reacts violently to touch.

Without being afraid to “spoil” your child, pick him up more often. Constant tactile contact with the mother is necessary for its normal and full development.

Perception of the surrounding world

The baby’s individual sensations gradually form a holistic picture of the perception of surrounding objects. For example, a smile, the smell of mother's milk, the beating of her heart, a gentle touch of hands, a familiar voice means for the baby - everything is okay, mother is nearby.

In newborns, all senses function sufficiently, but their perception is very limited and selective. The development of perception proceeds at a rapid pace during the first 6 months, followed by a slower pace fine tuning receptors of all sense organs.

"Bell". Sew small bells (bells) on your socks, make fabric bracelets to put on your arms or legs, or use ready-made bracelet toys. The baby, chaotically waving his arms and legs, will hear a ringing sound. At first, the baby perceives parts of its body as something separate, separate from it.

Baby's speech at 1 month

Active speech acquisition by a child occurs at 2-3 years of age, but from birth the baby goes through a long path of pre-speech development. This period of the child’s perception and assimilation of human speech prepares the necessary platform for pronouncing the first words.

The baby perceives human speech as a special signal already in the first days of life. It is important to maintain the baby’s sound activity by constantly talking affectionately to him from the first month of life.

The very first sound a baby makes is the cry of a newborn. The cry and the crying that follows it contain one of important characteristics speech - intonation. In addition to intonation, a baby's cry-cry contains one more important component future speech - sounds (vowels “a”, “e”, “i”). It is from these sounds that hooting, and then humming, subsequently arises.

"Conversation with Mom." Bend over the baby lying in the crib or pick him up so that he can see your face (optimal distance 25-40 cm). Talk to your child as if he understands your words. Topics for a “confidential” conversation can be very different: tell us about yourself, about your family, about what you will do today. Treat your baby as a full communication partner, endowing his actions and responses with meaning and significance that they do not yet have. It is important that the baby focuses his gaze on your face, examines the movement of your lips, and receives new auditory impressions.

Emotional communication of a child at 1 month

All the senses of a newborn are, as it were, tuned to highlight the person in the still unfamiliar world. The baby does not yet understand the meaning of words and addresses, but he feels and distinguishes intonation, timbre of the voice and its belonging to someone close to him. At first, communication with a newborn in the few minutes of his wakefulness is accompanied by routine moments: changing clothes, changing diapers, feeding and bathing. During these procedures, do not miss the moment to meet the baby’s gaze and talk to him.

Close physical and emotional contact between a child and his mother is a necessary condition For normal development baby. Despite the numerous worries associated with the birth of a baby, find time to often take him in your arms, cuddle him, gently stroke him, talk tender words. Spoil a child increased attention at this age it is impossible, but the benefits of such communication are enormous!

It’s good if dad and other loved ones (older children, grandparents) also don’t stand aside - they help bathe and change the baby, and talk to him.

Unlike other facial expressions, a smile is quite meaningful, addressed to a specific person, and therefore it can be called communicative. The appearance of a social smile indicates an increasing need for communication. Of course, by crying, the baby also gives signals to adults, but the smile is not associated with the experience of discomfort, but with the pleasure of contact with another being who is able to feel and understand the baby.

There is an opinion that such a little person needs simple care in the form of timely meals, changing diapers and ensuring a daily routine. But that's not true. Only by communicating and interacting with the mother and other people close to the child does the baby grow and fully develop, becoming a person capable of living in the social world.

You should not perceive the life of a small child in the first month as a change in reactions that are of a reflex nature. From the very moment of birth, the baby is already a person, an individual, with his own characteristics and manner of behavior. The main task of parents is to provide the baby with comfortable conditions, to give him the maximum of their love and tenderness.

Important achievements of the first month:

• Freezing when a new sound or object appears in the field of perception, focusing on the speech of an adult.
• The ability to focus, focus the gaze on objects and the first attempts to follow the movement of bright toys.
• The ability to turn the head and look for the source of sound, auditory concentration.
• Decreased muscle tone (increased tone - hypertonicity gradually disappears).
• The emergence of vocalizations in response to an adult's address.