Have you ever noticed your little one’s clear eyes and curious gaze? Their eyes are their first way of learning about the world. Even before they learn to reach with their hands, or crawl or sit, their vision provides vital information and stimulation for their development.
Babies learn to see through stages, just as they learn to walk and talk. In fact, your little one begins exploring the wonders of the world through visual abilities from the moment they are born.
Of course, parents have an important role in helping ensure that their little one’s eyes and vision can develop properly.
This is because vision problems can cause developmental delays and hinder learning opportunities.
Come on, learn about the stages of baby vision according to age and tips for stimulating it!
Stages of Baby Vision
0-2 Months
Newborn babies can see things next to them with their peripheral (side) vision, while their central vision is still developing.
Within a few weeks, as the retina develops, the pupils begin to dilate.
Babies can see ranges and patterns of light and dark. Large shapes and bright colors may begin to attract their attention.
Babies may also begin to focus on objects directly in front of them.
At around 1 month old, babies may focus briefly on faces, but may still prefer brightly colored objects up to 1 meter away.
Babies can look across the room even at birth, but they are often more interested in objects that are very close to them.
Age 2-4 Months
During the first two months , a baby’s eyes often don’t work together properly. Parents may notice their little one’s eyes appear crossed or wander to the side.
In most cases, this is normal and eventually the baby’s vision will improve.
However, if one eye is constantly turned towards the nose or away from the nose, talk to your pediatrician immediately.
At around 2 months of age, babies can usually follow moving objects because their visual coordination has improved.
Around 3 months of age , babies may have enough eye-arm coordination to swat at nearby moving objects.
By 3 months, a baby’s eyes should be working together to focus and track objects. If this ability isn’t detected, talk to your pediatrician immediately.
Age 5-8 Months
At around 5 months of age , a baby’s ability to perceive how far an object is from them has developed more fully. Your little one can now see the world in three dimensions.
Your little one’s ability to reach objects both near and far improves.
Babies also have good color vision at this age, although it is not as fully developed as adults.
At this stage, babies can recognize their parents across the room and then smile .
Your little one can also see objects outside when looking through a window. They may even be able to remember objects even if they only see part of them.
Babies generally start crawling at around 8 months of age. This will help them further develop eye-hand-foot-body coordination.
Age 9-12 Months
At around 9 months of age , the visible eye color is probably their final color, although it is not uncommon for there to be small changes later on.
Babies can generally judge distances quite well, and they learn to pull themselves up to stand at this age.
By about 10 months of age, babies can usually see and judge distances well enough to grasp something between their thumb and forefinger.
By 12 months, babies can judge distance fairly well and throw objects with precision.
Parents need to encourage your little one to crawl rather than walk earlier, to help children develop better hand-eye coordination.
Newborn Baby Vision
Blurred Vision
In the womb, a baby’s eyes begin to develop around the fourth week of pregnancy. The fetus can then see light around the 16th week.
However, the fetus’s eyelids remain closed until the 26th week of pregnancy.
In fact, the view inside the womb is very limited.
So when a baby enters the real world, it appears like a kaleidoscope of blurred images to his unaccustomed eyes.
At first, the furthest distance a baby can see is about 20-25 cm.
Babies Love Looking at Faces
In the first month of life, a baby’s eyes tend to close more often because he sleeps for long periods.
When his eyes are open, your little one cannot yet track moving objects.
However, babies at this age generally enjoy looking at faces. This means spending plenty of time with your little one will be invaluable.
Babies Close Their Eyes More Often
Some newborns do look directly at your face, as if saying “Hello, Mom.” On the other hand, some babies actually keep their eyes tightly closed.
There is no need to panic, both of the above reactions are very normal.
Some babies naturally focus on faces and objects, but sometimes your little one needs a little more time to adjust to the new world around him.
The speed of a baby’s visual abilities will depend on many factors, from gestational age to personality.
Tips for Stimulating Children’s Vision
There are many things parents can do to help their baby’s vision develop properly.
It’s not difficult at all, the following simple tips and activities can support your little one’s visual development.
Age 0-4 Months
- Use a night light or other dim light in the baby’s room.
- Change the position of the crib frequently and change your little one’s position while in it.
- Place toys that train focus about 20-25 cm away.
- Talk to the baby while walking around the room.
- Place the baby alternately on the right and left side when breastfeeding.
Age 5-8 months
- Hang toys or various objects above the crib for your little one to hold, pull and kick.
- Give your baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
- Provide plastic or wooden building blocks that can be held in the hand.
- Play games that involve moving your baby’s hands while saying words out loud.
Age 9-12 Months
- Play hide-and-seek with toys or faces to help your baby develop visual memory.
- Name objects while talking to encourage baby’s word association skills and vocabulary development.
- Encourage your little one to crawl and creep.
Age 1 to 2 years
- Play the ball back and forth to help your little one track objects visually with his eyes.
- Provide children with blocks, balls, and toys of all shapes and sizes to improve fine motor skills and small muscle development.
- Read stories to stimulate visualization skills and build your little one’s reading skills.
Popular Questions About Baby Vision
How many months can a baby see?
Babies can see clearly between 5 and 8 months of age. At this age, they will develop many new abilities, including enhanced perception. This ability allows them to determine how far or near an object is.
Can a 40 day old baby see?
A 40-day-old baby can only see objects up to 20 cm away. Newborns prefer faces and round objects with light and black edges (such as eyes) over other objects. That’s why your baby is so drawn to your face and eyes, including when breastfeeding, and to your face at close range.
When can a babyeye contact?
Babies can doeye contactwhen they are six to eight weeks old.Eye contactis the first growth milestone that you will see in the early life of your baby.
When can babies hear and see?
Newborns can hear and see—they can even hear sounds while still in the womb. Newborns can see, though not clearly. Then, in the first three months, babies will begin to be attracted to faces, bright lights and colors, patterns of lines and dots, but they won’t understand what they’re seeing.
***
So, those are the stages of a baby’s vision from birth to one year of age.
So that your little one’s sense of sight functions optimally, come on , stimulate it by doing various activities that support your little one’s visual development, OK?Parents.
Hopefully this information is useful.
