Hears a child at 1 month. Childhood hearing loss: how to determine and what to do. How to help your baby develop the senses

Well, finally, the long-awaited moment has come when young parents take their newborn baby home. Bending over the bed, mom and dad look at their beloved child.

And here a natural question arises. But does the baby see his parents and hear sounds, at what age do newborns begin to see and hear? Yes, of course, not everyone immediately begins to understand the characteristics of the child's body. Especially if the first child is born. Below we will try to answer the question of when a newborn begins to see and hear.

What about hearing

Many are familiar with the situation when, while still in the hospital and then at home, the baby sleeps, even with loud conversations, crying of other children or other similar sounds. Parents are wondering how long it takes for newborns to see and hear.

Doctors have long established that hearing develops during fetal development. Already from the 17th week of pregnancy, the baby is able to hear certain sounds produced by the mother's body.

Many people think that once a baby is born, he can't hear anything, and parents often ask when a newborn baby can see and hear.

The baby is able to hear sounds. Only due to physiological characteristics, he does not respond to quiet and quiet ones. But if you slap something sharply, the child shudders.

Keep quiet

Interesting fact! A few hours after birth, the baby reacts differently to voices. At the sound of mother's voice, the child calms down.

Now all newborns have their hearing checked in the maternity hospital with a special device. The examination is repeated when the child is 1 month old, but already in the clinic.

In any case, the baby soon begins to respond to many sounds. And if quite recently he could sleep in a noisy room, a month should already provide the child with a quiet room for relaxation.

Do not think that if the child does not respond to sounds, then you can turn on the TV louder. In this case, the child’s sleep will be superficial and the baby will not fully rest. Do not scream or make harsh noises near him. This will cause anxiety and crying of the baby.

We develop hearing

Almost from birth, when a newborn begins to see and hear, you can develop hearing abilities with him.

To do this, just talk to the baby as often as possible, sing children's songs and nursery rhymes to him. Avoid harsh sounds, especially screams and scandals.

Often parents turn on the TV in the background, considering it entertainment for themselves. But do not get carried away with this or make too loud a sound. Such a load is too strong for the baby, it can cause him to overwork and, accordingly, whims, poor sleep and crying.

What does the baby see?

Of course, any mother is concerned about the question of when newborn children begin to see and hear. A woman leans over her adorable little one and thinks if the baby sees her.

In the maternity hospital, babies' eyes are checked with a light beam. When exposed to light, a normally developed pupil shrinks.

The newborn is not yet able to distinguish between objects, but can see light and dark spots. But in just a month, the child will see the features of surrounding objects from a distance of about 30 cm.

Therefore, when hanging toys or showing rattles, it is always recommended to adhere to this distance. But the world of the baby at this time is black and white.

Modern publishers of baby books even produce copies with black and white pictures.

In any case, at the time when the newborn begins to see and hear, the mother's voice will be the most favorite sound. And the most interesting subject that attracts the baby is the face. Moreover, many psychologists even recommend fixing a drawn image of a face in the field of his visibility for the duration of the baby's wakefulness.

How vision develops

Having asked the pediatrician about what time the newborn begins to see and hear, mothers will understand that at the age of up to 1 month it makes no sense to show the child colorful toys. After all, now in the eyes of the baby everything is black and white.

Progressive manufacturers have even begun to produce such toys. Striped things especially attract attention.

1-3 months

When compared with an adult, the level of vision of the baby is 50% of the normal version. Gradually, the ability to distinguish light spots appears. You can show multi-colored toys, but in black and white they will attract the attention of the child more.

3-6 months

Knowing what time the newborn begins to see and hear, you can properly build your classes. So, at three months, the baby is able to distinguish between red and yellow. Therefore, show rattles with a predominance of these particular shades.

At three or four months, you can hang a multi-colored mobile. In addition to the quiet soundtrack, to which the baby is already reacting, such a toy will attract him with bright patterns. A child at this age is very interested in various murals like gesture or Khokhloma.

After 4 months, the baby is able to distinguish between such primary colors as red, yellow, green, blue, white, black.

The shades of the eyes are not yet able to distinguish. Yes, and at an older age this must be taught. Indeed, many adults, especially men, are little oriented in colors such as turquoise, purple or light green.

6 months

Vision becomes binocular. This means that everything seen through the eyes of the baby is combined into one picture.

Why do eyes squint

It is clear that when a newborn begins to see and hear, there are very important points. And many questions arise precisely about vision and hearing.

So, sometimes the eyes of a newborn mow. This worries parents a lot. But when newborn babies begin to see and hear, things often happen that are a little frightening, but at the same time not really scary at all.

The same applies to slightly squinting eyes. If such a phenomenon is rare, there is nothing to worry about.

This is due to the fact that the picture is not read simultaneously by two eyes. The visible will unite into one picture only closer to 6 months.

But, despite this, if the eyes are constantly mowed, an ophthalmologist's consultation is necessary. Only a doctor will be able to conduct an examination and reassure the mother or prescribe treatment on time. At such a young age, vision can be easily corrected. The main thing is to notice the problem in time.

It is clear that when a newborn begins to see and hear, all these important questions concern all new parents. It must be understood that the hearing and vision of the baby appear from birth. It is necessary to develop them correctly and not make mistakes.

Hearing abilities and reactions to sound appear in children in the womb. Unborn babies hear voices and music. Knowing this, many parents from the very first days begin to test their hearing, arranging unbearable tests for the baby. Don't rush things. The first expressive signs, when the child begins to respond to rattles and other sound stimuli, appear no earlier than 2–4 weeks. This is explained by the fact that fragile connections between the parts of the visual and auditory apparatus make it impossible to collect and process information in a quality manner. The baby hears, but is still too small to respond to the sound and dispel the concerns of the parents. Give him time to master and get used to the sound variety, the abundance of visual images and the novelty of tactile sensations.

About the benefits of rattles for newborns

The presence of rattles in the life of babies is very important. Voiced balls, figurines, bells and little animals attract attention. Children really like them, and the sooner interesting, bright and sounding objects are in front of their eyes, the faster and better the senses will develop.

The very first toys encourage knowledge of the world around and help to adapt. They focus attention and stimulate physical activity. Unlike older children, babies do not get bored with fun toys. They get used to pleasant accompanying melodies, and over time they begin to distinguish sound shades. With the development of auditory skills, vision and fine motor skills improve.

Children under 3 months are recommended to buy quiet and light gaming accessories. Rattles should not frighten and injure the baby. Let it be expressive, pleasant to the touch objects made of fabric or silicone. Pay special attention to the safety of the material. Feel free to ask the seller for a certificate of quality and refrain from buying toys with a strong smell.

When babies react to sound, age-related reactions

The best incentive for improving the hearing aid is mother's voice. He is always recognizable and familiar to the baby from intrauterine life, but this is not enough for the full development of hearing. From the first days after birth, the sound picture changes dramatically and is supplemented by the so-called everyday noises: squeaks, knocks, pops, etc. At the same time, rattle toys, bright and sonorous helpers, perfectly fulfilling their developmental tasks, appear in the child's life.

Each age has its own indicators of reaction to sound. They are different and depend on many factors. These can be physiological, hereditary and psycho-emotional features that affect development. It makes no sense to expect from a baby who is not even 1 month old, active head movements towards a noisy rattle. He hears everything, but an underdeveloped and uncoordinated muscular system does not allow him to turn his head towards the sounds. There is a time for everything, so as not to worry about possible hearing problems, parents should know what the right age-related reactions are:

• Children at 1 month react only to sharp and loud sounds, the reactions are manifested in the form of shudders.
• A two-month-old baby reacts by freezing for a few seconds, may open his eyes wide and try to turn his head. At this age, an orienting reaction is gradually formed when the baby tries to determine the source of the sound.
• At 3-6 months, a period of revival and cardinal changes begins in auditory behavior. Hearing the rattle, the child may begin to twitch his arms and legs, confidently turn his head, smile, or, conversely, act up if the sound of the rattle is not to his liking.

The inconsistency of these reactions with age norms should alert parents.

They allow to identify or exclude the presence of deviations in the hearing aid. Violations can be suspected from the first weeks. Be attentive and constantly observe the behavior of the newborn.

What to do if the child does not respond to the sound of a rattle

According to statistics, approximately 20% of all cases of hearing loss are formed in the first year of life, the remaining 80% is a congenital pathology. If you know that there are prerequisites for a hereditary effect on hearing, immediately contact a specialist.

A completely different situation is when a child at 2 months does not respond to the sound of a rattle, and such cases were not observed in the family pedigree. In the absence of a timely response to ringing toys, parents begin to worry. Do not rush to conclusions, if children are indifferent to rattles, but respond to their mother's voice, a working TV or music, your worries are in vain.

Hearing problems are a complete lack of response to any sound sources. Similar violations can be noticed already in the first two months of life. Observe the newborn, do not overdo it by testing the hearing ability of a one-month-old baby, and do not try to make diagnoses yourself. Only a specialist can dispel suspicions.

Diagnosis of hearing loss in our time is possible even in newborns. The doctor conducts a professional audio test, and if violations are found, the necessary corrective measures are taken. Rehabilitation at an early age is most effective, therefore, the sooner deviations are identified and treatment is prescribed, the more chances your child has to keep his hearing and not differ from healthy peers.

Having taken the child from the hospital, parents more thoroughly begin to study him and observe him. They are concerned about the general condition of the baby, his reactions to the world around him, manifested in physical activity, vision, hearing, crying. Sometimes parents are alarmed that their newborn child does not react (or reacts very weakly) to extraneous noises and sounds, may not notice and does not wake up from a working TV, some noise from a neighboring apartment, etc. That is why many parents are interested in whether newborn children hear well immediately after birth or do not hear at all.

The period when the child begins to hear has long been established - this happens as early as 16-17 weeks of pregnancy.

It is proved: the child was not born, but already hears

While in the womb, the baby already has the ability to hear and respond to sound. During intrauterine development, there is a reaction to music and voices, which has been repeatedly proven experimentally: the mother read several children's poems in the last stage of pregnancy. When a certain time passed after the birth of a child, a familiar verse was read next to him and the reaction of “recognition” followed: the child began to actively move his legs and arms.

There are opinions of some parents that a newly born child still does not hear well, or even does not hear at all due to fluid in the inner ear, and begins to distinguish sounds only on the second or third day, but this is absolutely not true!

From the first days of life, the child reacts to sounds, but mainly reacts only to loud sounds (sharp, which can create a certain vibration), so if there is no reaction to a working TV, to calm voices, to other calm noises, you do not need to think that the baby is nothing hears, he hears everything, just does not react.

It is absolutely surprising that a newborn is able to distinguish a person's voice from any other sound, i.e. the child has an inborn reflex of the ability to hear. Quickly and best of all, among other voices, the baby begins to recognize the mother's voice that spoke throughout pregnancy.

The baby immediately after birth has a well-developed hearing and has a reaction to:

• intonation;
• speech rate;
• voice timbre;
• rattles;
• different sounds.

This is expressed in:

• in the motor activity of the legs and arms;
• head turns;
• searching for the source of the voice with the eyes;
• fading;
• wince
• crying;
• listening.

We repeat, if the first days the child does not react to extraneous sounds, this does not mean anything. In any case, if it worries and scares you, you can always consult a doctor.

FACT. Does a baby hear the same way when he is awake and when he sleeps?

By the end of the third month, the child consciously turns his head to any sound - a rattle or voices.

How to test your hearing

If you are concerned about your child not hearing, you can have their hearing tested. 3 - 5 days after birth, quietly pat (naturally without fanaticism?) next to the baby's ear - the baby should blink or show any other reaction. Rattle the rattle to the right or left of the baby's head - he will turn his head in the direction of the sound. If the child does not react in any way to sounds, then it is necessary to consult a doctor.

A sharp reaction to sounds is normal.

Many children in the first weeks of life with loud, sharp sounds shudder, cry, they may have convulsive movements. A baby can also react in the same way from a completely calm voice that sounded very close, unexpectedly. But such a reaction does not speak of his "inadequacy." On the contrary, it indicates perfectly normal hearing.

The same reactions can manifest themselves to any unfamiliar circumstances, not only in the first weeks of life, but almost before the onset of school age. This indicates that normally developing infants have a very high level of sensitivity to the external environment. Therefore, you need to talk with a newborn baby calmly and evenly.

Important: why is the child afraid of loud noises (what to do)

Best of all, babies distinguish high pitch by listening to a children's ringing song or rattle. Babies enjoy listening to conversational calm speech, sometimes freezing or trying to find the source of the voice with their eyes. For the development of hearing during wakefulness, turn on children's songs, read rhymes and just talk more with the baby.

By the beginning of the second month of life, the child's convulsive movements will disappear, the reaction to the voice will be expressed in more ordered and uniform movements. There is a clear reaction to the pace of speech. Watch:

• as soon as the mother's speech speeds up, the child's movements accelerate;
• mother switches to calm, measured speech - movements also become smoother, even and rhythmic.

If a child is very passionate about something (plays with a toy, examines objects that are interesting and new to him), he may also not respond to any extraneous sounds, this is quite normal, children simply abstract, so there is no need to worry.

hearing problems

If during pregnancy a woman had measles, rubella, or took toxic drugs, alcohol or drugs, then the child may have a disease such as hearing loss or deafness. In order to prevent hearing loss in a child, you need the help and advice of a specialist.

Important: proper ear care

More on the topic when:

• When the child begins to see (how he sees and what newborn children see);
• When the baby starts humming (this is one of the joyful events)

The child's sense organs are a special topic that I would like to talk about.

In utero, the baby is in a liquid substance - amniotic fluid. Probably, you have repeatedly seen a video of how a child smacks his lips on an ultrasound scan.

The baby's senses are a little immature, but they function, which means that newborn children distinguish the outlines of figures, looking at you, smell the milk, and also distinguish the timbre of the voice. There is an opinion that newborns like high voices more than low ones.

So where does it all begin?

The child is born, and the process of adaptation after childbirth begins. In the first days of a newborn's life, the circulatory system is radically rebuilt, and with it the respiratory system.

As for the nervous system and sensory organs, their adaptation process is very long and requires a lot of expenses for the body. That is why it ends by about three months. Let's see how this happens.

At what age does a child begin to see?

Approximately 3 months old when he first recognizes his mother. Newborns are born with a high degree of myopia and see at a distance of about 30 centimeters.

How can you see the face with such vision? I think it's hard to do that. But the chest - it is quite possible. In addition, the crumbs have a very weak fixation of the gaze. That is why newborns do not recognize their parents.

I would also like to note that newborns do not know how to consciously smile or cry. Therefore, if you see incomprehensible grimaces in a newborn, consult a doctor immediately.

In more detail about when the child begins to see and how the development of the organs of vision in a newborn baby occurs, an ophthalmologist tells.

It will be useful for parents of newborn crumbs to find out what a child can do at 1 month. The pediatrician will tell you about this in the most meaningful way.

When does a child begin to smell?

The sense of smell, perhaps, is developed in a newborn by almost 100%. They feel the smell of milk, being at a great distance from their mother.

This is especially evident in the first three days, when the milk in the breast has not yet come, and the baby's hunger makes itself felt. It is at this time that mommy can make a mistake and put the baby to sleep next to her.

In this case, the newborn gets used to the smell of milk, and then it will be simply impossible to sleep separately.

When does a baby start hearing?

The most common question of mothers: can a newborn baby hear? As I said above, they perfectly distinguish the timbre of the voice, but, of course, they do not understand the meaning of the words.

Despite this, it is worth talking to newborns constantly. The baby also begins to respond to sounds by 3 months.

The development of hearing and phonetic perception contribute

A child psychologist talks about the benefits of such auditions.

How is hearing tested in a newborn?

Now in each maternity hospital for 3-4 days (and for premature newborns for 7) a hearing test is carried out. It consists in the fact that a relatively small portable appliance is brought into the ward when the child is sleeping.

A sensor is inserted into the external auditory canal, which generates certain waves. If the sound is reflected from the eardrum, it means that the otoacoustic emission is registered and the child's hearing is in order.

You can find out about the results of the examination from the attending physician in the maternity hospital or look at the statement. If the test in the hospital is not passed, this is not a reason to be upset. There can be many reasons. But this is especially true for premature newborns.

After reaching your due "date of birth", the rumor will most likely appear. If the baby was born with a lot of birth lubricant, this can also be an obstacle to the passage of the sound wave.

Also, they do not conduct a study in children who, for health reasons, are or were in the intensive care unit. In these three cases, a control examination is scheduled in a month.

In addition, the doctor can indirectly check the hearing of a newborn by causing the Moro reflex. This is a startle reflex, refers to the protective. It manifests itself in spreading the arms and shuddering when the doctor's hands hit the table at a distance of 15 centimeters on both sides of the child's head.

In no case should parents check this reflex at home.

If a child at 1 month old does not respond to sharp sounds, this is an occasion to consult a doctor - a neurologist and an audiologist, who, in turn, will help to find the cause.

Predisposing factors for hearing loss

• Heredity. If a mother, father or grandparent has been diagnosed with hearing loss, you should definitely inform the doctor about it, it can be inherited.
• intrauterine infections. Infections that a child could have contracted in utero (cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, and others) are now very common and pose a rather great danger to the fetus and newborn.
• Prematurity (gestational age less than 36 weeks).
• Small children (under 1500 g) are at risk for hearing loss.
• Malformations of the facial skeleton.
• The use of drugs that adversely affect the hearing organ of the newborn (ototoxic). This is especially true of antibiotics that are prescribed to newborns for certain diseases.

Children who have one or more of these risk factors are usually sent back for re-evaluation.

With the advent of a new family member at home, young parents begin a new life: with numerous chores, worries and questions. One of the most common: when does a newborn begin to hear? Concern about hearing appears after the mother notices that the little one does not react to extraneous noise - a loud TV or a conversation of relatives. But is it worth worrying? Does the baby hear immediately after birth? We will answer all these questions.

When do newborn babies start hearing?

First of all, let's say that the newborn is the age period from birth to the 28th day of life. Even such a baby is able to listen and hear both the voices of parents and extraneous noises. However, even before birth, children can perceive sounds.

The organs of hearing in the embryo are formed starting from the 5th week. Around the 16th week of fetal development, the baby perceives the sounds around him by ear. By the end of the 20th week, the formation of the inner ear is completed, which means that the fetus is able to perceive the height of sounds. And already at the 26th week, children begin to respond to the information received - for example, they push in the tummy.

The baby is literally surrounded by sounds in the mother's womb: the mother's heart is beating, her blood is flowing through the vessels, the intestines are loudly rumbling. But the most important thing is the mother's voice, which is perhaps the most desirable sound in the world for any child. So, the question of when babies begin to hear can be confidently answered - even at the moment they are in their mother's belly. Not surprisingly, immediately after birth, babies distinguish their mother's voice from all other sounds.

How do newborns hear?

Imagine that you are walking from absolute silence into a room with deafeningly playing musical instruments. Your reaction is predictable - a momentary shock. So the baby begins to react to a seemingly harmless sound with crying, shuddering and even convulsive movements. Similar reactions can continue up to two months of age. Then the “convulsions” disappear in the baby, the reactions to voices and noise become more natural, and the movements become orderly. As you talk to your little one, watch:

As soon as you speak faster, the baby's movements will immediately accelerate; 

If you switch to a calm, measured pace of conversation, then the child will begin to move more rhythmically and smoothly.

If the baby is fond of something (looking at his mother's face, playing with a rattle), he ignores any sounds. And this is also quite normal, the baby is not yet able to disperse his attention to several objects at once.

What does the baby hear?

Thus, a newborn child distinguishes human voices from other sounds. The baby most quickly recognizes his mother's voice, due to the fact that he heard him throughout the entire period of pregnancy. The baby also reacts to other sounds:

Rattle noise;

The noise of working household appliances (by the way, the sound of a hair dryer reminds newborns of their mother's tummy and therefore soothes); 

Lullabies;

Cheerful and melodic songs.

The child's ability to hear various sounds in such characteristic movements is expressed as:

- "twisting" with arms and legs;

head rotation;

Eye search for the source of noise;

Startle;

Crying of varying intensity;

Listening (focused face);

Fading,

Complete cessation of movement.

Experts do not recommend attending noisy parties with newborn children, screaming next to him, turning on the TV or audio player at full volume. The ideal option is a lullaby that you sang during pregnancy. But it is also undesirable to protect the baby from other sounds (of medium intensity). Let him hear both classical music and modern children's songs.

Testing children's hearing

Even a newborn is a bright individual, so no one can say for sure how many days or weeks the baby will give you a vivid reaction to your voice, another sound or your name. Yes, and the response will also be different: a more active baby will cry, a phlegmatic one will only wince.

If you are still worried that the baby does not respond to sounds in any way, then you can check the children's hearing at home. To check if your child hears, use the following tips: 

Approach him from the side, so that he does not see you, and clap your hands softly;

If your "applause" goes unheeded, cough loudly;

If even after this your baby does not react, get his attention with a new rattle.

A doctor's consultation is necessary if the child:

At two weeks of age does not start at a sudden sound;

A month does not look for the source of noise, turning his head towards him;

Does not imitate (does not coo, does not coo) at 4 months.

I would like to remind you once again that such age limits (from how many days, weeks or months this or that reaction occurs) are largely conditional and depend, among other things, on the characteristics of the baby himself - the type of temperament and the timing of maturation of the nervous system.

How to take care of children's ears?

The hearing organs of newborns require special care. But you need to follow the ears very carefully, since any awkward movement can damage the thin eardrum and, thereby, disrupt the hearing of the little man. We offer 4 rules for caring for the ears of a newborn baby.

1. From the first days, clean the baby's ears. This should be done once a week, immediately after water procedures.

2. While bathing, lay the baby's ears with small cotton balls, and then, after bathing the baby, remove them. This will help prevent water from getting into the ears and also make it easier to remove the wax.

3. Never use cotton swabs, otherwise you risk harming the little one.

4. Cracks and dryness will not bother the baby if you lubricate the folds behind the auricles with baby cream or oil every time after water procedures.

In addition, the course of pregnancy also affects children's hearing. If during the period of bearing a child a woman became infected with dangerous infectious diseases (rubella, measles) or took toxic substances, the baby may be born with hearing loss or deafness.

When do babies start hearing? From the moment it was born. Even a newborn child is able to distinguish his mother's lullaby from the sounds of the outside world, to respond to the timbre, intonation and volume of the voice. If it seems to you that the crumb does not hear you, contact a specialist.

Leaving the hospital, young parents are left alone with their baby and their fears associated with his upbringing and development. How to understand why the baby is crying? Does something hurt him? All these questions worry a young mother at first.

Equally important for parents is the issue of child development. After all, not every violation can be seen with the naked eye. For example, many parents are very interested in the question, at what age does the child begin to see and hear them, and how not to miss possible complications and disorders?

When does hearing begin to develop?

If the expectant mother was attentive to her health, underwent all the necessary examinations while pregnant, then she probably knows that the hearing organs begin to develop as early as the 5th week of pregnancy. The work of the auditory system begins at about 16-17 weeks. Therefore, doctors recommend talking with your baby from this time.

Surely the parents noticed that the child begins to beat harder when he hears his mother's voice. Yes, yes, even in the womb, he recognizes him among the rest. Or, on the contrary, how he calms down if he hears the voice of a stranger. There are a lot of noises around the unborn little man - mother's heart is beating, blood is running through the vessels, the stomach is rumbling. All these sounds accompany your baby until birth.

Armed with this information, parents expect that after birth, the child will immediately begin to respond to the sounds that surround him. And if this does not happen, they begin to worry and look for the cause. In fact, there is no reason for concern. Your baby hears everything that happens around him, but still does not know how to adequately respond to what is happening. Therefore, many parents begin to believe in grandmother's stories that the baby, due to fluid in the inner ear, the first days after birth, poorly distinguishes or does not distinguish sounds at all.

How does a newborn react to sound?

In the early days, the newborn reacts only to loud or sharp vibrating sounds. His reaction is often different from what parents expect to see. He can cry, shudder, or, conversely, freeze at an unexpected sound. This is due to the fact that the child hears all extraneous sounds at the same time and cannot distinguish them. Therefore, the noise coming from all sides, of different timbre, height and volume, causes such a “shock” reaction in him.

First of all, newborn children begin to distinguish the voice of their mother. After all, it was she who spoke to him long before his birth. Therefore, now that he is faced with the outside world, his mother's voice is able to calm him down. Babies also recognize familiar pieces of music or literature that they heard while in the womb, according to research. The fact that they recognize familiar lines is evidenced by their reaction - active movements of the legs and arms.

In addition to the sound itself, newborn children are able to distinguish between intonation, timbre of voice, tempo of spoken speech, and also distinguish sounds. The child hears high-pitched sounds best. To develop the baby's hearing, it is necessary to communicate with him more often, include children's songs and fairy tales. Depending on what sound the child hears, he may have a different reaction. The fact that the baby reacts to extraneous sounds may indicate:

• fading;
• cry;
• startle and jerky movements;
• turning the head towards the source of the sound;
• search for the source of the sound with the eyes.

The child distinguishes the pace of speech: when the mother begins to speak quickly, his movements accelerate; as soon as the mother's speech slows down, the baby calms down.

How to check the hearing of a newborn?

In many developed countries, the hearing of newborns is checked at the maternity hospital. This is quite easy to do at home.

To understand if your child hears, you need to conduct a simple test. It is usually recommended to carry it out no earlier than 5 days from the birth of the baby. It is necessary to stand up so that the child does not see you and make a loud enough, but not frightening sound (clap, cough). The baby should respond to the noise by blinking, changing the rhythm of breathing, fading, or even turning his head towards the source of the sound. If you doubt the result of your research, conduct it at different times: when the baby falls asleep, when he arrives in a good cheerful mood, when he is calm.

There is a technique by I. V. Kalmykova, by which it is possible to determine not only the reaction of the child to sound, but also the level of noise that he can pick up. To conduct the test, you need to prepare 3 identical plastic jars and 1 toy that squeaks. Fill the jars with various cereals: semolina, buckwheat and peas. Each jar will make a different level of sound:

• semolina will make noise at the level of 30-40 dB;
• buckwheat - about 50-60 dB;
• peas will make a sound corresponding to 70-80 dB.

The sound source during the test should be at a distance of 10 cm from the baby's ear, while he should not see it. Now the tester starts making sounds from the least noisy sound source - a jar of semolina and ends with the loudest one - a squeaky toy. The test is carried out for each ear in turn, the interval between sounds is at least 30 seconds. Depending on age, the child may respond to different levels of noise. Newborns should have a reaction of at least 70-80 dB to sound. However, he can also distinguish quieter sounds.

When is it necessary to see a doctor?

Statistics show that newborn children with hearing problems are not so rare. Therefore, young parents should watch their baby. After all, he himself can not yet say what worries him. At the same time, the development of his speech will directly depend on the state of hearing in a child. He won't be able to make sounds he can't hear.

It is necessary to pay attention to the health of the hearing aid in the following cases:

• If the baby was born prematurely. The earlier the baby was born before the due date, the higher the risk that his hearing did not have time to develop as it should. In addition, the subsequent performance of the hearing aid may be affected by artificial respiration or resuscitation carried out immediately after childbirth.
• If a child has congenital malformations, then this can also cause hearing problems. These defects include: irregular shape of the skull, deformity of the ears, cleft lip, etc.
• If one of the baby's relatives had hearing problems, then it is necessary to monitor the baby's health in this area.
• Measles and rubella, carried by the mother during pregnancy, as well as carried by the baby, carry the risk of complications associated with hearing loss.

If your baby belongs to one of the listed risk groups, then it is advisable to check the hearing of your baby before the age of six months. This should be done by a good specialist in this field. It is also necessary to consult a doctor if you doubt the results of your own checks carried out according to the above methods. Any doubt should not remain unchecked.

All children are different and react differently to new and familiar sounds. If you think that the baby does not hear - no need to panic. It is very difficult to identify a hearing problem in a newborn child on your own, so entrust the diagnosis to professionals. The main thing is to observe the behavior of your baby and, at the slightest doubt, share them with the doctor. Any problem is easier to solve if it is diagnosed in time. Therefore, the task of parents is to observe, and the task of doctors is to help if necessary.

Photobank Lori

Communicating with the baby during the period, you give him a sense of security and prepare for the birth.
From birth, teach your baby to moderate noise - babies do not need complete silence even during falling asleep.
Reading fairy tales to your baby, singing lullabies, you not only develop his ear, but also expand his knowledge about the world around him.

The baby begins to hear long before birth

It turns out that the process of formation of the fetal auditory system is completed by about. It is at this stage that you can begin to communicate with the baby - share your impressions with him, describe the world around him, tell him how much you love and wait for him.

Scientists say that in the mother's womb, audibility is excellent - the walls of the abdomen and the placenta transmit sounds with a volume of 30 decibels. Of course, the amniotic fluid somewhat muffles the noise coming from outside for the baby. But this does not prevent the baby from not only hearing voices, but also distinguishing their intonations, timbre and mood. He likes unobtrusive sounds and calm melodies, but the child does not like harsh screams and loud music. Being in the mother's womb, the child best perceives low-frequency sounds, for example, male voices. Therefore, it is very important that not only the expectant mother, but also the father communicate with the baby during pregnancy.

Features of the hearing of the newborn

During the first 2-3 days of life, while there is liquid in the baby's inner ear, he practically hears nothing. In the future, hearing develops intensively, and at the 4th week of life, the child begins to distinguish some sounds, and from 9-12 weeks - to determine where they come from. By the way, a newborn hears the same way both during sleep and during wakefulness.
Many parents mistakenly believe that the child needs complete silence during sleep. In fact, even the fetus continuously heard the noise of the “working” organs of the mother, including the beating of the heart. Therefore, newborns do not need complete silence and calm down much faster, cuddling up to their mother's chest.

How does the baby react to sounds?

Normally, babies are extremely sensitive to the environment. Loud, sharp and even quite calm, but unexpected, sounds can cause them to have a convulsive reaction, which does not at all indicate any inadequacy. On the contrary, it indicates the normal development of hearing in a child.

Over time, the child gets used to the sounds around him and no longer reacts to them so sharply. By the second month of life, the baby shows a clear reaction to the pace of speech, and his convulsive reactions are replaced by orderly ones. At this stage of development, the newborn listens with pleasure to calm conversational speech, from time to time trying to find the source of the voice with his eyes. To develop the baby's hearing, read children's fairy tales and poems more often, turn on rhythmic songs, talk more with him and share your impressions about the world around him.

The development of the sense organs in a newborn child is an issue that has not been fully studied, therefore it still remains controversial. In particular, when does a newborn baby begin to hear and see? In fact, your baby, even at his stage, hears the voice of mom and dad, closes his eyes to bright light, that is, he already has signs of the formation of an auditory and visual analyzer. Next, we will look at when newborn babies begin to hear.

When and how do newborn babies begin to hear?

Many young parents are alarmed that the baby, who was just brought home from the maternity hospital, does not react to sounds, does not wake up from extraneous noise (TV, knocking in a neighboring apartment). It is interesting that a child in a dream may not respond to loud sounds, but wake up from a whisper. The child is able to recognize the voice of his mother, and subsequently learn to distinguish the voices of all family members who interact with him. So the baby hears perfectly from birth, they just do not react to these sounds.

At what age do newborns hear?

The child has not yet had time to be born, but already sees and hears. A newborn child is so susceptible to external stimuli that, in the waking state, he shudders from loud and unexpected sounds. And when he hears the voice of his mother, the child can perk up, actively clench his fists and move his legs. The child is able to remember fairy tales, poems and music that he often heard in the last weeks of pregnancy, and when he hears them after birth, he calms down and falls asleep. A newborn baby is very susceptible to external stimuli, so in his presence you need to speak calmly so as not to frighten.

How to understand if a newborn hears?

Closer to 4 months of life, the child begins to turn his head towards a loud sound or voice. If this is not noted, then the baby should be shown to the doctor to check the hearing abilities. By the way, if the baby is too carried away or playing with one of the family members, then he may not respond to extraneous noise or voice. Such episodes of passion for the game can be observed in a child up to the age of three.

As you can see, the child not only has a hearing, but it is also sharpened. The baby perceives low-pitched sounds better, so you should read fairy tales to him more often, turn on songs, which contributes to the development of hearing.