You know those moments when baby gazes deep into your eyes, kind of like they're trying to see your soul? That's a sign baby's attracted to you, and trying to get to know you even better. “Newborns don't have very good eyesight,” says Pete Stavinoha, PhD, a child neuropsychologist in Houston, Texas.
They stare at you to gain attention or to figure out if they recognize you. On the other hand, spiritual meaning is attached to a baby's stare. Spiritually, it is believed that a baby's stare brings good luck. Whatever it is, please pay attention to the message they are trying to convey.
Children are naturally curious and they are also drawn to people who feel 'good' to them or who are different and intriguing. They are sensitive and pick up on people's energy. How lovely that you are giving off a vibe that makes them feel safe enough to want to investigate more.
Babies as young as six months can distinguish between good and bad people, according to a study in which babies observed characters being helpful or unhelpful. Scientists had thought that social judgments developed with language at about 18 months to two years old.
Why do babies prefer a certain person? And research suggests that babies evaluate people in much the same way, preferring people who like the same foods, clothes, and toys that they like. This preference helps us to form social bonds, but it can also have a dark side.
While infants vary in their sensitivity, research shows that babies do, indeed, sense and react to their parents' emotional cues. Generally speaking, they're picking up on what you're giving off. Can a baby sense your mood?
Many new parents begin to notice their infant staring at particular people randomly, which may lead them to think, “why do babies stare?” Although this staring behavior can be concerning, it is not worrisome. Most babies stare at people out of curiosity as they get to know them.
Birth to One Month of Age
At birth your baby sees only in black and white, and shades of gray. Nerve cells in the brain and retina of the eye are not fully developed. They also have trouble focusing, and are not very light-sensitive yet. Infants' eyes are large compared to their bodies.
Young babies are indeed capable of seeing colors, but their brains may not perceive them as clearly or vividly as older children and adults do. The first primary color your baby can see is red, and this happens a few weeks into life.
Eye-hand coordination begins to develop as the infant starts tracking moving objects with his or her eyes and reaching for them. By eight weeks, babies begin to more easily focus their eyes on the faces of a parent or other person near them.
To start with, when a child looks in the mirror, they're just seeing another face. By 2 years old, they'll often be able to tell it's actually them they are seeing and not reach out to their reflection. Playing with your child in the mirror helps them to recognise themselves.
Newborn babies prefer to look at attractive faces, says a UK researcher, suggesting that face recognition is hardwired at birth, rather than …
Thankfully, science tells us that staring at absolutely nothing is a normal part of child development, no matter how creepy it is. Consumer Healthday noted that sometimes babies just look off into the great nothing because their brains are working around the clock, growing and learning new things.
A baby's vision develops slowly over their first six to eight months, notes Gritchen, which is one of the reasons why high contrast objects and moving objects like ceiling fans are more likely to attract the baby's attention.
And babies don't just detect our tension. They are negatively affected by it. It's one more reason to look after your own well-being, and calm down before interacting with your child.
You might have heard that empathy doesn't develop until the preschool years. But that's actually a terrible misrepresentation of the evidence. Scientists recognize two kinds of empathy — affective empathy and cognitive empathy — and studies strongly suggest that babies experience both.
“For instance, a baby may not remember explicitly the time they were yelled at in the kitchen booster seat when they were 6 months old, but their body remembers the way it recoiled, the way it pumped blood to increase oxygen to the muscles in response to feeling unsafe,” Keith explains.
In other words, when your wide-eyed munchkin is gazing intently at something, it's because her brain is processing new information and building a foundation for the world around her. On the flipside, sometimes your baby may stare off into space because he just wants to chill out from sensory overload.
Babies may enter the world with brains that appear unsophisticated, but they absorb and understand more than we realize. Babies notice, process, and file everything adults and children around them say and do. Most of their learning occurs through their senses.
One of my favorite things to do is show mothers how their baby can smell them from as far away as 1 to 2 feet.
And research suggests that babies evaluate people in much the same way, preferring people who like the same foods, clothes, and toys that they like. This preference helps us to form social bonds, but it can also have a dark side.
Studies suggest that babies do not always prefer female faces, but, in fact, show a strong preference for human faces of the same gender as the primary caregiver. Since most babies are primarily cared for by females, most babies prefer to look at female faces.
Gentle touch: Babies love and crave touch, as well as your attention. So snuggling with your little one, holding her gently, engaging in skin-to-skin contact, caressing her face, holding her hands, or touching her toes are all beautiful ways to bond.
While some babies are able to recognize their names as early as 4 to 6 months, most should reach this point consistently by 7 to 9 months. Second, take note of consistency. Your little one should turn to look at you or vocalize (make noises) when you say their name.
Babies who are between three- to four-months-old are able to see differences in pictures with far more detail than older people, meaning that they can see colours and objects in a way that grown adults never will be able to.