A Newborns Vision

If you have just had a baby or you are planning on the arrival of a new baby in your family, you may be wondering just what your baby sees when he or she is looking up at you. A healthy baby is born with all of the mechanics to see just like you do, but the first few weeks and months of a baby’s life are spent learning how to use vision skills like focusing, teaming eye movements, recognizing depth and developing eye-hand coordination.

Birth
During the first few weeks of life, a newborn can only see in black and white and shades of gray. A newborn can only focus to see at a distance of about eight to twelve inches. Incidentally, a distance of eight to twelve inches is just about the same distance from a parent’s arms to the face. As a newborn is cradled and nursed, the baby’s eyes begin to focus and learn to recognize the details of the caregiver’s face.

Three Months
By three months of age, a baby has mastered learning the details of faces and begins to focus on brightly colored toys and other objects of interest. A baby of 8-12 weeks in age should be able to follow a moving object for several seconds.

Four to Six Months
As a baby continues to grow, the vision control increases. At around three months a baby can move the eyes to follow an object without moving the head as well. By four months, most babies are practicing hand-eye coordination by reaching for objects, and most babies of this age have also developed full color vision.

Until a baby develops proper teaming movements of both eyes, it is normal for an infant to appear slightly cross-eyed. Remember every baby develops differently. If you have any questions about your baby’s vision, check with your child’s pediatrician to be sure your baby’s development is on track.