Do you know babies can hear well before they are born? Even when they are in the womb of their mother? Yes. It is true. Many researches done in this field have evidence to support this. It’s found that when in the womb babies can listen not only to their mother's voice but also to her digestive noises and heart beat. Not only this, an unborn baby can also listen to the sound of blood being pumped through her mother’s body also.
An interesting finding shows that even after birth, a recording of these noises can be used to calm a fussy baby. Usually babies react to sudden loud voices by remaining still at first with wide eyes and then crying. It’s often found that babies prefer to hear their mother’s voice rather than their father’s or anyone else’s voice not only because she is more familiar with it when she was in her womb but also as she prefers the quieter, more musical feminine tone.
The general pattern of hearing development:
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From 4 months. At four months of age the baby shows the first sign of recognizing the sound. She will turn her head and try to locate the source of the sound and turn towards it when a sound is made. In addition to this, now she has the ability to distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant sounds depending on her previous experiences associated with that sound. For example, she will recognize the sounds associated with food very easily. She will also begin to coo hearing a familiar voice at first and then with babbling sounds. This can be thought of as the beginning of conversation and developing language skills.
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From 7 months. At 7 months of age she will be sharp enough to locate the origin of the sound correctly. Also she will start to associate different noises with different things and different people.
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From 9 months. At 9 months she will start to understand simple words and commands she hears and will start to listen to quiet noises such as a watch ticking.
As she grows up you can easily detect which sounds seem interesting to your baby and can use these to soothe her. This will aid her in the early development of language. Following are some tips you can use to stimulate your baby's hearing:
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The most basic thing you have to do is read and talk to her. Talk to her when you are with her about what you're doing. This will help her sharpen her language learning skills. You can do this hen you are packing her nappy bag or dressing her up. Tell her hat you are putting inside the nappy bag and name the color and type of garment you're dressing her with. Make sure to turn off TV or radio when you are talking to her so that she can concentrate on your voice and try to make out what you are telling.
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Try to concentrate on sounds which your baby seems to hear whether it's the sound of an airplane engine or the purr of a cat. This can be a rewarding activity for you both.
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Put on the radio or a CD. Your baby will surely love music! Try to help him distinguish between the clashing of the cymbals and the tinkling of the piano.
Select a time when your baby is wide awake and alert to check your baby's hearing ability. Some quick tests you can do for this are:
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For a baby less than three months of age try clapping your hands behind her head. If she startles, you can rest assured she had good hearing ability. If this does not happen, try clapping few more times.
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For a baby between 4 & 6 months, that is for a baby with some head control you can try calling her name to see if she turns towards you as a reaction to your voice. Also, she will be turning her head and look at sounds which seems interesting to her. Also remember that hearing and talking are linked together. So once her hearing abilities develop; she will also make cooing sounds and other noises.
Baby Health And Care
