Playing with the newborn is one of the most beautiful experience of parenting. It makes you to wipe off all the stress. Baby’s eye contact makes you much more happier. This article takes you through the importance of the baby’s eye contact.
Each and every development stage of your baby is a memorable moment for you. Eye contact is one of the signs of the development of your baby. It makes the bond between the parents and babies stronger. It is the skill that babies learn in a short span.
This article discusses the importance of eye contact in babies. It presents ways to improve eye contact in babies.
What is Eye Contact in Babies?
Eye contact is the first and foremost developmental sign of your baby. Eye contact builds the emotional bridge between parents and babies. Research suggests that eye syncs various activities like emotions, heart rate, and brain activity. Eye contact is the baby’s means of exchanging the information.
It is a sign of social development and nonverbal communication. Baby’s vision development is known to affect other senses. It is the skill that babies acquire in short span.
Many parents are excited to know when their babies start eye contact? Babies usually start developing eye contact as soon as they enter the age of 3 months.
Importance of Eye Contact in Babies:
- Eye contact in babies is the sign of the emotional and intellectual development of the baby. Let us know the importance of eye development in the overall development of children.
- Eye contact allows the parents to know that they are being recognized by their parents.
- Eye contact gathers and analyzes the information
- Eye contact makes the baby acknowledge the emotions and feelings.
- Breastfed or bottlefed babies come to learn social communication skills by looking at the face of their caregiver during feeding.
When Do Babies Make Eye Contact?
New parents eagerly wait to see their baby making eye contact. Eye contact may develop little early in some babies and some babies take few more days to develop eye contact. Early or late eye contact does not impact the emotional attachment that blossoms between parent and baby.
Babies make eye contact with their parents most of the time with their parents. Here are some of the specific conditions that babies make eye contact with their parents or caregivers.
Scenario 1: When babies are sleepy
Babies usually gaze at their parents when they are about to sleep. Babies look and listen to the lullabies made by the mother that offer the utmost comfort for your baby.
Scenario 2: While breastfeeding
Babies usually develop eye contact while breastfeeding. This enhances and strengthens the bond and attachment with the mother.
Scenario 3: When babies are joyful
Babies maintain eye contact with their parents when they are happy and joyful.
Scenario 4: when babies are need of comfort
Babies make eye contact with their parents when they are hungry or come across any discomfort.
How To Improve Eye Contact In Babies?
Don’t force your baby to form eye contact during the times of hungry, tired. There are many gentle ways to make your child build effective eye contact.
Here are a few ways to improve eye contact in young babies:
1. Touch or Voice:
These are the simple and effective tools in making your baby develop eye contact. Try singing for your baby during the nap time and make lullabies to comfort the baby.
2. Use Moving Objects:
As soon as the babies turn the age of 3 months they start focusing on the faces and objects. They begin to focus on moving objects and try to catch them. This activity will help to develop their hand eye coordination.
Don’t try this activity when your baby is 1 month old as the range of their sight is about 8 to 15 inches away. They could be able to see only the face of the person holding them.
3. Hold Your Baby in Your Arms:
Hold your baby 10-20 inches away in order to facilitate the proper eye gaze. If your baby is staring at you continuously then take it as an opportunity to talk, smile, sing, and show some gestures.
4. Keep Some Toys Around Your Baby:
Place some colorful toys within the reach of children. Babies can see a full range of colors by the
5. Keep Communicating with Your Baby:
Keep communicating with your baby when you are moving around in the room. This will also help to improve the listening skills of your baby. Sound can act as the catalyst for your baby to develop eye contact.
6. Breastfeeding:
This is one of the effective ways to develop eye contact in a newborn baby. Keep communicating with your baby while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding strengthens the bonding and attachment between mother and newborn baby. Try altering the sides while feeding your baby.
7. Change the Position of Crib:
Often change the position of the crib and hang some objects above the crib. Ensure that your baby receives proper ventilation. Do not make your baby’s room too dark even when your baby falls asleep.
8. Encourage Visual Memory:
This is one of the best ways to improve eye contact in young babies. 6 months old baby can observe the toys falling and rolling away. At this age, your baby is more interested in toys. Introduce simple games like rolling a ball back and forth, hiding the toy below the blanket, and then reveal it to your baby. This activity will help to enhance the visual memory of your baby along with eye contact.
9. Distract Your Baby:
Babies easily get distracted by the attractive toys that make smooth noise. Babies have the ability to develop intense eye contact when they turn the age of 3 months. Show a colorful toy to distract your baby.
Why Babies Avoid Eye Contact?
Here are a few reasons that make your baby avoid eye contact.
1. The eye gaze of newborn baby is limited:
A newborn baby can see only the person that they are cradled or fed within the range of 30 centimeters. They can not see any other things beyond this area.
2. When your baby is overstimulated or tired:
This is one of the reasons for the lack of eye contact in babies. Your baby often avoids eye contact when they are tired or overstimulated. The best thing that you can do in those situations is to respect tour baby’s feelings and comfort them by making them fall asleep. Make your baby calm down by comfortably holding them in your arms.
3. Some babies switch off eye contact for a specific period.:
It is most common for the babies to switch off their eye contact when they are tired. The duration may be of months or weeks. They will resume their eye contact soon after the recovery from the illness.
4. Maybe the sign of Autism:
Avoiding eye contact may be an early sign of autism. Here are a few signs of autism:
- Baby does not look at their parents
- Baby fails to identify familiar faces
- Babies do not cry when they are away from their parents
- Baby has a problem in following the object visually.
You may need to visit the pediatrician to diagnose autism.
Share the smiles with your baby and adopt the best techniques to improve eye contact in your baby. Strengthen the emotional bond by achieving eye contact with your baby.
