A baby’s hearing milestones throughout their first year of life are crucial to their future development !
The first couple years of a child’s life are crucial when it comes their development and growth. It is important that you are looking for developmental milestones as your child gets older to make sure that they are in good health and are progressing at a good pace. As your baby grows, their hearing will improve and develop. Here are a baby’s expected hearing milestones.
Newborn
A baby’s ears are well developed at birth, but it will take up to six months before they can hear fully. It’s a good idea, however, to get a newborn hearing screening done to ensure that your baby isn’t suffering from any hearing loss. A newborn baby pays especially close attention to high-pitched sounds and will respond to any familiar noises such as the sound of your voice. Newborn babies tend to startle easily when they hear loud or unexpected noises.
Three Months
At this time, the temporal lobe (the part of the brain responsible for hearing, smell, and language) will be a lot more active than it was before. Your baby may make direct eye contact with you and attempt to respond when they hear your voice. Exercising this part of the brain is a lot of work for a baby, so they may lose concentration easily and get distracted.
Four Months
From four months on, your baby will react more excitedly to sounds, especially familiar ones. They may smile or laugh when they hear your voice or begin to watch your mouth closely when you are speaking. This is the time when they will begin to try and copy what you are saying or the noises that you make. They may also begin to make consonant sounds such as “m” and “b” on a regular basis.
Six Months
This is when your baby starts to realize where the source of the sounds they are hearing come from. If they hear a new sound, they will probably react quickly to try and figure out where it’s coming from. This is when their hearing should be almost completely developed, so they will be able to hear quieter sounds as long as there are no distractions.
Twelve Months
By the time your baby reaches a year old, their hearing should be fully in tact. They should also be able to distinguish certain sounds from others. This means they may recognize the lullaby you always play for them or certain common sounds around the house.
Contact Bay Area Audiology Today for Your Newborn’s Hearing Screening!
If you are concerned about hearing loss or seeking hearing evaluations, tinnitus evaluations, or hearing aid assistance, our doctors are ready to help. We are passionate about helping all of our patients improve their quality of life through better hearing. We also believe that patient education is critical, so you won’t be lead through endless sales pitches at our office. If you are interested in hearing how we can help you hear even better, contact us at (410) 838-4327 or online. For more hearing tips and articles, follow Bay Area Audiology on Facebook,Twitter,Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.