If you’re a new parent, then you’ve probably lost hours watching your baby do adorable things. And by adorable, we mean totally regular activities that just seem extra cute because it’s your tiny human that’s doing it. We’re talking about watching them yawn, sneeze, hiccup, rub their eyes and do a stretch when you get them out of their sleeping suit. Yep, HOURS go by. But it’s all completely worth it.

As a new parent, watching bub develop their senses is new and wonderful. It’s also quite helpful to know what they’re developing and when, so you can use it to help them learn or to soothe them. We’ve listed our favourites with some tips below.

Scent is commonly used to settle babies, especially if they’re spending time away from their parents for the first time. Stimulating bub’s sense of smell can be a great way to familiarise them with the environment and people around them. It can also be a good way to help soothe them! Once they recognise where they are or who they’re with, it may help them to settle. You may have heard of a ‘snuggy’ – it’s a blanket that young children typically carry with them when they feel unsettled, as it smells and feels familiar to them. Some parents have two, one is always kept for back-up when the other gets dirty – genius, really.

Another one of our favourite senses to watch them develop is sight. At first, their eyesight is quite scattered, lacking in focus as they’re not quite sure where to place their gaze. Then it becomes adorably clumsy as they reach for things in a direction that’s just slightly off. As bub’s sight develops, you may find they’re particularly drawn to bright colours like red or yellow. Usually, these colours stand out more and they become more curious about items with these colours. One day, bub’s gaze will be like a laser beam – you’ll know when this happens because they hunt you down from across the room while you’re carrying food.  

Speaking of food, taste is another amusing scent to watch develop. Each baby is different; some will attempt to down anything you put in front of them and others tend to be pickier, choosing only the sweeter tasting foods. A good way to make sure that they’re getting the nutrients they need and enjoying their food is to mix sweeter veggies with the other less tasty ones – pumpkin is your best friend here! This vegetable can be blended with broccoli, peas and other greens, yet still, retain its sweet flavour – hallelujah!

Watching bub grow and learn various senses is a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs. Do you have a story to share about your baby learning their senses? Leave us a comment below.