Before birth
they can already hear you, and your voice reaches them louder than any other voice
+8.4 dB · your voice against another woman’s, inside the womb
Newborn Vision
What your baby can see and hear, week by week
You look into those eyes and wonder what is going on behind them. Here is what the research actually says — month by month, with the source for every number.
Try the simulator Every number in this app has a published source. Tap any figure to read it.
At birth
sees about 56× less detail than you do
20/1150 · 0.53 c/deg
At one year
still sees about 4× less detail than you do
20/80 · 7.49 c/deg
Almost everything written for parents about this is either uncited or repeats a figure that the research does not support. Every number on this site comes from a named study, says how it was obtained, and carries the uncertainty the study itself reported.
What your baby can see and hear, week by week
Month by month
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01 Baby vision at 1 month Faces at arm’s length — and very little past them -
02 Baby vision at 2 months The month contrast comes close to yours -
03 Baby vision at 3 months Colour arrives, properly -
04 Baby vision at 4 months Reaching for what they can finally see -
05 Baby vision at 5 months Across-the-room faces -
06 Baby vision at 6 months Halfway, and about six times coarser than yours -
07 Baby vision at 7 months The measured curve flattens here -
08 Baby vision at 8 months Crumbs on the floor -
09 Baby vision at 9 months Faces across the park -
10 Baby vision at 10 months Almost the number they will end the year on -
11 Baby vision at 11 months Watching the detail, not the shape -
12 Baby vision at 12 months A whole year, and still four times coarser than yours
Questions people actually ask
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When do babies see colour? Sooner than almost anyone tells you -
How far can a newborn see? Not 8 to 12 inches — and the real answer is more interesting -
Why do babies like black and white books? Not because they cannot see colour — because contrast is what they are short of -
What do babies hear in the womb? From about halfway through the pregnancy -
Does a newborn know their mother’s voice? Yes — and it reaches them louder than any other voice -
When do babies see in 3D? It switches on suddenly, around four months -
How loud is too loud for a baby’s room? Quieter than most people assume — and the level that lasts matters more than the occasional noise -
Corrected age: why it matters for a premature baby Count from the due date, not the birthday -
Baby eyesight, week by week The whole first year, one week at a time -
What does 20/400 vision mean for a baby? It is a comparison, not a score
Your baby’s vision, live on your phone camera
The app runs this same model on the camera in real time, and on sound as well — birth to twelve months, with the source for every number still attached.
This is not a vision or hearing test. If anything worries you, speak to your paediatrician or a paediatric eye doctor.