Sensory Development of the Neonate> Reaction to Sound

A newborn baby’s hearing is not very strong at birth. Even though the ear is fully formed, the middle ear and Eustachian tubes are filled with fluid. Because of this, babies do not hear well and react weakly to sounds just after birth.

• Newborns react to loud sounds, but they do not respond much to soft sounds.
• If a sound is very loud or lasts longer, the baby is more likely to respond.
• Babies can feel differences in loudness, but they do not react to changes in pitch (high or low tones).

• Babies pay more attention to words and sounds that have rhythm.
• Before birth, babies hear their mother’s heartbeat (a rhythmic sound).
• Soft, regular sounds like a heartbeat or the ticking of a metronome can calm a crying baby.
• This is why parents sing lullabies and gentle songs to help babies stop crying.

• Scientists have tested how newborns and babies respond to different sound levels.
• Babies from 6 to 12 months react more to loud sounds than to soft ones.
• Most studies on babies’ hearing focus on how they respond to the intensity of sounds, not pitch.

• Babies do not hear well at birth because their middle ears have fluid.
• Loud and rhythmic sounds get the baby’s attention.
• Soft and gentle sounds (like lullabies) can make the baby stop crying.
• Babies notice when a sound gets louder or lasts longer, but they do not notice high or low notes.