Hearing Development During the First Year

It is very important to make sure that your baby’s hearing is normal. The following are a list of things your baby is supposed to do at certain ages. If there are any concerns about any of the below, please contact your doctor.

Shortly after birth:
Your baby should respond to sudden loud noises by blinking or opening his/her eyes widely.

One month:
Your baby should respond to prolonged sounds like the vacuum cleaner and he/she should pause to listen when they begin. They start to make ooohhhh or aahhhh noises.

Four months:
Your baby should be able to react to the sound of your voice. He/she should quiet or smile when he/she hears your voice and can turn his/her head towards you if you come up behind him/her.
Your baby should start to talk in single syllables and communicate with you.

Seven months:
Your baby should immediately respond to your voice by turning towards your voice. He/she should also respond to soft noises if he/she is not otherwise occupied.

Nine months:
Your baby should attentively listen to everyday familiar noises made out of sight. He/she should babble loudly and tunefully. .Your baby should start making double syllable noises like babababababa or dadadadadada etc.

Twelve months:
Your baby should be able to respond to familiar words like his own name. He should be able to say dada or mama and start with another recognizable word.

Every year 3 million babies are born with hearing impairment/deafness. Early diagnosis and intervention with a hearing aid can aid in normal speech and language development. It is therefore recommended that every baby that is born have an outo-acoustic-emission testing. Please ask your paediatrician for more information on this matter.