Sure everybody knows that babies are cute and snuggly. Even when they wear funny looking outfits they’re adorable. At what other stage in life can a person wear a t-shirt that says “Daddy’s Princess” without getting funny looks? Being a baby certainly does not look all that difficult. They think that babies come out of the womb as fully formed humans but without the ability to express themselves properly. Babies are actually quite complicated and have very distinct needs and very unique abilities. Here are some facts about babies that might be new to you.

Babies are sensitive to light before they are born. There are millions of fibers and nerves that make up your eyes. In order to work the right way your eye muscles need to have extremely precise coordination. It only takes a few months from conception to form working eyes. Your baby will be sensitive to light changes by the time your pregnancy is six months along. Here’s something else about your baby’s eyes: if he is Caucasian he will be born with blue eyes but they might not stay that color! Most Caucasian babies are born with eyes that are blue and that change later on. So don’t get excited if your baby has blue eyes at birth. They might not stay that way! You probably already knew that fetuses are able to hear sounds while they are still in the womb. There are studies upon studies proving that babies will react strongly to the sounds that have reached them through their mothers’ bodies. The ears of an infant are sensitive to different decibel levels of sound-both inside of and outside of the womb. Even before the baby is birthed, his ears are very sensitive. If something is louder than your vacuum cleaner you should turn it down-doctors agree that the vacuum cleaner‘s noise is the cutoff level for comfort and a newborn’s ears. Even your vacuum cleaner pushes the limits of your baby’s comfort so you will want to keep the noise level in your home down and avoid loud noises outside as well.

While most doctors recommend against consuming mercury while a woman is pregnant, eating non mercury forms of fish can be quite healthy. Many doctors recommend eating salmon regularly because it does not contain mercury the way other fish do and because it contains all sorts of healthy things that a mother needs for her growing fetus. Some people believe that if you do not eat fish then your children will not have the same high levels of brain function or the same high skills for communication as those children born to women who did eat fish regularly while they are pregnant. This theory is still just that: a theory, so do not beat yourself up for neglecting your baby’s brain if you don’t eat fish, can’t eat fish or simply haven’t eaten that much fish during your pregnancy.

If you are worried about the identity of the father of your baby, consider paternity testing. You can collect a dna sample for paternity testing anywhere from the second trimester till anytime after the child has been born.

There are vast quantities of facts about babies that most people are unaware of. The development of infants is fascinating. The better your understanding of the subject, the more fun you will have watching your kids grow up!