Your newborn might spend a surprising amount of time staring at you, but how much can they actually see?
Babies are born able to see, but their eyesight is very different from an adult's. Their vision develops rapidly during the first months of life as their eyes and brain learn to work together.
From how far they can see to why they love looking at faces, here are 9 fascinating facts about newborn vision.
1. Newborn babies can see from birth
Babies don't enter the world unable to see. They can see from birth, although their vision isn't yet sharply focused.
The NHS explains that a newborn's eyesight develops gradually during the first few months of life, so what they see in those earliest days isn't the same as what an older baby sees.
You can find more information in the NHS guide to getting to know your newborn.
2. They see best when you're very close
Newborn babies focus particularly well at close range – conveniently, around the sort of distance between a baby's face and yours when you're holding or feeding them.
This makes those quiet moments spent cuddling, feeding and talking particularly interesting for a newborn.
3. Faces are fascinating to newborns
Human faces provide newborn babies with lots of interesting visual information.
When you hold your baby close, they may spend time studying your face. Combined with your voice, smell and touch, these repeated interactions gradually become familiar and help your baby learn about the people around them.
4. Their vision is much less detailed than yours
A newborn's world isn't pin-sharp. Their eyesight is still developing, so objects and people further away are much harder to focus on.
Over the following weeks and months, their ability to focus improves significantly. You'll gradually notice your baby looking at things for longer and becoming more interested in what's happening around them.
5. High-contrast patterns are easier to notice
Because newborn vision is still immature, bold contrasts can be easier for babies to distinguish than subtle differences in shade.
This is one reason babies often seem fascinated by strong shapes, outlines, faces and areas where light and dark meet.
6. Colour vision develops after birth
Newborn colour vision isn't as developed as adult colour vision. The ability to distinguish different colours improves as the visual system matures.
Over the first few months, your baby's visual world becomes increasingly detailed as their ability to see colour, contrast and depth develops.
7. A newborn's eyes may occasionally appear to wander
You might notice that your newborn's eyes don't always seem perfectly coordinated.
The NHS says that newborn eyes may occasionally roll away from one another. This can be normal while their eye muscles and coordination develop.
However, the NHS advises speaking to your GP or health visitor if a squint does not go away by around four months.
8. Eye contact develops gradually
Don't worry if your brand-new baby isn't immediately holding long periods of eye contact.
Looking at and following faces develops over time. As their focusing ability improves, babies generally become much more interested in watching the people around them.
Talking gently while you're close to your baby's face gives them the chance to connect what they're seeing with the familiar sound of your voice.
9. Their eyesight changes remarkably quickly
The fuzzy newborn stage doesn't last forever. Vision develops considerably during a baby's first year, alongside rapid changes in movement, communication and awareness.
Before long, your baby will progress from studying nearby faces to following moving objects and becoming increasingly interested in the wider world.
How can you encourage your baby's visual development?
There's no need for complicated activities. Everyday interaction gives babies plenty to look at and learn from.
Holding your baby close, allowing them time to study your face, talking to them and giving them opportunities to look around their surroundings all provide natural visual stimulation.
As they become more alert, simple contrasting shapes and age-appropriate play can add variety, but interaction with familiar people remains an important part of their early development.
When should you ask about your baby's eyesight?
Your baby's eyes are checked shortly after birth as part of their newborn physical examination, and their development continues to be monitored.
If you're worried about how your baby is seeing, how their eyes move, or whether they're responding visually as expected, speak to your health visitor or GP rather than relying on comparisons with other babies.
Final thoughts
Your newborn might not be able to see the world in sharp detail yet, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty going on behind those tiny eyes.
From focusing on a nearby face to gradually discovering colour, movement and detail, eyesight develops enormously during the first months of life.
If you're welcoming a new arrival or celebrating someone becoming a parent, you can browse our new parent gifts.