Did you know – hearing begins before birth!

Pregnant women have reported feeling their unborn children move in response to loud noises at 31 weeks. Around 7 weeks later at birth, newborns can sense sound’s location, frequency, pitch, and volume. Parents should be alert to the fact that loud sounds startle the newly born while rhythmic, repetitive sounds tend to soothe them and put them to sleep. As children reach the second month of life, they become sensitive to a wider range of sounds. Depending on their mood, they will react to a variety of medium-range sounds differently. Infants can also hear higher frequencies than adults, which is why so many adults are predisposed to talking “baby talk” at pitches higher than those of their normal speaking voices.