25 crazy facts about human babies

Everybody likes babies with their big eyes and innocent smiles, but how much do you really know about them? You might be surprised by their rather fascinating traits. Read on to find out more.



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They are born with 300 bones

Adults have approximately 206 bones in their bodies, while babies come into the world with about 300 bones. Several of these bones, initially connected by a sort of membrane, will fuse over the first few years of life. A baby’s malleable skeleton makes birth easier.



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Their stomachs are tiny

One day after birth, a baby’s stomach is the size of a cherry. It quickly expands to reach the size of an egg after one week. It’s no surprise, then, that babies wake frequently to eat or nurse.



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They are born without kneecaps

In place of kneecaps, babies are born with cartilage that will become bone later in life. Flexible cartilage helps avoid knee injuries during birth.



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Newborns have poor vision

At birth, babies have very limited vision. They cannot see further than 20 cm (8 in), detect only some colour, and cannot judge distance well. Their vision, however, develops very quickly, and by age one, is similar to that of an adult.



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Newborns don’t cry tears

During the first few months of life, infants do not release tears when they cry. In fact, while babies can make tears, their tear ducts are not fully formed and the quantity of tears is insufficient to actually flow from their eyes. Tears form only after two or three months of age.



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They are the fattest babies in the animal kingdom

At birth, human babies have 15% body fat, making them the fattest species in the entire animal kingdom. Only guinea pigs (11%) and harp seals (10%) are born with a fat percentage that approaches ours.



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Babies can be born with a tooth

Some children are born with a tooth, known as a natal tooth. The causes of such phenomena remain undetermined, but some hypotheses point to exposure to toxic substances during pregnancy.



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They have taste buds in their throats

Have you ever wondered if babies can detect different flavours? The answer is yes. In fact, babies have more taste buds than adults. They even have taste buds in their throats.



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Their eyes can change colour

While most babies are born with blue-grey eyes, this colour may not be definitive. A person’s eye colour is determined by genetics, and it can take six to eight months to find out if your baby’s eyes will be blue, brown, grey, or green.



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Their gestures resemble those of chimpanzees

According to a recent study, human babies and chimpanzees share 89% of their gestures. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after observing the two species in their natural environment and noting significant similarities between them.



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Their weight triples during their first year

A full-term baby weighs on average between 2.6 kg and 3.8 kg (5 lbs 11 oz and 8 lbs 6 oz). Babies will then lose a few grams (or ounces) before regaining them at two or three weeks of age. By four or five months of age, most children will double their weight, and at one year their weight will be three times what they weighed at birth.



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They understand three times more words than they can say

Be careful about what you say around your baby, even at just a few months of age. Just because he or she cannot talk doesn’t mean that your child can’t understand you. In fact, babies start to understand words at the age of six months. Language develops later, but until then, infants will find it easier to understand words than say them.



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Newborns recognize their mother’s voice

Researchers have analyzed the brains of newborns to find out if they distinguish between the voice of their mother and that of an unfamiliar woman. Their studies show that babies clearly react differently when they hear their mother’s voice.



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Their brains comprise 10% of their weight

While a baby’s brain weighs roughly a quarter of that of an adult, it is proportionally larger. A newborn brain weighing approximately 400 grams (0.8 lbs), represents more or less 10% of his or her weight. In comparison, an adult brain weighing around 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) would represent about 2% of his or her total weight.



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They aren’t afraid of heights

Have you always thought that vertigo was innate? Think again! Babies who aren’t yet old enough to move from one place to another simply haven’t yet developed this fear. To find this out, a team of researchers placed babies on a glass surface and observed their reactions. The youngest ones didn’t react at all, while the slightly older babies tended to avoid the glass area.



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Their eyes haven’t finished growing

Many people believe that everyone is born with adult-sized eyes, but this is incorrect. In reality, we come into the world with eyes that are 75% the size they will reach in adulthood.



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Hearing is a fetus’s sharpest sense

A fetus’s hearing develops at around the 18th week of pregnancy. While hearing is the fourth sense to develop, it’s the sharpest. At 24 weeks, fetuses can hear their mother’s heartbeat and digestive system, and around the fifth or sixth month, they begin to hear external sounds.



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At six months old, babies consume one third the calories of an adult

While an average adult needs around 2,000 calories per day, a six-month-old baby needs approximately 600 calories, or one third of those consumed by an adult. Proportionally speaking, a baby needs many more calories than an adult.



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Cord blood belongs only to the baby

There is no exchange of blood between a baby’s umbilical cord and his or her mother’s circulatory system. If a fetus requires a blood transfusion and is incompatible with the mother’s blood type, a transfusion can be given directly to the baby.



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They spend nearly half of their first year sleeping



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They can learn sign language

If practised regularly, babies can learn several signs, such as “milk,” “finished,” “more,” etc. Babies can even learn to sign before they learn to speak, making communication a bit easier.



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They use a considerable amount of diapers

Assuming that a baby goes through five to 10 diapers per day for the first 30 months of life, parents will change approximately 6,370 disposable diapers in all. Out of concern for the environment, many parents are now opting for cloth diapers.



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Fetuses can cry in utero

Studies have shown that babies can cry in the womb as of the 28th week of pregnancy. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after observing ultrasounds performed during the third trimester and conducting a detailed analysis of babies’ movements.



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Some babies faint when they cry

This phenomenon is known as a breath-holding spell and can occur in healthy children between the ages of six months and five years. Following an emotionally upsetting event, a child will cry to the point of becoming out of breath, cyanotic, and eventually unconscious. While frightening, in most cases breath-holding spells are not dangerous and have no long-term consequences. If your child presents these symptoms, however, consult your doctor for added safety.



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Hugs are essential

The importance of hugs is undeniable, and their numerous benefits include relationship development, improved health, and better sleep, just to name a few. Hugs may even affect our neurons. According to George Tarabulsy, a professor from the School of Psychology at Université Laval, “(…) more connections are formed between the neurons of children who receive a lot of love and nurturing.”



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