Ten Weird and Crazy Things You Should Know About Babies

Babies learn to speak while still in the womb, but for some reason, won’t say their first words until they are about a year old. Oh! And they also recognize familiar sounds and voices while in the womb and will therefore be more receptive to their mum singing and talking to them than a stranger. It may take a whole year for you to notice but babies really do grow like weeds and their height increases by about an inch every month. Now, before you look into a baby’s face and wonder why they are smiling, remember, they might not be seeing you in the first place; At least not all of you. Here are some crazy facts about those little cuties.

Babies Stop Breathing Sometimes

This one surprises many parents, especially first-time parents because failing to breathe is a recipe for death, right? Well, not really, babies can actually forget to breathe for 5 to 10 seconds if the respiratory centre of their brain is not fully developed. If you notice that your baby forgets to breathe for that short period, you shouldn’t worry, they always remember that breath is vital for survival and resume breathing. You should seek medical attention if your baby fails to breathe for longer or turns blue.

They Scare Themselves

It is called the Moro reflex and babies have to deal with it for the first few months of their lives. Babies are easily scared by almost anything sudden and strange including strong scents, oud noises, abrupt movements, light and even their own cries. When they get scared, they get protective and coil into their bodies, throw arms and cry sometimes. They get over the scare quickly though and holding them might be the easiest way to calm them down.

They Don’t Need Water

Water is essential for your survival but that doesn’t apply to babies. Giving water to babies under six months of age could make them sick. Water also interferes with the baby’s nutrition altogether and may cause them to be less receptive to formula or breast milk. They get all the hydration they need from breast milk and formula. You don’t have to worry about your baby being thirsty as long as they are getting enough formula and milk to keep them going.

They Cry But Have No Tears

Babies cry a lot in the first three months of life but in the first month, they won’t have tears. Tears are actually a defence mechanism that your body develops to soften your eyes when they are dry. Babies are born with underdeveloped tear glands though and they won’t mature until after four to six weeks after they are born. You will therefore not see any tears in their eyes after those disturbing tantrums.

Baby Boys Have Erections

Boys might scare you a little bit when they have their erections at that young age but it is perfectly normal. They actual have an erection before they are born and it can be seen on ultrasound. It becomes more frequent after they are born when they are touched or before they pee. It is a perfectly normal reaction of their little pipis to touch.

They Have A Lot More Bones Than Adults

When a baby is born, their heads are supposed to fit into the birth canal and therefore, their skulls are three bones joined by cartilage and can bend to the shape of the canal. As they grow, it fuses into one bone. Babies are born with up to 300 bones while mature adult only has 206 bones. Most of these bones will disappear as they grow up fusing into other and your baby’s shape may also change in that time.

They Have Some Superpowers

It is impossible for an adult to breathe while drinking. This would be fatal for babies though since they spend a long time breastfeeding and if they don’t breathe in that time, they might pass out and die. Babies have the power to multitask by drinking while breathing at the same time.

Babies Are Born Swimmers

Now, before you go waterboarding your baby, remember to take them to the warm baby section of the pool, buy them floaters and a baby’s wetsuit for their safety and comfort. When you put a bay in the pool, they naturally hold their breaths underwater. Babies also start flapping their little arms and legs on water to float.

Newborns Are Short-Sighted

Yes, babies seem to be focusing on faraway objects but what they see in a real sense is just a blur. They can only see things that are really close to their eyes and by close we mean 20 to 30 centimetres. They are able to see a mother’s face while breastfeeding. They have a problem processing colours at first though and therefore only see in black and white at first. Their sight improves with age and will be able to see clearly when they are 12 months old.

Babies Can’t Taste Salty And Bitter Things At First

Breast milk is not very tasty to adults and definitely, not everyone’s go-to food but babies love it. One of the reasons they enjoy it so much is because their taste buds don’t know anything better than milk. They can taste sweet things but they might not be able to identify bitter and salty. They hate it when the milk has a bad smell though.

Do you know of any other baby facts that are a little odd? why not tell us about them in the comments below.