Infant olfactory and gustatory development
Release time : 07/14/2025 09:30:03
Olfaction, the sense of smell.
Tasting, the art of tasting.
When the two come together, the years are peaceful and peaceful.
If both disappear, the world will also fade into nothingness.
But have you ever wondered how smell and taste developed when you were an infant? When do babies start to develop their sense of smell and taste? Let's get closer to science and find out.
Dear parents, don't be careless and jump into the pit as much as you want.
Infant Olfactory and Taste Development Indicators: A Parent's Guide to Baby Care.
However, parents and guardians shouldn't create a vacuum by relying solely on their own experiences. Utilizing online resources for parenting knowledge is highly beneficial.
Below, MomNet Knowledge Base introduces the indicators of infant's olfaction and taste development. Parents, take a look!
1 month: The newborn baby has developed quite a bit in terms of smell and taste, and there are sex differences in the senses at birth. Girl babies prefer sweeter foods than boys.
A week later, the baby can distinguish the scent of breast milk and show aversion to irritating smells.
2 months: Can distinguish between five flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy) and produce a rejection reaction to irritating odors.
3 months: Smell and taste continue to develop, can distinguish different flavors, and express one's likes and dislikes. When encountering smells that one does not like, he will shrink back and avoid them.
Parents can use cotton swabs dipped in diluted vinegar to let the baby taste it, and observe whether the baby exhibits avoidance or withdrawal behavior.
4-5 months: Shows interest in trying new things, eager to explore the world with their mouth, and is sensitive to changes in food.
At this time, you should pay attention to the items that your baby is holding in their hands and observe if there are any traces of saliva.
When introducing solid foods, it's important to carefully observe the baby's subtle reactions to different flavors.
6-9 months: At this age, your baby's taste buds are at their most developed stage, but they will gradually decline after the infant period.
9-12 months: This stage of baby will show preference for sweet and salty taste.
The ability to distinguish smells will continue to improve.
The development of infants' sense of smell begins in the fetus at the 2nd month of pregnancy. By the 7th month, they can communicate with the outside world through their nostrils.
However, since the fetus is enveloped by amniotic fluid, it possesses olfaction but has no practical application for it to develop further.
Nonetheless, the sense of smell in fetuses can be useful from birth.
Newborns can detect the scent of their mother's body while nursing, and they can distinguish her even when she is not looking at them. Therefore, newborns may not need to open their eyes to identify their mothers; they can do so by simply smelling them.
Therefore, during nursing, it is best to avoid applying perfume or powder on the mother's body to prevent any odor that may affect the newborn's ability to distinguish their mother, leading to unsettling psychological states.
From the moment of birth, the most flexible senses for infants are taste and smell.
Experimental evidence suggests that fetuses can taste at the age of seven months.
When does the development of taste in a fetus begin? The taste buds, the sensory receptors that detect taste, gradually develop around the 3rd month of pregnancy and are generally completed around the 7th month.
Compared to other tastes, fetuses develop their taste for sweetness and bitterness more rapidly.
4-month-old fetuses are able to adapt to the intrauterine environment because they have taste buds that can distinguish the smell of amniotic fluid and decide whether to swallow or swallow only a small amount.
Despite the slight saltiness of amniotic fluid, the fetus can still savor it.
How to Promote the Development of Baby's Olfactory Senses The sensory function of infants should be constantly strengthened artificially at an early stage to promote development, so that babies can grow up into bright-eared, clear-sighted, keen-nosed, and agile little ones.
So, how can we promote the development of baby's sense of smell? Let's take a look at this together.
1. Smell the scent of flowers.
Take the baby outdoors to smell the smell of various flowers.
While smelling it, he said,"Fragrance of flowers, Fragrance of flowers".
2. Smell daily necessities.
You can allow babies' personal items, such as soap, lotion, perfume, etc., to be smelled by them.
This training can promote the development of baby's olfaction.
3. Smell the sour and foul odors.
It can let your baby smell the fragrant vinegar to feel the sourness.
Smell fermented bean curd products to feel the stench.
Of course, parents should not be too impatient when exercising their baby's sense of smell. They should let nature take its course.
If conditions permit, parents must take the baby out to learn new smells and feel the breath of nature.
Take your baby to the woods in autumn and the lake in warm spring and summer. This will not only exercise your baby's sense of smell, but also enjoy the fun of parent-child.
How to Promote the Development of Infant Taste Buds with the Gradual Development and Perfection of Touch, Taste, and Smell. As the fetus lays a solid physiological foundation for his life after birth through the gradual development and perfection of touch, taste, and smell.
So, how do parents push their baby forward to become a smart and alert little one? Let's take a look at some ways to promote the development of taste buds in infants.
1. Please have some juice.
It is appropriate to feed your baby a little of the juice made from various fruits at the right age. One reason is that it can stimulate the development of taste buds, and another reason is to increase vitamins for the future adaptation to different foods.
2. Timely add complementary foods.
When a baby is 4 months old, regardless of whether the breast milk is sufficient, it is necessary to begin gradually introducing solid foods. This is partly to meet the nutritional needs of the baby's physical development and partly to allow the baby to adapt to the taste of other foods as early as possible (including salty, sweet and sour tastes), preparing for weaning.
One important reason why some babies struggle to wean and cling to breastfeeding is the failure to introduce complementary foods in a timely manner.
3. Consume fruit flesh.
Starting from 4 months, babies can be fed a little bit of apple juice or fruit pulp with a spoon.
You can also offer a bit of banana flesh, orange flesh, etc., to stimulate his sense of taste development.
4. Appropriately consume a bit of bitterness.
When administering medication to a sick child, tell them the bitterness of the medicine and let them experience the bitter taste of food.
*The medical information presented in this text is for reference only.
In the event of discomfort, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately. Diagnosis and treatment should be based on clinical examinations conducted by a professional.