Babies are known for their cute smiles, big eyes, and loud cries.
But we don’t know much about them besides that. So, you might be surprised by human babies’ lesser known, but highly fascinating traits.
Their stomachs are tiny
One day after a birth, a baby’s stomach is the size of a cherry. After about a week, it’ll expand substantially to…well, about the size of an egg. This is why it isn’t shocking that babies frequently want to eat or nurse.
They are born without kneecaps
Weird, right? Instead, babies are born with cartilage that becomes bone later in life. The flexible cartilage helps babies avoid knee injuries and complications during birth.
Their eyes can change colour
Most babies are born with blue-grey eyes, and that changes over time. It’s only after six to eight months will the baby’s eyes become blue, brown, grey, or green.
Newborns don’t cry tears
Infants don’t release tears when they cry; this lasts through the first few months of their life. While babies can make tears, their tear ducts aren’t fully developed, and they can’t produce enough tears to start flowing from their eyes. Don’t worry, the tears will come two to three months down the road!
They have taste buds in their throats
If you ever wondered if babies can taste, they indeed can – in fact, they have more taste buds than adults. This includes the taste buds in their throats.
Related: Autism in Babies: What to Look For
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). But after four or five months, they’ll pretty much double their weight; at the one year mark, their weight will be three times what it was at birth.
Their eyes haven’t finished growing
Just like their bellies, babies’ eyes start small, and aren’t fully-fledged adult-sized eyes. In reality, we come into the world with eyes that are 75% the size they will reach in adulthood!
Photo Credit: Ramona Heim/Shutterstock.com; FamVeld/Shutterstock.com
