Your voice is your baby’s favorite sound! In fact, they’ve been listening to you in utero months before they were even born, so your voice has become a soothing, familiar sound. Once they’re born, what they hear in those first few months can help set the stage for important developmental milestones.
Highlights
- Your baby‘s favorite sound is your voice.
- Hearing drives brain development — in the first weeks alone, your baby forms more than 1 million new neural brain connections per second.
- Knowing what typical hearing looks like at 0–3 months helps you catch concerns early, which can make all the difference for their development.
- Talking, reading, and singing from day one builds the foundation for your baby’s listening, talking, reading, and future.
- Trust your gut and talk to your pediatrician right away if you have a hearing concern.
What Typical Hearing Looks Like at 0–3 Months
Your baby learns to listen with you. As you share early experiences together – cuddling, feeding, or changing diapers – you’ll become an expert at observing how they react to your voice and new sounds. Every baby develops at their own pace, but there are some common hearing responses you might notice in the first three months:
- Quiets or becomes alert when hearing your voice.
- May be soothed by your voice and finds you by turning their eyes briefly toward you.
- Recognizes and responds to your voice and begins to show excitement (moving arms and legs) and vocalize (coos, goos) when you talk or sing to them.
- Begins to notice new sounds (baby rattle, sibling laughing/crying, door bell).
- Takes turns vocalizing with you. (cooing noises and vocal play).
- Listens to books with interest when you read with an animated voice (parentese).
The newborn period can be a blur, but noticing your little one’s hearing is important. It’s important to listen to your gut and talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your baby’s hearing.
Why Hearing Matters So Much in the Early Weeks
Hearing is the foundation for language, communication, literacy, and learning. In the first weeks of life, your baby’s brain is forming more than 1 million new neural connections each second. Hearing you clearly is a key part of what drives that process.
This is why early identification of hearing loss matters. Your baby likely received a newborn hearing screening before they left the hospital, which involves one or two simple and painless tests.
If your baby didn’t receive a screening, or if you’re unsure whether they did, ask your pediatrician at your next appointment. It’s important to follow up with a pediatric audiologist for a complete hearing evaluation right away if your child didn’t pass their screening.
How to Support Listening at This Stage
The best way to support your baby’s listening is to talk, read, and sing with them – from day one! Remember, your voice is their favorite sound to hear. Every word, song, and book shared together builds their brain for a future of listening, talking, and reading skills.
TALK
A great way to boost those listening skills is to narrate your day. “I’m changing your diaper. You need a fresh one! We’re getting you all cleaned up.” Make it fun. Try playing around with stretching out vowels, using a higher pitch, and slowing down as you talk. You might find yourself doing it naturally as you talk to your baby. This is known as “parentese” and it helps how your baby processes sounds and begins to understand language. Your baby is experiencing the rhythm and the patterns of language long before they can make sense of individual words.
READ
It may feel silly to read a book to such a little baby, but no baby is too young to benefit from hearing books read aloud. Your baby loves to hear your animated voice as you talk about the pages. It’s a great way to bond while also stimulating brain development, building listening skills, and experiencing the rhythm of language. At this age, they’re much less mobile and squirmy, so reading aloud while you hold your baby can be a cozy experience for both of you.
SING
It doesn’t matter if you feel like you’re not a good singer; your baby just wants to hear your voice! Sing your favorite nursery rhymes (or even pop songs!) while gently swaying or rocking your baby any time of day. Music engages their little brain. Repetition and melody help babies begin to distinguish sounds and anticipate patterns. Singing builds a strong foundation for literacy, and your voice is the one that your child loves to hear the most!
When to Talk to Your Pediatrician
If you notice that your baby doesn’t seem to respond to loud sounds, isn’t calmed by your voice, or doesn’t seem to register familiar sounds by the end of the first three months, bring it up at your next pediatrician appointment.
You know your baby best, so if something feels off, don’t wait to ask. With early identification, intervention, and hearing devices, children who are deaf or hard of hearing are listening, talking, and reading just like kids with typical hearing. Early support makes a meaningful difference.
Hearing First helps families who have a child with hearing loss so they can learn to listen, talk, read, and thrive — just like kids with typical hearing. A parent’s dreams for their little one with hearing loss are still possible with Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Hearing First offers free resources, learning, community, and more for families, caregivers, and professionals supporting a child with hearing loss.
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