Hearing helps your baby's brain grow from Day One.
Here are three reasons why it's so important to test your baby's hearing health - and take steps to address any issues - immediately after they're born.
Hearing makes connections
Along with the other senses, hearing builds connections called neural pathways that create brain development.
Hearing is a foundation of learning
When you talk, sing, read, and interact with your baby, you are helping to grow and strengthen these pathways for a lifetime of learning.
Hearing drives language development
While children learn and grow throughout life, their brain develops most of these critical pathways for listening, speaking, and reading by the age of three.
Growing your baby's hearing brain.
A timeline to prepare them to listen, talk, and read.
During
Pregnancy
Hearing begins before birth at about 20 weeks.
Brain Development
From Day One, your baby's brain is ready to learn.
Days
After Birth
Your baby gets the Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS) before you leave the hospital (or in the first few weeks if born elsewhere).
Brain Development
Hearing allows your baby to know your voice and gather meaningful sounds and words that helps their brain make connections.
Before
1 Month
If your baby does not pass the newborn hearing screening, schedule another hearing test.
Brain Development
Hearing spoken language prepares them for learning to listen, talk, and read.
Before
3 Months
Diagnose hearing loss quickly because your baby may need hearing technology to hear your voice and the sounds around them.
Brain Development
As you talk to your baby, take turns making sounds, using new words, and talking about their surroundings to help them learn and grow.
Before
6 Months
If your baby has hearing loss, act quickly to enroll in early intervention. This will include fitting them with hearing aids or cochlear implants along with teaching you ways to communicate with your baby - and to help your baby learn to listen and talk.
Brain Development
Most children who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn to listen, talk, read, and go to school with hearing friends. The first three years are critical so it's urgent that you get the right hearing devices and intervention for them.
Did you know?
Babies start to hear and learn in the womb. Talk about getting an early start!
Week
06
of pregnancy
The cells inside the embryo start forming the tissues that will eventually be your baby's brain, face, eyes, nose, and, yes, ears!
Week
09
of pregnancy
Your baby's ears start as small indents on the sides of their neck. They gradually move up to their head as they develop.
Week
16
of pregnancy
Your baby may start to detect sounds such as the gurgle of your stomach and the air moving through your lungs.
Week
24
of pregnancy
Your baby hears more of the outside world. At this stage, they may even turn their heads in response to voices and noises!
Conception to
Week
27
Your baby's ears develop throughout the first and second trimester. The inner ear connects with the part of the brain that processes sounds and the middle ear forms the tiny bones that sense sound vibrations.
Weeks
25
to birth
Of course, the voice your baby can hear the clearest is mom's! So talk, sing, and read to your baby and get a head start on sharing a lifetime of love and learning.
Hearing the sound of mom's voice in the womb can actually make baby's heart beat faster! So talk to your little one and let them know you're just as excited to meet them too!
Your baby's hearing needs to be tested.
Because hearing is so essential to your baby's brain development, a NHS is required in most states. Hearing loss is more common than you might think and it's critical to address it right away. So learn what to expect - and how to follow up if your baby fails their screening.
Learn how hearing screening works
