Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners are described as "sensorial learners," In other words, they don't learn by listening to words. They learn by immersing themselves in experiences that lend sensory feedback. From birth, your baby is already making essential connections using their senses.

Here's an overview of your baby's sensory development and how you can support it:

From birth, babies experience the world through touch, providing security and a sense of connection with you.

Try: skin-to-skin care, infant massage, and various tactile experiences exploring different textures.

Babies' taste buds develop early on; initially, they prefer sweet rather than sour.

Try: If breastfeeding, don't avoid foods that can influence how your breast milk tastes. In this way, you are introducing your baby to variety early on. Later, when starting solids, there's no need to start bland. Offer your baby a variety of flavors and textures with their first foods.

Babies are born with a keen sense of smell, which helps them "sniff out" where mom's milk is!

Try: Engaging your baby with safe scents to smell, from coffee to herbs and flowers. Just be sure to supervise your baby when offering new scents to sniff to ensure they don't grab or mouth something they shouldn't.

Initially, babies have blurry vision, but their visual acuity improves over time, allowing them to focus on objects and faces around them.

Try: Visual tracking activities (invite them to follow an object with their eyes), or take them on "house tours" and various nature outings where they can look at exciting things in your everyday surroundings.

Your baby could hear even when they were still in the womb! Their hearing continues to develop after birth, and you can help them refine their auditory sense by offering varied things to listen to.

Try: Singing, reading, and providing toys like rattles or crinkle paper that make interesting noises.

This sense helps us understand where our body is in our environment and how much force is needed to perform certain activities. It helps us with balance, too! It takes time to develop.

Try: Minimizing time in baby containers and emphasizing floor play. Your baby needs experience moving their body in their environment to refine proprioceptive skills.

When thinking of playtime, think beyond touch and sight. Engage all of your baby's senses, as they are all important!