10 facts about children that many parents do not know

Children grow up in the blink of an eye. One day they are super cute babies and the next, they are teenagers. And, of course, on that journey, parents want to understand what’s going on with them. Little ones surprise their parents on a daily basis and teach adults to be better people.

The team of incredible.club became interested in the physiological and psychological peculiarities of children. Knowing them can help to better understand the little ones, so that they grow up smart and happy.

Obviously, newborns have tear ducts, but not enough liquid inside. It is produced only to protect the eyes, without being able to be expelled. During the first weeks of life, the baby can only scream. Inflamed eyes without tears coming out, however, are a warning sign. In this case, it is important to consult a pediatrician.

Children have a much greater ability to identify flavors than adults. The average child has 10,000 taste buds, while in adulthood this number decreases to about 5,000. That’s why little ones’ taste buds are so sensitive to flavors, even if they can’t explain it. For example, a bitter or sour dish for an adult might be rejected by a child as being too strong. This may explain the lack of desire to eat, which parents consider a “childish whim”, and the preference for sweets, whose taste is intensified by sensory receptors.

It is believed that the first tastes a child feels are sweet and bitter. Only after reaching five months, the process of formation of receptors responsible for identifying the salty taste is completed. Up to a certain age, babies’ tastes are neutral to the salty taste, and scientists say that children don’t recognize it or simply don’t find it meaningful until they are five or six months old.

Red is the first color babies see. Then comes the yellow. According to studies, the ability to distinguish between shades of blue and green begins to form from four months. Therefore, teaching colors in the first few months of life as part of early education may prove to be a rather pointless activity. Ophthalmologists recommend surrounding the child with toys in red and yellow tones, colors that, as we mentioned, are the first colors that he is able to identify.

Parents evidently do not understand what the baby “says” in the first few months. But these sounds are a sign that the child is ready for learning. When parents hear these “tips,” they should pay close attention.

According to neurobiologists, “conversations” with parents make the baby smarter. This is why dialogue between adults and children plays such an important role.

The fact that children seem to have larger eyes than adults has a simple explanation. It’s just a question of proportion. The main phase of eye growth lasts up to three years. Afterwards, the eyes stop growing or grow very slowly. As a comparison, the eye of a three-year-old child is approximately 2.3 cm and, up to the age of 20, its size increases by only 1 mm.

Smiling and laughing (which are different things) are the first means of communication. The baby smiles an average of 200 times a day and, in this way, expresses joy, learns sounds and shows that he is fine. During growth, laughter can help relieve stress. According to scientists, laughter is the best medicine and the main defense mechanism of the child’s body. Therefore, we can say that it is advisable to let children laugh, instead of scolding them, since it is recommended that they laugh at least 300 times a day to be healthy, that is, every three minutes. The important thing is that the adults hang in there.

You’ve probably come across the following situation: the child covers his eyes with his hand and goes into the kitchen to steal candy, while the adult is there. She thinks no one can see her because she can’t see anyone. It may sound funny, but it’s one of childish logics. This means that logical and abstract reasoning is still in development and everything is assimilated literally. This way of thinking is considered normal until age three or four.

Teenagers need more sleep than adults and babies—9 to 10 hours a day—for proper development. Studies show that, in adolescents, melatonin, the sleep hormone, varies with greater intensity than in adults and babies. This may explain why they tend to stay up quite late and then have trouble getting up early. And that, in turn, can hurt school performance.

A hug is a way of showing the importance and value of a child in our lives. Children who don’t receive enough love and affection grow up insecure, unable to show empathy. But beyond the psychological aspect, hugs are good for physical health. They increase the amount of endorphins and oxytocin, hemoglobin levels and strengthen immunity.

Did you know these trivia about child development? Share with us interesting observations from your experience in raising children.