Many parents don’t realize that hearing loss is the most common birth defect, affecting approximately 4 out of every 1,000 infants. Your baby’s hearing should be checked before you even take him home from the hospital, but if it wasn’t, make sure to arrange a screening right away. Many babies are not diagnosed with hearing loss until well after the first year of life.
Even if your baby’s hearing was screened at the hospital, some types of hearing loss are acquired over time, so if your baby does not hit these developmental milestones, you may want to ask your pediatrician to check his hearing again.
3 months
• Turns towards loud noises with the eyes
or head
• Imitates some sounds
• Responds to the sound of your voice
7 months
• Turns towards you when you say his name
• Makes noises in response to your sounds
• Babbling
12 months
• Understands and responds to simple words
like “no”
• Starts to use words such as “mama” or “dada”
• Learns to use and understand common
phrases such as “bye-bye”
