Tasting
Almost as soon as babies can grasp with their hands, they start putting everything in their mouths. This has a name (“mouthing”) and is part of how babies explore their world. Babies’ lips and mouths are full of nerves that help them explore objects around them. They can tell with their mouths that the edge of a dish towel is soft and chewy, that book covers are firm and taste kind of woodsy, and that putting a rock in their mouth will get a very quick response from their caregivers. Mouthing means you’ll have to do some careful babyproofing, but it’s a great sign that your baby is curious about the world around them. Mouthing also gives you opportunities to talk to your baby about what they’re learning. You could say, “Does that taste good? That’s your giraffe toy; it’s brown and squishy.” Or, because life is life, you could say, “Hmm, that’s not for eating, it’s mommy’s Chapstick.”

Smelling
Babies have a keen sense of smell, and mostly they smell you! Within a few days of being born, babies know their mother’s smell, and prefer it over the smell of an unfamiliar person. Familiar smells can even soothe babies when something painful is happening to them, like a poke for drawing their blood. Studies have found that babies who smelled a familiar smell while getting their blood drawn were calmer than babies without a familiar scent. Because babies don’t see very well at first, they use their keen sense of smell to figure out who they are with and where they are. So, let your baby smell you! 

Snuggling
Snuggling is one of the most natural ways we interact with our babies. When a baby is crying, we pick them up to soothe them, rocking them and holding them close. Babies feel safe when they are snuggled tight—especially newborns, who are used to the smallness of the womb. Touch is an important way to bond with your baby, and studies show that affectionate touch can help babies grow, thrive, and even cope with stress in their environment. Touch also helps babies explore the world, and researchers have found that even very young babies are skilled at figuring out what an object looks like just through touch. Even if your baby’s vision is still pretty blurry, they are mapping out what the world looks like through the power of touch. And if all else fails, they can just put it in their mouth.