Baby’s Sense of Taste and Smell: How They Develop

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It is a common saying that your babies can taste and smell the food, even before their birth. That’s because babies' sense of smell starts developing in the womb. So, they are already familiar with the smell and aroma of their surroundings.

But how does their sense of taste and smell develop and what’s the process behind looks like. Let’s explain it in detail below.

The Formation of Taste Buds

The sense of taste and smell start developing early, usually in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the first few weeks, small taste buds start to develop. Then, by 10 weeks, the smell receptors get activated which means your baby is getting ready to sense smell and taste.

However, the baby is still in the womb as he gets familiar with the scent. The smell is usually similar to mother’s breast milk, and it’s also in the amnoitic fluid, so your unborn baby already knows what you are eating in your dinner.

Development in Weeks 13–28

After the formation of olfactory receptors, your baby is becoming more familiar with the surroundings and people around him. He uses the same sense of smell to feel strangers, and in response to the smell he receives, he might cry or kick a person.

All of this happens while the baby is in the womb, usually during the first 3 months or weeks 13 to 28. Researchers and scientists believe that babies can remember and recognize the smell they felt inside the womb even after birth.

Smell At 6 to 12 Months

When your baby crosses 6 months, he uses his sense of smell to like or dislike things. This will be the phase when he decides whether he likes a food or not. If they like the food, they might respond by making noises.

Then, after birth, he develops a strong sense of smell. In fact, he instantly recognizes his mother’s scent within a few days. This is also due to his skin-to-skin bonding with the mother. Also, newborns are naturally attracted to the scent of breast milk, so they instantly turn their heads towards mothers instead of anyone else. Here’s a timeline of a baby’s sense of smell after birth:

• At the age of 1 month, babies get used to different aromas. They smell different things, so a strong sense of taste develops in them.
• At 3 months, babies use their sense of smell to like or dislike a food. If they like a food, they will show it by different reactions such as smiling or jumping.
• After 10 or 12 months, babies become more open to testing any food type. Their senses have fully developed, and they can easily tell you which aromas they like and which not.

Final Thoughts

To summarize, babies' sense of smell and taste start developing inside the womb. It gets better with every week with the formation of different receptors, and organs. When a baby finally reaches the birth stage, he already developed a strong sense to try and differentiate different aromas in his surroundings.