Your baby is a little miracle! In this article, we reveal 10 incredible abilities your baby has—ones you probably didn’t know about.

1. On ne peut plus osseux : les nouveau-nés ont plus d’os que les adultes

A newborn’s body has more than 300 bones, whereas an adult’s body has only 206. You might wonder where that extra hundred or so bones go by adulthood. It’s very simple: many bones fuse together. Your newborn’s skull, in particular, is still very flexible thanks to what are called fontanelles; after all, it needs to be able to slip through the cervix. That’s also why newborns can have wrinkled faces. But don’t worry: those little faces “smooth out” very quickly, and the shape of the skull gradually adjusts.

2. Tellement multitâches : les bébés peuvent respirer et avaler en même temps

During the first three months of life, newborns can breathe while swallowing. At birth, the larynx is positioned higher than usual, so your baby can continue to breathe while being fed. After three months, they lose this ability because the larynx descends. No longer multitasking, your little adventurer can then learn to snore and to talk.

3. Infiniment bleus : voici pourquoi les yeux des nouveau-nés sont souvent bleus

In the early days, many babies gaze with dazzling blue eyes at the emotional visitors leaning over their cradles. And yet, we know that not many of us have blue eyes. So what happens to all those little blue spheres? It all comes down to the production of melanin. Melanin is a pigment that influences the color of hair, eyes, and skin. The rule is: "The more melanin, the darker the color.". Production of this pigment truly begins only after birth and gradually changes the color of your baby’s eyes. If your child still has blue eyes as an adult, it means their body has produced little or no melanin.

4. Une force herculéenne : les bébés sont de petits paquets de muscles

Newborns have prodigious strength: thanks to the grasp reflex, they can, from birth, support their own weight. Scientists assume this ability is related to our kinship with monkeys. Baby monkeys need to cling very early to their mother’s fur so she can cross the jungle with them on her back. Of course, your baby won’t have to do that, but you’ll still be delighted to feel those tiny fingers grip yours, won’t you?

5. Une envie de tout goûter : une exploration du monde avec la bouche

Anything that isn’t securely fixed, our little adventurers put in their mouths. This isn’t because building blocks and rattles taste particularly good, but because children’s hands and eyes aren’t very sensitive in the early years. Their little mouths, on the other hand, still contain more taste buds than adult mouths. No wonder your baby puts so many objects in their mouth: during the so-called “oral” phase, they simply want to explore the whole world with their mouth. A little tip: our wipes are perfect for cleaning little mouths that get messy while exploring.

6. À gorge déployée : beaucoup de bruit pour rien ?

Your little adventurer not only puts things in their mouth, but also makes some impressive sounds—when your baby is hungry, their diaper is dirty, or sometimes simply because they want to let you know they’re there. In these moments, those little lungs can reach a sound level of 120 decibels. That’s equivalent to the noise of a jackhammer. As a reminder, at your workplace, your employer must provide hearing protection when noise exceeds 85 decibels. So, dear parents, in an emergency, you might want to borrow a construction worker’s helmet!

7. Une portion complète d’hormones de croissance : les nouveau-nés grandissent à une vitesse inouïe

No, you’re not imagining things: during their first year, babies grow at a lightning-fast rate. They can gain up to 25 or 30 centimeters, depending on their sex. But the brains of our little explorers develop even faster: in 12 months, they double in size; this is necessary to process all this new information. And if their growth didn’t slow down over time, your baby would be nine meters tall as an adult! At LILLYDOO, we have no influence on your baby’s growth. However, you can return diapers that are too small to us without any problem.

8. Polyglottes en herbe : les bébés ont un don pour les langues

In your belly, your baby is already listening attentively and recognizes their mother tongue at birth. As part of a study, babies exposed to a foreign language have been shown to be more attentive than when hearing their mother tongue. This proves that your newborn, even before learning to speak, is a receptive listener. Moreover, unlike adults, babies and young children are still capable of identifying the 150 sounds that make up languages around the world. This allows young children to learn languages more easily.

9. La berceuse ultime : faire le tour du pâté de maisons en voiture

Two minutes in a moving car are enough to lull many babies and newborns to sleep. That’s why, for some parents, a quick car ride is still the best lullaby when their little ball of energy doesn’t want to close their eyes. The secret lies in the gentle purring of the engine: it produces a pleasantly monotonous sound that reminds your baby of the time when they were in your womb. Back then, it was your heartbeat that provided soothing background noise. In fact, for many of us, this trick still works into adulthood.

10. Des débuts à sec : les bébés commencent par pleurer sans larmes

It takes about a month before a newborn sheds their first “real” tears. This is because the tear ducts aren’t fully developed at birth. Until they mature, babies cry without tears. Even then, the ducts are sometimes too narrow for the tear fluid. That’s why the ducts can become blocked, and our little adventurers end up with sticky, glued eyes. If this happens too often, the best thing to do is consult your midwife or doctor.