One of the most magical moments of being a new parents is when your baby makes eye contact with you. Parents notice the first direct eye contact around 6 to 8 weeks of age. However there is a wider range which is considered normal.

Why is eye contact important ?

Eye contact indicates  that the  baby’s neurological development is progressing normally. When a baby makes eye contact, it shows that she knows what a face is and understands that facial expression can  indicate how a person feels.

It also makes bonding stronger between parents and child. This is because it shows you that your baby doesn’t know who you are or how important your life is.

When should you be concerned ?

When a baby does not make eye contact, there is a concern  about autism  diagnosis in future. Autistic kids have trouble making contact with with others.However other symptoms should also be present to make a definite diagnosis of autism. Just a single developmental milestone is enough  for a definitive diagnosis.

NOTE

A baby needs to be calm and alert to initiate eye contact. It is therefore not a good idea to  assess this developmental milestone when the baby is hungry, upset or asleep. If your baby is over 3 months and not making eye contact, let your pediatrician check for vision problems. If the vision test comes out fine, the doctor may adopt the wait and see  attitude or suggest testing her for attachment or behavior problems.