15 crazy facts about your newborn – you won’t believe number 5 or 10!

They’re cute, cuddly and you can stare at them for hours. In fact, babies are much more interesting than many of us even realise.

And while these adorable little humans don’t come with a manual on how to raise them (how helpful would that be?), there are some pretty interesting (and crazy) facts about them.

You’ll never believe most of them!

15 interesting and crazy facts about your newborn

1. Newborns are EXTREMELY strong

Babies bent fingers are evolved to be powerful enough to support their own weight. It’s a reflex they inherit from our chimp ancestors to be able to cling to their mums while being carried around.

Please don’t test this out at home! Just trust us on this one.

2. Babies are born with no knee caps

Yep! But my little one is bending his knee, you say. Babies are born without the bony knee cap (patella) adults have. They have a soft piece of cartilage which fully develops by age 12.

3. Babies born premature mostly catch up

Being born prematurely won’t necessarily affect your little one’s future. Some of the greatest people who ever lived were born well before their due date. Did you know that Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Winston Churchill were all born early?

4. They don’t cry tears

They scream though! Up until 3 weeks of age a baby cry is just a sound – a very loud sound.

5. Babies grow moustaches in the womb – then eat them!

Babies in the womb grow a moustache at around 16 weeks and this hair (lanugo) covers their whole body. It keeps them warm in there and begins to fall off in the last trimester. This hair is basically eaten, digested and can be found in your newborn’s first poo). Yep, really.

6. Little girls sometimes menstruate

Your newborn daughter will most likely have a little mini period on day two or three of life. This is caused by the withdrawal of hormones that she was exposed to in the womb.

It’s totally normal and you can breathe easy knowing they won’t have another period for at least another decade.

7. Little boys have erections

Newborn boys will also have erections, on a daily basis. Most likely when you are changing their nappies. This, too, is nothing to worry about, as long as it goes down quickly and doesn’t make him uncomfortable.

8. Babies have more bones than an adult

At birth, newborns have 305 bones, some of which eventually fuse together to form the 200 bones that adults have.

The majority of a baby’s skeleton is made of cartilage, which explains why young children seem to bounce better than adults!

9. Some newbies lactate

Another strange reaction to the withdrawal of the hormones from being in-utero, it is not uncommon for babies of either gender to lactate. Sometimes called witches milk usually subsides by the second week of life.

10. Babies cry with their mum’s accent

Say what?! Research by the University of Wurzburg reveals that baby’s pick up their mum’s accent while in the womb and they actually cry in that accent.

11. Babies can breathe AND swallow at the same time

Up until they’re seven months old, babies can suck on a great of bottle for minutes at a time without coming up for air.

12. They can’t taste salt

Again, don’t test this one out. Studies show that babies can’t taste salt until they’re four months old. They only recognise sweet and sour.

13. Babies have tastebuds on their tonsils

Your newborn has three times as many tastebuds as you do. 10,000 to be precise and they are on their tongue, roof of their mouth, side of their mouth – everywhere! (But they still can’t taste salt!)

14. Their stomachs are the size of a walnut

This explains the feeding around the clock in the beginning!

15. Whether they’re right or left handed is determined in the womb

Experts say whatever hand they prefer using in the womb (from 10 weeks old) is the one they will favour for the rest of their life. 

Mind blown!

Here are five amazing facts about babies in the womb

10 amazing facts you never knew about your baby’s vernix

Did you know The Healthy Mummy Smoothies are breastfeeding-friendly?

The Healthy Mummy Smoothie has been created to help mums benefit from a wide range of nutrients which can also help support your healthy eating plan and exercise routine if you are trying to lose weight.

The smoothie range has been formulated by leading nutritionists, dieticians and with input from Monash University.

It offers an excellent source of essential vitamins, minerals, nutrients and important antioxidants.

It’s also free from any weight loss accelerants, caffeine, contains no wheat ingredients, no fructose, is 96 per cent sugar free and is dairy free.

You can download our information fact sheet here. You can also download the Smoothie label and ingredient list here.

Buy your Healthy Mummy Smoothie HERE.