Can newborns recognise your smell?

Learning about a familiar person

Newborns experience the world through several senses. Natural odour is one of the cues researchers have studied in early familiarity. That is different from saying smell alone determines recognition, comfort or the quality of a relationship.

The two-day-old newborn study

Marin, Rapisardi and Tani studied 19 two-day-old newborns using pads carrying their mother's underarm odour and an unfamiliar mother's odour. On average, the babies spent longer facing the pad carrying their own mother's odour.

The study was published online in 2014 and in Acta Paediatrica in 2015. It suggests early discrimination of maternal odour under these conditions. Head orientation is a behavioural observation, not evidence of conscious recognition or a stronger attachment.

A finding, not a rule for every family

The babies in this small study were breastfeeding, had been delivered vaginally and had experienced maternal skin-to-skin contact. Its findings cannot automatically be generalised to every newborn, feeding method, birth experience or caregiver.

These details do not mean other families are less able to bond. The study does not compare the quality of relationships. Fathers, partners, adoptive parents and other carers build close relationships through attentive, responsive care.

Keep closeness natural and safe

For skin-to-skin contact, follow your maternity team's positioning advice. Stay fully awake and attentive, with your baby's face visible and nose and mouth unobstructed. If you feel sleepy, return your baby to their own clear, flat sleep space on their back.

Do not recreate the study at home by putting scent pads near your baby's face or in their cot. Do not apply fragrance, essential oils or scent samples to your baby, their clothing or bedding. A reconstructed baby scent is not the maternal odour studied here and is not a recognition or bonding aid.