Familiar Odors Exploration
Parent introduces their own scent on a sponge or cotton to stimulate baby's olfactory exploration and reaching. The agent guides the parent to observe how baby responds to familiar vs. novel scents, tracks the sponge visually, and reaches toward objects of interest — building sensory discrimination, attention, and early reaching skills.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Baby lying comfortably on back, alert and calm. Small piece of cotton or soft sponge rubbed on parent's skin. Room should be free from strong competing odors.
How it works
- 1~25s
Take the cotton or sponge with your scent on it and slowly pass it under your child's nose. Don't touch the nose — just let the scent drift. Watch your child's face carefully. Does they react? You might see a change in breathing, a widening of the eyes, a turning toward the scent, or a relaxation of the body. Some babies light up when they smell a familiar person. Tell me what you notice.
Watch for: Baby shows a response to familiar scent — change in expression, breathing, body tension, or orientation toward the source.
- 2~25s
Now slowly move the sponge away from your child's nose and hold it where they can see it — about eight to twelve inches in front of their face. Does your child look at it? Now slowly move it to one side. Does they track it with their eyes? The sponge now has visual interest plus a scent connection, so your child might be extra motivated to follow it.
Watch for: Baby visually tracks the scented sponge as it moves away from nose and across the visual field.
- 3~30s
Now hold the sponge just in front of your child, within reaching distance. Encourage them — 'Can you get it, your child?' Does your child try to reach for the sponge? Look for any arm extension, hand opening, body leaning, or wiggling toward it. The familiar scent might be extra motivating. What does your child do?
Watch for: Baby attempts to reach for the scented sponge, showing goal-directed movement.