With regard to the sense of smell of a newborn baby, which of the following statements is the MOST accurate?
A) Newborns are basically "nose-deaf," as their sinuses will not be completely clear of fluid from the pregnancy until several weeks after birth.
B) Newborns have a keen sense of smell, and can recognize familiar and comforting scents.
C) Newborns have a very rudimentary sense of smell, and can only demonstrate revulsion to unpleasant odors. This is believed to serve an adaptive purpose, as it keeps infants from eating potentially poisonous objects.
D) A newborn's sense of smell is as sharp as that of an adult, but their lack of exposure to different odors is the reason why they don't "use" their smell sense very much.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Newborns have a keen sense of smell and can recognize familiar and comforting scents, such as their mother's breast milk. Studies have shown that babies as young as a few days old can differentiate between the scent of their mother's breast milk and that of another nursing mother. However, their sense of smell is not as developed as adults and they may not yet be able to distinguish between more complex scents.

With Regard to the Sense of Smell of a Newborn