Babies’ eyes do not produce tears until the baby is approximately six to eight weeks old.
Although babies are often born expressing their opinion of such a hasty entrance into the world, all you’re going to see is waving limbs and a red face. Because while they can howl their little lungs out, they can’t yet “cry.”
That’s not to say that an infant’s eyes are in danger of drying out. They do produce enough moisture to keep the eyes coated. But not enough to cause a waterfall when they wail.
It takes anywhere from three to six weeks for a baby’s tear ducts to develop to the point where crying will produce any significant amount of moisture, so the eyes overflow.
A tiny opening from the tear duct into the top of the nasal canal, allows tears to run down inside and disperse. Sometimes this opening has not developed enough by the time the tear ducts start producing excess moisture, and they can become clogged.
Tear ducts that are plugged, often show as discharge gathering in the corner of the eye. This can be resolved with gentle and frequent massage of the tear duct area.
