There is a growing body of data concerning otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in newborn infants. Because OAEs are a noninvasive, objective measure of cochlear status and can be measured relatively rapidly many investigators are excited about using OAEs as a screening tool for hearing loss in newborns. Preliminary studies indicate that both transiently evoked and distortion product emissions are robust across a broad frequency range in normally hearing newborns. Also, both are absent in newborns later confirmed to have severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. However, several questions have arisen concerning their relationship between the evoking stimulus parameters and OAE characteristics in infant versus adult ears, the influence of probe, external and middle ear acoustics on newborn responses, and the most appropriate OAE stimulus and response parameters for hearing loss screening. These issues are particularly relevant to identifying mild to moderate hearing loss and to understanding hearing development in humans. [Work supported by NIDCD.]