I don't think so. The way it appeared to me is that when a baby it born, the part of their brain responsible for their visual system is not even fully hooked up yet. It was often clear that my newborn son was not seeing the same things in a scene that I was. Similarly it takes a long time before babies begin to grasp simple concepts. It's not true that a newborn baby has a fully developed mind that is only limited by a difficulty in communication.
However you define "consciousness", it is a property of the brain. If the entire brain is still developing, so is the consciousness.
That's true, portions of the wiring is incomplete at birth & for many years after. Ability to access the full abilities of our five senses is not related to our consciousness. Take someone born deaf or blind. Whether those inabilities are physical, neurological or a combination of both doesn't matter. People can be fully conscious without use of all five basic senses.
It was often clear that my newborn son was not seeing the same things in a scene that I was.
Course he's not seeing the same things in a scene you are. Another adult will also experience that same scene differently than you. Our hierarchy about what any of us "see" changes from one moment to the next.
Earlier today, I had a conversation with my youngest son about road kill. When he was little he tended to verbalize his observations as he was riding in the car. Dead things on the road took on a new meaning when they were evaluated & more specifically identified. Now that he's older & driving himself, they've retreated into being an unidentified "something" for him too. If you don't automatically try to identify extremely flat road kill, try it sometime. It makes driving a new adventure. lol
Your son is 17 months. I bet both of his parents notice a lot of airplanes while they are driving. Car seat perspective is perfect for spotting them & at your son's age, it's likely he's begun to make them known to the adults in the vehicle.
Similarly it takes a long time before babies begin to grasp simple concepts.
Grasping concepts & making what is grasped known to another is not the same thing as consciousness. Consciousness is the spark behind our striving to do it & we have that spark before we are born...
Within the past year you've learned one or two things you didn't know before, right? Each of the things you learned are building blocks you can draw on to learn more. Are you more conscious this year? Your son is gaining building blocks faster than you are, which is why he'll eventually catch up with you & pass you by in some areas.
It's not true that a newborn baby has a fully developed mind that is only limited by a difficulty in communication.
Cognitive ability, intellectual activity varies quite a bit between individuals. Communication attaches us to our memories, making them available for us to access. What you see growing in your son is his cognitive ability, not his consciousness.
However you define "consciousness", it is a property of the brain. If the entire brain is still developing, so is the consciousness.
Here is where you & I disagree. I do not believe it is a property of the brain. Our brains are the closest we come in this particular material world to perceiving our consciousness, but our brains are not the source.