What parents can do to help their baby’s with visual development!

There are many things parents can do to help their baby’s vision develop properly. The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant’s visual development.

Birth to four months

• Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby’s room.
• Change the crib’s position frequently and change your child’s position in it.
• Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby’s focus, about eight to twelve inches.
• Talk to your baby as you walk around the room.
• Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.

Five to eight months

• Hang a mobile, crib gym or various objects across the crib for the baby to grab, pull and kick.
• Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
• Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands.
• Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby’s hands through the motions while saying the words aloud.

Nine to twelve months

• Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the baby develop visual memory.
• Name objects when talking to encourage the baby’s word association and vocabulary development skills.
• Encourage crawling and creeping.

One to two years

• Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with the eyes visually.
• Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and sizes to play with to boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
• Read or tell stories to stimulate the child’s ability to visualize and pave the way for learning and reading skills.