Babies are born with pretty terrible eyesight - they mainly see in black and white and can only see clearly about 20-30cm in front of their face. It’s crucial that in these months, they receive proper visual stimulation to develop their optic nerves (the nerves that connect the eyes to the brain), strengthen eye muscles, and work on coordinating their eyes and brain.
Some other things you may notice:
• Crossed eyes: This is quite normal as your baby is still learning to control their eyes.
• Tracking objects: Your baby may not be able to visually track objects until about 1 or 2 months.
• Overstimulation: It’s possible to overstimulate your baby if lights are too bright or if sounds are too loud. They can’t effectively filter out sensory information so it’s best to keep everything mild.
• Focus on Faces: Your baby loves looking at faces, especially yours! Make eye contact when you interact with them to develop a healthy attachment.
Many baby toys will jam everything into one toy - flashing lights, colors, and sounds. Turns out, baby’s don’t need (or want) that much stimulation at once! They often cannot process so many sensory inputs at once and may be left dazed by all the things going on. Instead, simple high-contrast visuals can be all you need to hold their attention.
