I Can See You (If You’re Close Enough!)

I Can See You (If You’re Close Enough!)

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Did you know that your baby started developing her eyesight during her 4th week in the womb?1 By the time she is full term and ready for birth, she is able to see objects within a close range of 12″ or less, which is also (conveniently) the distance between mom and baby’s faces during breastfeeding! In her first weeks, though, most of what she sees is blurry, because even though her eyes are taking in visual information, her brain hasn’t yet developed the sensory receptors needed to focus.1 By eight weeks old, however, she will be able to focus more easily on the objects and faces she looks at.2 Her eyes may occasionally wander or cross, but they will straighten out with time as their muscles and coordination strengthen.2

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As she nears the end of her third month, her vision will improve dramatically, allowing her to recognize people and objects located further away. She will also be able to detect colors and begin developing depth perception. Your newborn baby’s vision will continue to build and improve until about 6 months when her vision reaches 20/25.3 With all of these developments, her improved vision, ability to see further away, and growing muscle strength in her neck and head, she will begin to visually track objects (i.e. follow moving objects with her eyes).2

To support the development of your baby’s vision, give her plenty of what her eyes crave and find interesting at this age! From 0-3 months, babies prefer looking at faces, because it allows them to connect to people (namely, you and other trusted caregivers) and begin developing language skills by learning to read faces and emotions.1 She will also gravitate towards objects with large, high contrast patterns (e.g. black and white checkers or stripes), because she won’t be able to see the full color spectrum until she reaches 3-6 months old.1 

When she begins to visually track objects, try playing tracking games with your baby. Use a brightly colored or high contrast toy or card, and let her eyes focus on the object before moving it slowly across her field of vision. This game will help develop her visual depth abilities, gross motor skills, and eventual Hand-Eye Coordination (see Play Tips, below).

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of Sensory Exploration skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Exercise your baby’s vision with lightweight sensory toys.4 Help your baby develop the ability to visually focus and follow objects by using fun multi-sensory toys, such as baby rattles, brightly patterned noisemakers, and even flashlights. Noisemakers, especially, will delight her auditory sense (hearing) and spark her curiosity to shake and rattle on her own. If you use a flashlight, be sure not to shine it at your baby’s face, but direct the light at the ceiling or a wall and point out the spotlight for her to follow. Socks with rattles or bells securely sewn on will also stimulate her hearing and encourage her to explore different body positions as she tries to figure out where the noise is coming from! To support visual tracking and gross motor (large muscle) development, start by letting your baby lock her focus on the object before slowly moving it across her field of vision. This exercise will not only encourage your newborn baby to begin turning her head, but it will also strengthen her cross-the-midline brain connections!5
  2. Provide simple, high contrasting color designs and images to look at.1,6,7 Because your baby’s vision is still developing and she can’t distinguish between all the colors and hues out there, offer her images and books with high contrast, bright colors, and simple shapes and patterns. Although many baby products are developed with pastel colors and soft, dreamy art work (e.g. Beatrix Potter’s “Peter Rabbit” book), it’s best to save these until a later date, when she can fully appreciate them. Place your images on the floor, at the changing table, or over the crib as a hanging mobile.
  3. Place your baby safely in a bouncy seat so that she can observe you in your daily routine.6 At this age, you are your baby’s favorite companion and toy! Take the opportunity to help her develop her vision by waving to her across the room, pointing to objects located nearby. Also, spend some quality face time together! To make the most out of face time, hold her close and make exaggerated facial expressions and movements, such as blinking your eyes, sticking out your tongue, smiling, frowning, looking surprised, or pretending to cry. This exercise will not only help hone her vision, but it will also begin teaching her about expressing feelings and identifying emotions.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your newborn achieved the following Sensory Exploration developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and so easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Pays attention to and stares at faces.
  • Recognizes people and objects that are longer distances away.
  • Looks at simple pictures and high-contrast designs (e.g. black and white patterns).
  • Follows moving objects with eyes.

Sources:

1Nugent, Kevin and Morell, Abelardo (2011). Your Baby is Speaking to You. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2American Optometric Association (2014). Infant Vision: Birth to 24 Months of Age. American Optometric Association. Retrieved September 23, 2014, from http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/good-vision-throughout-life/childrens-vision/infant-vision-birth-to-24-months-of-age?sso=y.

3Heiting, Gary. Your Infant’s Visual Development. All About Vision. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/infants.htm.

4New Jersey Council for Young Children (2013). New Jersey Birth to Three: Early Learning Standards.

5Vaughan, Amy (2011). Midline Crossing. The Reach Effect. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.thereacheffect.com/pages/parent_q_a/.

6Gellens, Suzanne R. (2013). Building Brains. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

7Delaware Department of Education (2010). Delaware Early Learning Foundations: Infant/Toddler.

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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