SEEING IN BLACK AND WHITE

At this point in development – babies love faces, babies like variety, and babies seem to find high contrast imagery interesting and soothing. Here are some ways to interact with the baby, now that you know these preferences.

HIGH CONTRAST PLAY

Grab some high contrast items (amazon link) – or make your own (pen on paper, paint on ball, get creative), or print some (PDFs 1. Abstract 2. Patterns 3. Objects)
Note: relationships and child development don’t need to cost much.

Hold the object within 8 – 15 inches from your baby’s face so they are able to focus on it. Give them plenty of time to focus their eyes and remember to give them down time to avoid overstimulation. Babies are usually only alert, active, and interested in this kind of stimulation for a few small blocks a day, so watch for when they might be up for it, pay attention to if they are just drowsy or hungry, and if not a good time then, try again later.

Start slow, then explore moving it side to side (babies learn this first), up and down (babies learn this second). Do this for a few minutes each day and you will be able to watch the progression of the eyes as they start working together to more smoothly track objects. Notice where their attention is going. Logos on shirts and hats easily draw them in at this age. You can even try putting a sticker on your cheek or forehead and getting silly with it. Many dads report back “you can really see that something is happening in their brain – it’s just awesome”.

DADDY ART GALLERY

This is a way to make this a dedicated effort. Find a place or places where you can display and change up the “art” over time. Using print outs or other items, place and rotate imagery at their changing station, near their crib, anywhere really – or even above the crib as one creative Fantastic Dad did for his twins with some packing tape and two print outs!

Try adding in some slight motion – moving the baby around – up and down, side to side, back and forth. Quietly talk about the shapes or objects or just let them view in silence.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

You don’t need to make everything high contrast or overly curate their lives. Time with you face to face, time being carried around, time on their back, side, and tummy – and seeing all kinds of things is what supports their brain growth and their early sense of the world.

Other ways to change it up are to alternate the side your child is fed on, the way they lay on a changing table, a bed, and even the direction they are sleeping in the crib. It’s a great benefit for the baby to see the room, world, and you from different angles. The thing to remember is to simply switch things up. This is also why printing or creating your own images and objects is useful – it’s a low cost and creative way to let baby enjoy seeing new things as well as old things from new angles.

DAD GAZE

Babies love faces. The eyes, mouth, and shape of a face has a lot of contrast and texture to it which is very interesting and pleasing to babies. As they get to know your voice, get in there for some face time. Start to study their eyes to see how they move, what they are interested in and looking at, and what their eyes might communicate.

In Practice –> Focus on Daddy/Baby eye to eye, face to face time

So why do babies like high contrast? And why should we support eye development (doesn’t it naturally occur on it’s own)?

Studies around high contrast imagery and babies began popping up in the 1960s. It started with Dr Robert Fantz from Case Western Reserve University who published a paper in October 1959 showing that babies begin to show preferences for images as early as two months old. Four years later he demonstrated that infants under five days old engaged with black and white images over plain colored images and surfaces. This was one of the first studies to show that humans can perceive form and shape innately from birth. His pioneering research was followed, replicated, and advanced by other scientists over the next decades to present day.

Further studies showed that the reason babies may prefer black and white high contrast images is due to the structural simplicity of the eye at birth. The rods and cones of the eye, and connections to the brain have not matured enough to perceive colors in detail and will take time to work together as a team of two eyes that go from jumping (saccade) while tracking an object to pursuing an object smoothly with both eyes.

In 2016, researchers at Duke University concluded a study that showed that preschool children that lack positive indicators of attention and focus (which are driven mostly by the eyes) in early childhood can be 40% less likely to graduate from high school. While high contrast imagery appears to bring calm and promote attention and focus and the positive stimulation also helps with brain development that may help with aspects of attention and focus down the road.

Lastly – Harvard has collected much of the research into overall brain development trajectories from birth throughout life. Their research has shown that in order for the brain to develop higher functions of thinking, it goes through establishing foundational brain circuits in the first year on which complex circuits can be built [YouTube, 3min 57sec]. These initial circuits develop stronger and more extensive connections based on how stimulating and vivid the experiences in early life are. Vision development is brain development.

Yes – the brain naturally develops, but it only wires as it fires, so engaging around these phases of growth is not only good for your development as a dad, but it’s incredibly impactful in building a well rounded brain in your child.

This is mostly a reminder that all of the experiences we have in our early lives are connected to our future lives. This is all the more reason to be aware of these concepts. We don’t have to be perfect by any means, but we can only give our kids what we know through how we interact with them.

And finally – it’s important to note that science is a continuum, and understanding changes all the time. Currently there are no studies that look at the impact of how long and how often babies should be exposed to high contrast images or if there are any unintended outcomes (unlikely, but not studied). The science and activities here are meant to give you tools to build your relationship and develop your dad skills.

This section has tidbits from around the web that are typically on Dads minds.

Baby Eyewear

Here is a list of baby sunglasses, but you hit the lottery if your baby actually wears them. Stick with it, exposure builds experience – or just use a wide brimmed hat.