Ruth Bradford, founder, owner and creator of The Little Black and White Book Project, has kindly put together a guest blog for us why black and white books and toys are one of the best gifts you could give.
You might have seen black and white patterns and prints designs splashed across baby gifts like muslins, flash cards and even books. Monochrome baby accessories are not just the latest must have trend, they’re actually working really hard in the background to support your baby’s visual development.
The technical science bit
Amazingly, babies begin to detect light and dark whilst snuggled up in the womb. Then when a baby is born, it is that contrast in light and dark that continues to register the strongest on their retinas, which is obviously a big part of how the eye works. Did you know a baby’s field of vision is just 30cm for the first 5 months of life? So most of what they see is very blurry and it is only large contrasts in light and dark that are being interpreted by their eye and brain. This particular difference between black and white is the highest achievable, they are literally at different ends of the spectrum, so therefore this is what a baby will be able to ‘see’ most clearly in an otherwise fuzzy environment. As mentioned, this continues for around 5 months when typically the field of vision increases and the big world comes into sharper focus.
It’s a bit of a no brainer then that using high contrast images from the early days and weeks not only gives your baby something to interact with that their eyes can actually focus on, it is also passively exercising the eye muscles, helping the eyes to learn to co-ordinate together and building those valuable feedback loops with the brain.
Black and white play doesn’t have to stop at 5 months
A baby’s field of vision opens up at around 5 months of age but that doesn’t mean its time to out the black and white in the donate or pack away pile. High contrast images are still hugely relevant as they practise all of their new found skills that seem to develop at a rapid pace and the monochrome simply becomes part of everyday sensory play as your baby grows and learns about the world around them. If you don’t already know, sensory play is simply play that is geared towards specific senses – touch, smell, taste etc and visual stimulation is part of that. So supporting visual development and stimulation continues to be an important part of the activities you introduce your baby to all through the early years and all the way up to preschool and beyond.
Don’t be duped into products that actually won’t last though
By now you know that black and white images are still relevant as part of your sensory play right through the early years but that doesn’t mean that your child is going to find a monochrome baby rattle as enticing at three years as they did at 3 months. So try to choose items that you know will hold their interest as their knowledge and skills develop. Books and flash cards can be a really great resource to invest in early and will be items your child can come back to time and time again. For example, board books can be used for tummy time when they first arrive, to help practice fine motor skills as they learn to turn the pages themselves, help with recognition and learning words and names when they begin to talk, and then supporting early readers who will be able to practice phonics and letter sounds. The same can apply for flash cards and alphabet or number wall charts – they can hit so many development stages if you invest wisely.
Don’t be overwhelmed, adding a little to your everyday play is easy
Books, books, books are the simplest go to if you want to add some sensory play to your day. They could be black and white high contrast pictures or interactive lift the flap books or touchy feely textures. Picking up a book together or setting out a few on the play mat or rug for some independent play doesn’t require any planning, resources or even much thinking to be honest. Reading can be playful, exploring books can be playful, play and reading do not have to be exclusive and you don’t even have to get hung up about reading all of the words or turning every page. Let your child lead the way with how they want to interact with books on any given day and by if you make books accessible and part of your everyday routine it will create an encouraging environment when the time comes for them to learn to read independently.
A book habit can become an expensive one, but don’t be put off there’s lots of ways you can keep costs down. Visit your local library, check out your charity shops, do a book swap with friends or baby groups, keep an eye out online for people having a clear out, pop them on your gift wish lists and even check out marketplaces like Vinted. All of those places have books ranging from free to just a pound or two so you needn’t build your baby library with brand new expensive titles. Fostering an early love of reading by making books part of your sensory play time is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your baby.
After all that are you convinced?
Black and white items can be an amazing gift for a new baby and something parents and children can share and enjoy together. The science is there to back it all up, but you don’t really need to know about that in great detail, just be reassured that high contrast images are working away in the background as your baby takes them all in. During a time where, let’s face it, babies really don’t do much, high contrast books and flash cards can create moments of calm, moments to bond and moments to give that early visual development a helping hand as they learn to navigate the fourth trimester. And if you can make it a black and white book, even better!
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Ruth Bradford is the founder and creator of The Little Black & White Book Project, a range of high contrast animal themed sensory books, flash cards and gifts. Ruth is passionate about inspiring the next generation of animal lovers from birth whilst also supporting babies and parents with beautiful learning tools designed to last all throughout the early years.
You can find The Little Black & White Book Project here: https://www.blackandwhitebookproject.com
www.instgram.com/the_little_bw_book_project
