5 Ways To Stimulate Your Baby's Senses
Your newborn sees contrasts, like black and white, most easily and sees objects most clearly from eight to 12 inches away -- about the distance to your face during breastfeeding. "He can't focus both across the room and up really close," says Nicholas J. Tapas, M.D., a pediatrician in Glenview, Illinois. By 6 weeks, your infant's vision should improve to the point where he can spot you from 15 to 20 feet away. His eye muscles are getting stronger around this time, too, and he'll soon be able to track your finger when you move it in front of his face. By 4 months, he can make out less-contrasting colors clearly. And by the time he's walking and crawling, between 8 and 12 months, he'll be able to use his depth perception to judge distances as he explores.
What you can do: Decorate the nursery in bright colors and bold patterns. Change the position of your baby's bassinet and feed him on both sides to help get him used to seeing from different angles. Start playing games like pat-a-cake and peekaboo at about 4 months to help his hand-eye coordination.
On December 1, 2010
