Giving babies early visual input is important because high contrast images may help increase concentration skills and attention spans, calm babies and enhance their curiosity. A newborn's vision isn't fully developed at birth because their optical nerve and central part of the retina, where sharpness and color are seen, are not completely developed. The first two years are the most crucial in a baby's visual development because it's during this period that she stores valuable images for use later in life. To help stimulate a newborn's visual development, Dr. Burnstine suggests giving a newborn close-up visual activity during the first four months. Mobiles should be placed at an angle over the crib since newborns look to the left or right, not directly in front of them.
Mirrors are also effective stimulants because they give a baby an ever-changing view of the world.
Dr. Burnstine recommends only allowing a baby to play with shatterproof mirrors while he's outside of the crib, and even then he should be supervised by an adult. And of course, nothing replaces good old eye contact with mom and dad. Early on, a baby's vision allows preference of human faces, which helps facilitate bonding between mother and child, especially during breastfeeding. As a baby's sight begins to develop, age-appropriate visual images can be used to stimulate their brain. If a baby doesn't respond to visual stimulants, he should be screened carefully and treated immediately for cataracts and other eye problems.