Favorite Black/White Board Books

For Fridays, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my favorite black and white books that I've read with my babies.

I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy.

This book has been my favorite, by far. It is a charming story about woodland animals bragging about how they played with a new baby duckling. It has big, bold, black and white illustrations with dashes of bold color. Both of my children have enjoyed this board book so far. And, best of all, it ends with a big kiss! What's not to enjoy? It is now out of print, but you can find used copies to purchase or borrow the book from your local library.

Find this book in a library
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Black & White by Tana Hoban

This accordion-style  book depicts white (or black) objects against a black (or white) background. The objects are all simple silhouettes. You can use this book to describe objects to baby or prop it open for baby to look at during tummy time.

Find this book in a library
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Art for Babies


I checked this book out of our local library to use with my daughter. The wonderful thing about this book is it includes 12 designs from modern artists, so it's like a little art appreciation thrown into a large board book format. It also includes some pictures that you can hang in your nursery or playroom for baby to look at while you do a diaper change. This large book is also perfect for propping up for your child to look at during tummy time.


Find this book in a library
Purchase through Amazon:



Hello Animals! by Smitri Prasadam

We recently checked this book out of our library and my little girl loved it. Everytime I pulled the book out, she would smile at the pictures! It has a cute little animal on each page and each page has a hint of colored foil. It really caught her attention and is a new favorite!

Find this book in a library

Purchase through Amazon:




Note: I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a very small commission should you choose to purchase these resources through their website. However, I'd also encourage you to find these books in your local library and have included a Worldcat link for your convenience.  

How to Make Visual Stimulation Cards for Baby

You can easily make your own black/white patterns or mobile: Use a black marker to draw patterns on a sheet of white paper. You can do checks, zigzags, stripes, dots or stars. Cut the paper into small squares and glue one on each side of a piece of cardboard of the same shape. If making for a mobile, you may want to consider gluing aluminum foil to the back side of the cardboard (it will catch the light). Cover with contact paper.



Also see a unique website: fussybaby for a PowerPoint slide show of black and white designs for baby!

Visual Stimulation Activities

One of the things I have done with both of my children as newborns was to do some visual stimulation activities.


What is visual stimulation?
Research shows that black and white patterns help stimulate a baby's brain.
In the first couple weeks of life, a baby's eyes are adjusting to the world. Almost everything appears fuzzy, but babies can see black and white shapes, especially those that are in a pattern. These patterned images help the baby's vision and brain to develop by stimulating those receptors.


Note: Research has also shown that newborns can only focus on objects 8-12 inches away from them. Therefore, try to stay within that space when interacting with your newborn.


Also, be wary of over-stimulation. Although you want to help your newborn learn, you want to be careful not to overstimulate baby. Infants can get overstimulated very easily and therefore experience stress. 5 or 10 minutes of looking at pictures may be all your newborn can handle! See how to handle overstimulation




What Activities Can You Do?

Here are some ideas...



Hang black and white pictures or cards up in an area where baby can see them (such as in the crib, the diaper changing area, or near a bouncy seat)

Make a black and white mobile

Hang laminated black and white pictures from a baby gym

Play tracking games with the black and white pictures

Make a black/white picture book for baby

Show and read black/white books to baby
Make a PowerPoint (or some other slide show) program for baby to watch with black/white designs.
And you can always buy some visually stimulating toys

These are great activities that are easily portable!

Shake a Rattle

A baby can begin to recognize and focus on objects, especially familiar ones. The more your baby sees, the more he will want to look around and see more! Babies need sensory stimulation.

Sit your baby in an infant seat. Hold a rattle about 18-inches from his face. Shake the rattle a few times. Pause. Does your baby seem to focus on the rattle? Shake it some more. Each time you do so, look and see if baby is focusing on the rattle. Do this only for a few minutes each time- you don't want to overstimulate your little one!

You can also use rattles to help your baby track or find an object. Shake the rattle at one side of his head and see if baby tries to find the rattle. Have fun!

Smiling Games

At eight weeks old, we' finally enjoyed Gracie's first real smile. Babies typically smile sometime in the first couple months. It's so reassuring to see your baby recognize and acknowledge you! Smiling becomes a new way for your little one to communicate with you.

The first thing you should do is smile at your baby! Smiles are reassuring to babies-- so be sure to smile at her often!

I would sing Gracie a song about smiling to encourage her (sing to Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Smile, Smile, Smile at Me
And I will smile at you
Every time you give a smile
It always turns to two!
(words by Pam Schiller)


Another thing you can do is to gently  Tickle baby gently under chin, under belly, etc. We like to do this to the "Feather Play" song from Kimbo's Baby Games CD.

And there's always the classic Peekaboo!

Tinker Bell Socks

Sometime during the first month or so, babies begin to realize that they can make things happen! Although your little one has a short attention span and a short memory, she will begin to repeat actions that have an effect on the world around her.

One of the ways you can do this is by putting wrist/ankle rattles on your baby. You can either buy some pre-made ones or you can easily make them yourself by attaching jingle bells to socks!

Put the rattles or socks on your baby. Sit baby in an infant seat and move her hand or foot with your hand to make the rattle sound. Repeat with the other foot or hand. Play until she understands that moving her hands/feet will ring the rattles!

Sensory Activities for Newborns

I'm learning that it's important to provide a stimulating environment for a newborn. One way to do this is by trying to stimulate the five senses:

Hearing
- talk with her
- sing to her
- play music in the background
- have a musical mobile

Seeing
- place your face near hers when you talk with her
- show baby toys such as rattles or stuffed animals
- provide stimulating black and white images for her to look at

Touching
- hug, pat, kiss and rock your baby
- take her for a walk in the stroller
- walk around with baby in your arms
- dance with baby
- have baby feel different textured fabrics

Smelling
- if you wear perfume, put a drop on baby's blanket
- put an article of your clothing in a safe place in baby's crib

Tasting
(note: you can't do much with taste yet!)
- feed baby when she's hungry
- provide a pacifier or allow baby to suck her thumb

Swaddling

A good activity for a newborn baby is simply to swaddle your child in a blanket and snuggle! My children enjoyed being swaddled up tightly the first few months. Sometimes we just snuggled and rocked. Sometimes we danced gently to music!

Babies need to be cuddled and loved. Swaddling helps a baby feel secure. Wrapping your baby up can also help your child sleep more peacefully as they will not startle themselves awake. But, if you choose to swaddle, it's best to start during the first few weeks of your baby's life.

For the first couple months, we would swaddle their whole body. After 2 months, we would leave their arms free so they could explore. We always used a swaddle blanket. But you can easily swaddle with a receiving blanket. See this helpful video for instructions:

What Can My 0-3 Month Old Do?

Now that we have a baby in the house, I've been refreshing myself on infant development. It's helpful to know what some milestones are, so that you can choose developmentally appropriate activities!

Here's a list of some of the things a 0-3 month old can do. I am not listing when these skills emerge, because every baby is different. However, I am listing them from easiest (newborn) to more advanced (~3 months) skills.

• feel, taste, smell, and hear
• move arms and legs
• cry when in need
• enjoy being held and spoken to
• see things 8-12" away
• begin to turn head
• make eye contact
• look at clear simple pictures or designs
• grasp a small object briefly
• make cooing sounds
• lift head
• smile
• imitate expressions
• study hands and feet
• follow toys from side to side
• reach for an object or a person

A helpful chart can be found at the Family Enrichment Program Website. 

Playing with Your Newborn

What can I do with my newborn that is educational? After all, they just eat, sleep, and fill their diapers all day, right?  Playing educational games with a newborn may seem like a foreign concept.

But these early months are important. You want to provide a stimulating environment so your little one can learn about the world them. You want your baby to feel welcomed and safe!

This is a challenge for me. I know it's easier for me to come up with playful ideas for my toddler than my newborn. So, I've been reading about different games and activities to do with Gracie. Some of these I did with Jonathan (but forgot about), others are new to me.

So for this first week, I thought would share some ideas here, both as a challenge to myself and to help inspire others!