8 Baby Play Ideas With Black And White Picture Cards
It's no secret that I LOVE simple black and white picture cards for playing with newborns. The high contrast images perfectly match the visual abilities and interests of your precious little bundle of joy.
During the 9 days past my due date that I waited for baby to come, I had fun drawing some new black and white play cards I'm happy to share with you at the end of this post so you can have some fun, too!
6 Ways To Play With Your Newborn
Click on the activities below to learn more.
Tape to Baby's Activity Gym
Promote Head Turning During Playtimes
Make A DIY Mobile For Your Nursery
Encourage Baby To Turn To Her Non-Preferred Side
Many babies are born with a head-turning preference toward one side that puts them at a much higher risk of developing head flattening called Plagiocephaly. Our little girl had a distinct preference for turning to her right so we were diligent about placing interesting things to look at on her left side, including Black and White Play Cards.
We used our play cards on the left side of her Pack 'n Play, her activity gym, and her bassinet stroller on outings. If your little one spends time in Baby Holding Devices throughout the day, you can tape Black and White picture cards to the wall on baby's non-preferred side.
Encourage Equal Head Turning During Diaper Changes
Time your baby spends having her diaper changed adds up during the first few months and baby is most likely to turn and look toward her favorite humans during these times. Odds are, you always lay baby the same way on the changing table, which means she's spending lots of time turning the same direction to see you.
As I discuss at great length in my book, The Flat Head Syndrome Fix, we want to encourage our babies to turn in both directions equally throughout the day in order to prevent head flattening. Posting simple baby play cards on the side of the changing table opposite where you stand to change is a GREAT way to encourage baby to look both directions.
Tape To The Seat Back in the Car
Did you know that many toys are unsafe in the event of a crash? Lucky for you, paper is not. Tape or hand Black and White Picture cards from your seat back for your little one to look at as you cruise to Target...er...I mean wherever it is that your journey takes you.
Tape To Your Cell Phone For Great Baby Photos
Okay, so maybe this one isn't a play idea but it's a great photo hack! Tape a black and white photo card to the back of your cell phone to encourage baby to look into the camera (or close to it) for sweet photos.
And my new personal favorite:
Keep Baby Busy While You Read To Your Toddler
With 2 kiddos under 2, I often have to get creative to keep baby content while I give my toddler the attention he needs. One mommy multi-tasking trick that works really well when I'm reading him his pre-nap and bedtime stories is to tape Black and White playcards to the back of the book. Toddler snuggles with Mommy, baby stretches out to play nearby!
Completely free, easy to print and ready to captivate your baby's attention today!