How High-Contrast Images Support Baby Visual Development

Almost a decade before I became a mom, I was a doting aunt, completely enthralled with my older sister’s first child. He was the first baby I’d even been in close contact with, and maybe even the first baby I’d ever held! I visited every chance I could and was fascinated by everything he did.

I remember one morning during his first year, Jack was being particularly fussy. He would alternate between crying and whining and my sister and I did everything we could to try and soothe him. Nothing worked. Nothing worked, that is, until he needed a diaper change. When my sister put him on the changing table, his whole face changed and he’d start giggling and smiling. This happened multiple times throughout the morning and I eventually commented on how interesting it was that Jack seems to love getting his diaper changed. I thought most babies didn’t like that. Then my sister showed me why he liked his diaper changed. She pointed to the area above his changing pad, which was the bottom of some kitchen cabinets. She had taped a few black and white pictures of faces and animals underneath the cabinets. What he really loved were the high-contrast images. That was the first time I realized just how powerful simple visuals can be for babies.

I remembered this ‘trick’ when I finally had my own son years later. When he was still a newborn I taped simple black and white faces above his changing table. I had a stash of books and cards that I would use during tummy time. It amazed me how long he would stare at each image, completely enthralled.

And it made sense, I learned later. At that stage, a baby’s world is still coming into focus. And high-contrast images—these bold black-and-white shapes and faces—aren’t just engaging. They’re helping a baby’s brain grow, one little gaze at a time.