Slideshow: 20 High-Contrast Pictures for Infants
Great for Tummy Time, Diaper Changes and ’Alert’ Playtime
Play our Infant Zoo soundtrack during the slideshow for added engagement
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These high-contrast animal images—featuring bold black and white designs with touches of early color (like red and yellow)—are specially designed to support visual development in newborns and young babies. Whether you’re using them during tummy time or quiet alert play, they’re a screen-based way to gently engage and stimulate your baby—no printing required.
This slideshow features a sampling or our printable flashcard collections, each one designed to grow with your baby through their first year.
Stimulate your baby with this free slideshow of black and white pictures for infants
How to use these visuals with your baby:
- Place your screen about 8–12 inches from your baby’s face.
Let your baby gaze at each image until they look away or lose interest. Many infants will fixate on the same picture for several minutes at a time.
When attention fades, move gently to the next image.
Some things to try:
As your baby’s brain develops, they may crave more visual variety. If they’re losing interest quickly, try a new image or introduce gentle color contrasts like red or yellow.
Play the Infant Zoo soundtrack (top right of screen) and observe how they react.
Use this slideshow during tummy time, quiet alert play, or as a calming visual during diaper changes.
Prefer printables? Grab our at-home printable pack here.
Benefits of black and white pictures for babies:
- Showing black and white pictures for babies activates early brain development and are powerful learning tools.
- Black and white pictures stimulate sensory activity. As your baby reacts to the imagery, they develop movement and dexterity as they try to interact with the images.
- Black and white pictures help babies develop visual perception. Your baby’s vision and recognition skill increase as they view images of animals, faces, shape and common objects as well as simple repeating patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions:
When should I start using black and white pictures with my baby?
Right from birth! Newborns see best in black, white, and gray—and gradually begin to notice red and yellow around 2–3 months.
How long should I show each image?
Until your baby looks away or seems uninterested. For some, that’s 20 seconds. For others, it’s several minutes.
Can I print these out?
Yes! We’ve created a printable version with full-size and mini flashcards. Get our printable pack here.
Want more like this?
This slideshow features a small sampling of our high-contrast flashcard sets—designed for different stages of baby’s first year. If you’d like printable versions (including full-size and mini cards), check out our complete collections here.
Ludington-Hoe & Golant, 1987
Creator of the internationally acclaimed Infant Stimulation Program
