Visual Learning for a Healthy Baby: How Babies Learn to See

Babies are not born with fully developed visual function. The ability to use their eyes together correctly, to focus, and to move the eyes between objects is part of visual learning. This article helps you to understand how babies learn to see and includes some tips for providing visual stimulation to encourage proper visual learning.

Processing of Visual Stimuli by the New Baby

A new baby sees a fuzzy, grayish world at first and can't make out much detail. After the first week or so visual learning affords perception of colors--red, orange, green, and yellow. Visual perception of blue and violet takes a little longer. At first, a new baby can only focus up to 8 to 12 inches away.

Early visual learning includes coordinated use of the eyes. After a couple of months, the eyes should begin to work together and visual perception should include distinguishing of individual objects and tracking them with the eyes as they move without also moving the head. This is part of how babies learn to reach out to grab objects.

Around five months of age, visual learning affords the ability to judge distance. Visual perception begins to offer a three-dimensional world.

By the time a healthy baby is six months old, focus should be greatly improved and visual learning should allow detection of all colors. Hand-to-eye coordination begins to develop at this age. It is part of how babies learn to pick up objects, sometimes directing them into the mouth.

Between 7 months to 1 year, visual learning should allow body mobility, greater hand-to-eye coordination, and the ability to distinguish objects more clearly. A healthy baby should begin to crawl toward objects during this time.

Tips for Encouraging Visual Learning

#1. Watch for eye problems that can interfere with visual learning: excessive tearing, red eyes with crusty matter on the lids, constant eye drifting or crossing, and white discoloration in the colored part of the eye. If any of these problems occur, see a doctor promptly.

#2. A new baby's favorite object is a parent's face. Seeing the same hairstyle and appearance is part of how babies learn to focus on and recognize a parent's face.

#3. A new baby, up to three to four months, cannot easily detect light. Light in the nursery will help with visual learning. It won't disturb sleep. How babies learn to see light improves drastically after four months and it may be best to begin to dim the lights for sleep at that age.

#4. Changing the baby's position in the crib and moving the crib to new locations in the room increases visual learning.

#5. How babies learn to detect and follow moving objects is helped by parents walking around the room while talking to the baby.

#6. Stimulate all facets of visual learning by decorating the nursery with lots of bright colors and objects of different shapes.

#7. Provide objects the new baby can reach for and crawl toward. Give him toys that he can disassemble and reassemble to stimulate visual learning.

#8. The first eye exam should be at about 6 months. Good vision is an essential part of how babies learn and develop. Unrecognized problems can cause the brain and eyes to compensate in ways that may be difficult to correct later. A program called InfantSee (888-396-3937) can refer you to a practitioner who will provide the first exam free in babies between 6 months to one year.

Summary: When parents know that visual learning is a stepwise process that requires good eye health and visual stimulation, they can take action to help it along. Understanding how babies learn to see and knowing the stages of proper visual development also helps parents watch for and take steps to correct problems early.

Sources:

Gary Heiting. Your Infant's Vision Development. All About Vision.

No author given. Infant Vision: Birth to 24 Months of Age. American Optometric Association.

No author given. Learning to See-- How Vision Develops. Children's Vision Information Network.