My Baby Loves Shadows

Does it trouble you that your baby’s current source of amusement is their reflection on the wall? Like any other parent, you want to know what is expected, including your baby fixation for shadows. Of course, some people are quick to pin everything to an underlying cause, such as autism. But this depends on your child’s age and developmental milestones. Still, if you feel your child should not be gazing at shadows at their current age, a doctor’s correct diagnosis can help.

Otherwise, babies are hardwired with sensory experiences from day one, and they crave to touch, see, test, and hear. But every child is different and with distinct loves and fears. Sometimes what excites your baby at a certain age may not necessarily interest another, and what captivates them may be scary to another. The most important thing is to take cues from your baby based on their unique sensory threshold. If they love the shadows, encourage it, and let them experience things based on how their brain is wired.

Why Your Baby’s Love  for  Shadows  Is  an Indication of Vision Development

You should not find it strange that your child is fascinated with motion, including moving shadows. Are they about seven to eight months of age? Then, of course, they are beginning to discover and get so fixated on moving objects, light, and patterns. Your child especially gets so curious about the contrast between dark and light. These can arouse imagination and intense interest, and they can’t have enough of either patterns or shadows. According to experts, this is a sign of your baby’s developing vision. You can take advantage of their newfound love for shadows to amplify their vision skills.

Fun Indoor and Outdoor Shadow Games to Stimulate Your Child’s Vision

To begin, hold your baby on your lap and sit in between any light source. You can now use a flashlight and shine it on the wall, creating your reflections. To make the effect even more dramatic, move the flash from side to side so that the shadows are moving. Another very effective shadow game is showing your baby both of your shades on the wall. Use fingers and hands to create funny figures. You can also make shadow puppets with your hands. Again, try holding up objects so that as the objects move, the shadows move along, too. Assuming you are in the outdoors playing shadow games with your little one, check out the tree, car, and building shadows. You can show them their shadows too.

Other Great Techniques to Stimulate Your Child’s Vision

Shadow games are a practical way to amplify your child’s vision skills, but you can also incorporate other methods to make the journey as exciting as possible. For example, simple eye contact helps your baby learn to recognize faces. Those funny faces you make at your child helps to stimulate their vision. Please don’t be shy to smile and stick out your tongue, as they, too, can start learning how to imitate facial expressions.

Another excellent way is to show your child their reflection on the mirror, which dramatically stimulates their brain and vision in one take. Then, of course, the most common game that parents use to test their child’s imagination is object movement. Hold an object or two in front of your baby’s eyes. As they gaze at it, move it from side to side, allowing them to recognize and follow the movements.

Things That Fascinate Your Baby the Most

Your baby sensory reflexes are drawn to motion, contrast, music and rhythm, and imitation. For example, if it moves, it instantly draws your child’s interest. Have you noticed your baby’s fixation on things black and white? They get so excited at the shadow movements or patterns above the ceiling. Generally, when your baby looks at things that stand distinct against each other, it is a sign of increased stimulation. If you couple all these activities with sound/ music, your baby’s psych goes a notch higher. Finally, if you are using your hands to create shadow puppets, your baby is silently copying. You can be sure they will soon be making their own due to their nag for imitation.