DIY Infant Toys: Black & White

With my little guy becoming more and more interactive all the time, I keep looking for things that he'll love. So far, his favorite is plain old paper he can rustle with his feet! Go figure. However, I also want to give him some more personal and developmental toys to play with. I know they can only see black and white for a while and then red starts to show up for them. I also read that they love to see faces. Being that he only has a few in his daily life, I wanted to give more to look at.

I had registered for these cool Stack n' Smile photo blocks from One Step Ahead (on Amazon) and got them as a gift. They let you add your own pictures. So, I printed the whole fam in black and white. I then took plain labels and wrote our names in red ink so he can eventually start to differentiate. The last of the four blocks (6 sides on each) has pictures of body parts with labels also. See below for pictures. I even added pictures of himself. Who knows how well he can see in the mirror when I show him? :)

I also wanted to make him a black and wait flip book. So, I went to Dollar Tree to look for stencils. What I found was even better. This was a banner for classroom use already printed and in black and white. So I just cut it apart and go through them once in a while like flash cards. Don't worry; I'm delusional enough to think he's learning the words but what else does he have to look at? The ceiling, that's what! These cards can also be colored in, so when we get to the point of learning colors, they'll be that much more useful still!

I can't wait for him to get more playful. He's probably annoyed at how much I try to engage him now when he'd really be fine to just stare at me and Daddy, let the dogs lick him once in a while, and kick paper in between naps and feedings! :)