Ways to help your vision impaired baby move around

March 10, 2023

Blind and partially sighted babies often don’t crawl by themselves. Sighted children crawl because they see something they want.

Moving around a room can be confusing for a vision impaired baby at first. However, there are some easy things you can do to help them with this.

Guide your baby’s hands and feet

Gently move your baby’s hands and feet to help them find out what’s around them.

Do this by sitting behind them. This makes it easier for you and feel more natural for your baby than pulling their hands and feet.

After a while your baby will start spreading their fingers to find out what’s around them. They will also start sitting up and crawl around the room. Make sure the room is baby-proof and there are no sharp edges they can bump into.

RSBC tip – let your baby hold your finger

Offer your baby a finger to hold on to when they start moving around the room. This will give them security they might need to move around.

Use talk and noise to guide your baby

Your baby might find it easier to move towards a noise. Talk to them while they are crawling or use a toy that makes a noise and that they can move towards.

This will help your baby to understand where things are in the room. Don’t move the toy or put it in your baby’s hands until they have reached it. Let your baby reach you or the toy rather than moving it to them. This helps them to build an understanding of space.

RSBC can help you with:

practical advice about your child’s development
support when you feel overwhelmed
understanding your child’s vision impairment better
living as a family and being supportive of each other

Call 020 3198 0225 or email connections@rsbc.org.uk

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