Your baby will enjoy most toys which you have or can buy at the local toy shop without you needing to buy toys specific for visually impaired children as many toys can also be adapted for your baby’s visual needs. Here are some suggestions for your baby regardless if they have any additional needs to their visual impairment:

• Allowing your baby to explore real items will help them to learn more about their World around them rather than offering them plastic versions – a real hairbrush will be more meaningful than a small toy one with plastic bristles for example.
• Noisy toys may be more appealing especially to a baby with very limited vision. Making your own shakers by filling pairs of bottles with different items will help with listening skills as well as matching skills.
• Moving toys sometimes are easier for a baby to see and the skill of tracking and locating can be practised.
• Mobiles or play frames can be used and simply adapted by attaching fairy lights or even hanging household items of interest onto them for your baby to watch and to explore.
• Play dens/tents or even brollies allow an area to be less lit for your baby to enjoy light able toys especially if their vision is poor. Many toy shops or fayres sell battery operated light effect toys which may be enjoyable to your baby inside the tent or den. When this toy is placed inside a translucent box or bin then the effect changes again. Brollies can be placed over your baby to give them a darkened area and then fairy lights of bright contrasting objects hung from the spokes inside – a lovely way to bring a story to life. Alternatively, your baby could be led outside of the brolly with the light effect flashing inside which will light up all of the brolly to give a larger sensory effect.
• Sensory stories are a fun way to make a story meaningful to your baby when their vision is limited. Think about how you can add a few different sensory props to a favourite story when sharing a book or even hang up some items from a story inside a sensory brolly to look at and explore together. Making Sensory Story bags can be a nice activity for other siblings or family members to do for your baby.
• A small inflatable paddling pool for your baby to play in will allow them to have a smaller area to explore without their toys rolling too far away. You can fill the pool up with leaves collected on a walk or any other lovely sensory items without messing up your living room floor!

We have our Families First team of trained Family Practitioners who can support you through these early months and years to help you feel confident with your child’s diagnosis and future.