Improve baby development with a black and white play mat

Tummy time is an essential part of your baby's early cognitive and physical development. It not only strengthens your baby's neck, shoulder, and arm muscles, but also improves their visual and cognitive development.

Tummy time mats come in various colours and designs, but black and white tummy time mats have proven to be particularly beneficial for infants. At Grasp, we designed the Heads Up black and white tummy time mat for your baby's development.

Here's why it's the ideal tummy time mat for your baby.

Why are black and white colours important for babies?

Black and white are important colours for baby sensory development because they provide high-contrast visual stimulation that is easily detectable by a baby's developing eyesight.

In the first few months of life, babies are only able to see high-contrast patterns. They are not able to distinguish between colours. As they grow and develop, their visual acuity improves, and they are able to see more colours and details.

Black and white contrast improves visual development

Black and white are the most contrasting colours. Their high contrast makes them easier for babies to distinguish. And this contrast also best stimulates the development of the optic nerve to help the brain to process visual information.

When babies are exposed to black and white patterns, their brains are challenged to make sense of the contrasting elements, which enhances their visual processing abilities.

Black and white contrast improves tactile development

In addition to visual stimulation, black and white also provide tactile stimulation. Textures and patterns on black and white toys or mats can help to develop a baby's sense of touch and hand-eye coordination. The tactile stimulation from these patterns also encourages exploration and the development of fine motor skills.

Black and white contrast improves cognitive development

Black and white patterns and toys are also helpful for stimulating a baby's cognitive development. When babies engage with black and white objects, they learn about cause and effect, patterns, and spatial relationships. The contrasting elements in black and white patterns also help babies to learn about boundaries and shapes.

Overall, black and white play an important role in a baby's sensory development. The high-contrast visual and tactile stimulation provided by black and white patterns and toys helps to enhance a baby's visual processing abilities, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive development.

Four reasons why tummy time matters for your baby

If you want a complete guide to where the need for tummy time comes from and why it matters read more here. But here's the quick view of how tummy time will help your baby.

Tummy time strengthens baby's muscles:

Tummy time helps to strengthen muscles in a baby's neck, shoulders, arms, and back.

When babies spend time on their tummies, they work to lift their heads and push up, which helps to develop these muscles incrementally over time. These stronger muscles will eventually enable babies to sit up, crawl, and walk. Without tummy time, you're baby will take longer to build these muscles which might impact future development

Tummy time helps develops baby's motor skills:

Tummy time also helps to develop a baby's motor skills. When babies are on their tummies, they have the opportunity to explore their surroundings and interact with toys, which helps to develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. These skills are important for activities such as grasping objects and manipulating toys.

Tummy time helps prevent baby's flat head syndrome:

Spending too much time on their backs can lead to flat head syndrome, a condition in which the back of a baby's head becomes flattened due to prolonged pressure. Since you should be putting your baby on their back to sleep - and because baby's sleep a lot - your baby can end up spending a lot of time putting pressure on one spot of their head.

Tummy time encourages babies to spend more time on their stomachs, which helps to prevent this condition. Plus improving neck strength from day one will also help your baby reposition their head when laying on their back to ease the pressure on any on spot of their head.

Tummy time helps enhance baby's visual development:

Tummy time also provides an opportunity for babies to develop their visual skills. When babies are on their tummies, they are able to see the world from a different angle, which helps to develop their depth perception and visual acuity.

Additionally, providing toys or a tummy time mat with high-contrast patterns or colours can provide visual stimulation that encourages exploration and learning.

Three reasons to try our GRASP Heads Up black and white sensory tummy time mat

Heads Up tummy time mat gives baby's better visual stimulation

Babies are attracted to high-contrast colours, such as black and white, because they are easier for them to see. Black and white tummy time mats provide the perfect visual stimulation for infants during tummy time. The contrasting colours help develop their visual skills and improve their ability to focus.

Heads Up tummy time mat supports cognitive development

Black and white tummy time mats help promote cognitive development in infants. As babies spend time on their tummies, they learn to explore their surroundings and make sense of the world. The high-contrast colours on the mat in combination with the floating and moving primary colour shapes provide a visually stimulating environment that encourages exploration and learning.

Heads up tummy time mat encourages motor skill development

Tummy time mats are essential for developing a baby's motor skills. They help strengthen their neck, shoulder, and arm muscles, which are crucial for sitting, crawling, and walking. The inflatable and water fill for our Heads Up black and white tummy time mat gives additional sensory stimulation that helps babies connect what they're seeing with hand movements and can encourage greater fine motor skills.