When should I stop using black and white toys for baby?

[DoNotLoseHope]

Till what age is black and white toys and books good for a baby and when to stop using them?

I never used them. Things like this are just landfill fodder in my opinion.

Is that a thing?
Why black and white toys?

@Needmorelego its more high contrast patterns in black and white to help a baby focus as they can only see black and white at the start

Do you mean they see IN black and white? It can't be that they only see black and white objects, surely, though maybe they see high contrast patterns more easily?

Oh.
I haven't really heard that as a specific thing you "should" do with babies.
All I remember of my daughter's first toys were things she could grip and shake (like a teething rattle).
She's 18 now so I assume trends have changed.

@DoNotLoseHope to be honest when your baby has stopped showing interest in something that's when you stop using it.

Eh?

Ok now I think I’ve had it all wrong this whole time as I’ve lost some of you all on this topic nevermind

There’s scientific truth in it OP but it is a fad. Babies have been fine forever without stuff like this. I despise buying unnecessary things like this as it just ends up in landfill in the end. There’s really no need for black and white toys. So much of what’s marketed to mums and babies is completely unnecessary.

I think you've misunderstood, babies can see all kinds of colours, but because their rods and cones are developing, and their eyes can't focus properly high contrast colours stand out more, this includes green, reds, blues.

Keep the toys you have, just add others.

First time mum?

You're overthinking it. There's no particular age - they just gradually lose interest in the newborn sensory toys and more interested in other forms of play.

I had a big clear out before DS's first birthday of all the stuff he didn't bother with anymore - teethers, sensory toys, crinkly toys. He's 14 months now and loves his board books, building blocks, anything with wheels he can push, shape sorters.

Yes and you can lay out all manner of toys and sensory things and sitting and crawling babies will play with a smelly old shoe instead

There became a very obvious point when baby could see red, it seemed quite sudden - she was just really interested by red things. After that we switched to black, white and red. When she learned to see other colours, she stopped being interested in the black/white/red too and was much more interested in other brightly coloured objects.

Basically, it will be really clear when it's time to change, by your baby's changing interest in differently coloured items

What? You cannot be serious

Yess first time mum but nothing wrong with trying to educate myself on what’s good for a babies development and what’s good for their little brains and eyes. I already have black and white cards which she has been really interested in - now I know to continue to use until she isn’t into it anymore

Black-and-white toys are most useful for the first 2-3 months — that's when a baby's eyes are too immature to see much beyond strong contrast.
By 3-4 months, color vision kicks in properly, so you can start swapping in bold colors (red first, then yellow, blue, green).
You don't have to yank the black-and-white stuff away on some deadline — just let it fade out naturally as you introduce more colorful books and toys around that 3-4 month mark. Babies will basically tell you when they're bored of it by not looking as much

My DD loved a black and white mobile above her crib, but this was 20 odd yrs ago when I read about the eye development.
Op you're fine. Buy what you like now but know that colours are good.
X

Don't worry about the responses - you are right that black and white is helpful in the early months.

Don't buy too many, don't worry about the mix.

Offer a range of things and observe which the baby is drawn to.

There's no need to withdraw them, your baby will naturally move on.

It can feel like you have to make all the choices, but actually if you offer good/healthy things the baby will make the right choices.

Scientists debate how far babies see colour before 3 months but on balance it is likely they can see high contrast colour to a degree. They need all kinds of visual input to drive their visual development. Nothing wrong with showing them high contrast black and white patterns, but its good to show them colour too, at any age.

My son had a black and white cloth book that he loved as a baby. I am not sure when he lost interest but it was well past the newborn stage as I remember him turning the pages. His brother also loved it, so it wasn't just landfill or a waste! Just use it as long as they are interested.

Never used any of that stuff. The most important thing is to interact with her and take her out to see the world. If she likes playing with those, sure, great. It’s not going to do any harm. But really the best thing is you for her development. The toys are second.

Op, my grandson is 2 and still likes looking at a black/white contrast ‘First Christmas’ book I bought him. I was slightly hesitant to give it to him as, like you, I associated black/white with tiny babies, and he was 7 months at the time. It’s always been one of his favourites, though!

Fads and fashions change and new mums are always at the mercy of the latest trend or ideas.All they can do is their best, which OP sounds as though she's trying to do.

But honestly, OP, babies happily managed without developmental toys of any kind for generations and it's only recently that this sort of thing has come in and previous generations weren't notably lacking in judgement, visual acuity or intellect, so please try not to worry too much.

This.