Guest Columnist

Jen Fuller, founder of Etta Loves, explains how by understanding babies’ developmental stages, we are able to most appropriately stimulate their vision.

BRIGHT EYES

Most parents are aware that their new baby’s vision isn’t very good. For example, did you know that babies can detect a strong red and green from birth, but the colours appear very muted and unsaturated Perhaps they know it’s blurry, compared to how we see them as perhaps they believe that they can adults? In addition, babies don’t have only see in black and white (which 3D vision until around five months is in fact a myth) but one thing is old. This is because the muscles for certain - watching your baby that hold their eyes straight and grow and change in their first year enable a 3D image to be sent and is a truly magical experience. processed by our brains are immature

When it comes to baby vision, at birth – which also explains why there is so much going on in babies go cross-eyed on occasion. their eyes and brains that is both These facts, and many more like interesting and useful to know as them, are what enable us to create a parent. By understanding our our age-appropriate products from babies’ developmental stages, we birth to 12 months and beyond. are able to most appropriately Because the area of infant vision is stimulate their vision. so vast but also has many unknowns,

My journey of discovery about I also wanted to see how we could infant vision started the moment my then four week old daughter Etta locked eyes onto my monochrome jumper during a feed. It sparked an idea that led me to set up the first visually sensory baby company, Etta Loves, which takes the science of how and what babies see put Etta Loves at the forefront of to make baby essentials do more visual research and, in turn, use than just their primary purpose. new research to create even better

With an idea in my head, and no products and patterns. I investigated former knowledge about the science universities with specialist baby of vision, my first hire for Etta Loves vision divisions and far and away was our orthoptist Laura (aka an the most highly respected one was expert in infant vision). Laura works The Baby Lab at the University in NHS hospital clinics, seeing infants of Sussex, which prompted me to that are referred with suspected invest in funding our very own PhD visual problems, as well as lecturing student to drive the latest learning on orthoptics. Laura was, and still is, into my brand. What’s fascinating critical to the business. From our very about working with the university first patterns, to now - six years on - is that not only can we test and Laura provides us with the knowledge optimise our current prints, but we for accurate scales, spacing and shape preference that go into our design brief. This ensures that every print we produce is perfectly optimised to a babies’ visual ability.

Above: Jen Fuller, founder, Etta Loves. can take questions that we don’t have the answer to – like our most recent study regarding infant colour preference – and design research that provides new and previously unknown answers to how babies’ see and what they like to look at. In a nutshell the world around us offers a wonderful sensory experience for babies every day. What we do at Etta Loves is take everything that is known about baby vision and translate it into beautiful patterns placed on things parents and carers need anyway – playmats, muslins, pram toys and more – that make your day that bit easier while baby stares contently and makes babies even more magical and mesmerising “ What we do at Etta Loves is take everything that is known about while supporting their vision. Our latest project with Laura and the university baby vision and translate it into was to look at the dizzying beautiful patterns placed on things array of baby sensory videos on YouTube and work out parents and carers need anyway. ” how we could make one far better for infant vision, and far more relaxing for parents too. So, we have created the optimum sensory animation for little ones, for free, on YouTube. This clever animation is rooted in science and features patterns that research shows us babies love to look at, movement speed that babies can track and a connecting soundtrack to optimise their visual learning through watching. It’s just one of the many ways we are innovating to bring you and your little one the best possible experience for their incredible eyes and brains. Find Etta Loves sensory magic at www.ettaloves.com Etta Loves sensory video https://www.youtube.

com/watch?v=BNRcQLYYRsg&t=6s

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