Frazzled parents helped
since September 1996:
18,233,928
As a new father (ok, that was back in 1996 when I first built this site), I have been on the never-ending quest to find something that will settle my shrieking kid especially during a diaper change when, obviously, it is impossible to hold her. Thanks to a friend's suggestion and some research, I believe I have found a simple but effective solution.
As a graphic designer by profession*, my first inclination was to develop a visual solution. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 - The Complete and Authoritative Guidebook, a baby's vision at one week after birth is approximately 8 to 15 inches (incidentally, about the distance from the breast to mom's eyes!) and by one month the baby can focus briefly on things as far away as three feet. A baby can easily focus on objects (or art) with great contrast, such as black and white objects. The more contrast in a pattern, the more it will attract the baby's attention.
Therefore I have developed a series of pictures and patterns which are more attractive to babies from the age of newborn and to about 12 months. I hope you and your baby enjoy them.
What you will find here are two different approaches:
The "slide show" consists of several images that will appear on your browser for about 5 seconds and then automatically change to the next image. This will loop continuously until you hit the stop button at the bottom of the page.
The "poster" consists of all the images that are in the "slide show" version. You can download this to your computer or you can print it out and post it beside your baby's changing table. Also keep a copy of it in your baby's changing bag and in the car!!
Good luck!!
Mike Lampkin
* Yeh, I know the design of this page looks absolutely terrible, but I've just kept original 1990's style design for fun. And sorry about the ads...the few pennies they generate help defray the cost of this site since my "baby" is in medical school now. :)