Gorgeous Black & White Books & Toys For Your All Baby's High-Contrast Play Needs

If you’re scoping out the most popular newborn toys, you’ll find that most of them are black and white. You’d think bright colors and bold patterns would be best for baby, but that’s not the case for newbies. I mean newborns. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies are born used to living in a dark environment, with not a whole lot going on. Up until about three to six months of age they can only see between 12-15 inches in front of them, and can only really see in black, white and grey tones. Enter; toys, books, and décor in high contrast black and white, which can be extremely beneficial for your child’s development, because they register most strongly in a baby’s brain and help the optic nerve to grow.

Aside from the obvious benefits of black and white toys and books (they’re gender neutral, classic, and can be passed down from child to child) high contrast items help your child develop their ability to focus their attention, support visual development and brain development. So while playing with your baby in a monochromatic world may seem boring AF to you, their brains are actually in overdrive processing, learning, and developing.

But if wading through a sea of black and white toys makes your eyes go crossed, don’t worry, we’ve rounded up the best high contrast toys and books for your baby genius. From play mats to ball pits, board books to blocks, these toys are guaranteed to keep your little one entertained and their brain busy, so you can focus on other things new moms desperately need. Like maybe a nap.

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Art Cards

Art cards are a great way to introduce your baby to shapes, patterns, animals and more. You can prop them up in their crib, string them together to make a wall hanging, or tape them to to the wall by their changing table. This set from Wee Gallery comes in either jungle, sea, safari, or black and white animal collections.

Art cards, $15.99 at Amazon

Crinkle Toy

Babies love to explore different textures and their other senses, which makes this jungle crinkle toy perfect for their tiny, chubby fingers. It features fabric-covered crinkle paper and silky ribbon tags, plus the high contrast tiger print.

Crinkle toy, $9.18 at Amazon

Gymini

Tiny Love has a whole collection of black and white items for baby, including their gymini, mobile, super mat, and more. The gymini is a deluxe infant activity and play mat, and it’s various textures, sounds and features provide ongoing auditory and tactile stimulation. The mobile is perfect for their crib, stroller, or carseat, and has up to 30 minutes of continuous music. The whole collection is a one stop high contrast shop. 

Tiny love gymini, $59.99 at Amazon

Tiny love super mat, $39.99 at Amazon

Tiny love take along mobile, $24.98 at Amazon

Nesting Blocks

This classic toy grows with your child, and has 10 nesting and stacking blocks for learning and play, featuring woodland animals, plants, and numbers. The blocks are made out of durable board printed with eco inks, so they hold up after your kiddo destroys the tower, again…and again…and again…

Nesting blocks, $26.95 at Amazon

Mobile

This mobile is whimsical and fun, with pinwheels in black and white prints and patterns to hang over your babies crib. Your little ones will be mesmerized watching the pinwheels dance and swirl as they look up at the interior prints of the pinwheels. This mobile will entertain your infant, soothing and calming as it moves with the slightest breeze.

Mobile, $62 at Etsy

Crib Mirror

No one likes checking themselves out more than babies, and with this three sided crib mirror, they not only get to make faces at themselves, but can also check out the black and white pictures and patterns featured on the reversible sides. It’s washable, easily attaches to crib railings with cloth ties, or can stand up for tummy time play. 

Crib mirror, $25.95 at Amazon

Nesting Blocks

Nesting blocks have been around for ages, and there’s a reason they never go out of style. These woodland creatures are perfect for babies to learn cognitive skills, and comes in other sets like a bear, fox, and owl, or jungle friends. 

Nesting blocks, $42 at Amazon

Zoo Animal Stroller Toys

Soft and cuddly, these toys attach to your baby’s stroller, crib, carseat, highchair, and more for endless fun. There are built in rattles or squeakers in each of the 5 animals, which also come in an insect or sea animals set.

Zoo animals, $23.99 at Amazon

Baby Barnyard Den

An activity center like no other, this gorgeous baby barnyard den from Maisonette is beyond your wildest baby entertainment dreams. The soft cotton and foam baby den featuring a variety of friendly animals and dangling farm items to keep your baby busy, cozy, (and contained) What more could you ask for?

Baby barnyard den, $180 at Maisonette

Art For Baby Board Book

A collection of fascinating black-andwhite images created by some of the world’s leading modern artists. Each one has been specially selected to help babies begin to recognize pictures and connect with the world around them.

Art for baby board book, $16.95 at Amazon

Explore Playmat

This beautiful playmat from Wee Gallery is the softest, coziest padding for your tots tummy time adventures. This reversible playmat features a woodland scene on one side and a cityscape on the other, is made from organic cotton muslin and is machine washable, for all those unexpected spit ups. #Momlife

Explore playmat, $89.95 at Amazon

Zoo Board Book

From award winning Wimmer-Ferguson comes this animal-themed baby and toddler board book with soft padded cover made for engaging curious minds. It has 10 unique pages of different zoo animals for your baby to check out.

Baby zoo board book, $10.95 at Amazon

Crinkle Paper

There’s something about crinkly paper that gets babies to crack up every time. This simple sheet of fabric covered crinkly paper is the perfect toy to tuck into your diaper bag, in the stroller, keep one in the car- heck, you might want to buy more than a few of these.

Crinkle paper, $6.49 at Amazon

Activity Mat

This round activity mat is not only adorable, it gives your baby a variety of sensory stimulation including high contrast graphics, and hidden items includingcrinkly features, a rattle, a squeak and a maple wood teething ring hidden behind the bunny. It’s made from organic cotton, and is small, about the size of a dinner plate, with two cotton ribbons so you can tie your activity mat to the crib or highchair for easy playing.

Activity mat, $38.95 at Maisonette

Wooden Baby Gym

If natural wood is more your style, and you’re banishing plastic for your baby, this monochromatic baby gym is a win win. It’s sturdy structure folds flat for easy storage, and has 4 hanging wooden and crocheted charms for your babe to grab and slobber on. 

Monochromatic baby gym, $95 at Amazon

Monochromatic Ball Pit

When your baby can sit up by themselves and move around a bit, this black, white, and gray ball pit is sure to provide hours of entertainment. It’s zip closure makes the cover easy to take off and clean, and it’s the perfect way to keep your little one contained while giving them stimulating activity. I kinda wish they made this in adult sizes. Hello new office?

Ball pit, $79.99 at Amazon

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