My best advice to you is to try your best not to look at her differently. I was born totally blind, and my childhood was pretty cool, aside from some bad parents. But overall, I played outside, had awesome relationships with my siblings, I loved music, and liked to color on those little felt pictures you can buy. They also make raised line drawing boards, and quickdraw paper so she can play with markers. She might not understand what the colors are, but she will still have fun. She can learn to play certain video games by memorizing the sounds, if you get in touch with an early learning intervention specialist, they should be able to help you out a ton!

I'm sure you're overwhelmed right now, because you don't know what her future will look like. That's natural, and I'm available to answer any questions you might have. Just try to take it one day at a time, and you'll get through it. :)

I was born without any sight also. Socialising early on is so key, because that way friendships can develop at school. I had a massive circle of friends right through elementary to the end of high school. weekly train trips into the city to watch movies and eat junk food were a highlight of a few years, as were lots of board and card games, computer games and sports. I could swim, tandem bike and run, so that was fine, and many games are adaptable with some sticky tape to mark lines on the grass and a ball with a bell in it. In fact, getting a bunch of sighted people together to form a few goalball teams was really great, and it gave half my class an idea of doing things my way for a change. My aunt got really cross that the best photo of her daughter at school had the top of her head covered by an eyeshade, though. Never quite got forgiven for that one.

Blindness needs be only a handicap in the mind these days, particularly if you're born to it. Honestly as an adult, the only real impact on my life is an increased taxi bill, and given the costs of fuelling a vehicle these days even that's becoming less of a clear-cut thing. I have a school-aged child of my own, a comfortable home and a rewarding job. I couldn't have asked for much more.

I think each person is going to give you a totally different answer, with different personalities here. I think she’s going to be just like a normal kid, just don’t shelter or coddle her too much. Get her early intervention and learn how to do things as a blind person, use a cane, do things around the house and play independently, and later chores and even in the kitchen. It shouldn’t stop her, her blindness. Blind people can do almost anything, around the house if not everything, and travel and do other things and work in a wide ranging array of careers.


As for me, I was a technical kid, a tinkery one. I enjoyed building legos, I was kinesthetic. When I was 7 or 8 maybe around there I would take our wireless phone and is like I wonder how far this would stretch before it loses signal. I would take apart tapes, see what was inside, make paper things.


When I was younger I liked figuring out how my toys worked and how best to tinker and play with them.

I had a toy guitar it didn’t have strings it had buttons which could play notes or songs so I figured out how it worked and figured out what things would do what and tinkered with the software of it sort of how to “play it right” it wasn’t about music it was about tinkering. I loved building things in general.

Is it surprising now at 30 I am in tech, have been in the tech world helping out and working in it. Still very fiddly I guess you would call it. I was figuring out html last night and reminded me of early childhood when you posted this hours on end how does this work. What are the rules what can I do with it? Instead of guitar or legos it was html tags. :D

I loved tapes and tape recorder and recording myself. But experimenting with reading out loud and telling stories.


I got in to reading and literature later in my childhood and also really enjoyed it. I got really in to researching and learning in my teenage years. I did not get along with people my own age and largely still do not. So I sat in my room with a lot of books and read and got really knowledgeable.


I wasn’t a really social kid I just didn’t fit in, especially people my own age. I have no idea if I am an extrovert or introvert and don’t know if I care that much but I am pretty outgoing, but I still like to go to my corner and be there all day figuring stuff out.


But anyway. Point is let her take interest in what she will. Whatever her natural inclination is. Is she technical? Maybe she likes inventing her own games and rules. Maybe she’s artistic? Sporty? Not sure. But don’t limit and shelter her.

Mine is only one perspective. People on here may or may not have shared my childhood, I suspect not. I wasn’t a huge fan of sleep overs a wide circle of friends etc…. I think someone else was saying. I wanted to do things with friends that were projects and that meant something. Talk about something intellectual, or technical. That’s the type of friends I have nowadays.

Lots of flashing and light up toys, cause and effect. Enjoy her so much right now, have you read welcome to Holland, a lovely poem from parents pov.

My eldest daughter is VI and has climbed, ran, danced since day one, well month 18, let's be honest! We didn't stop her unless there was an immediate danger, she's brave but cautious and makes calculated risks. We might have mollycoddled her a hit more than had she come somewhere in the family.

I grew up with a fully blind friend, maybe because she was the youngest he parents pretty much ignored her disability (in a good way) they had tiny Yorkie dogs, she loved watching soccer with her dad, they didn't change their way of raising kids when she came along.

Your child will have an as fulfilling childhood as you and your community allow her to have. If she joins in plays, sleepovers ,parties, hobbies etc she'll have the same memories as other kids

Lots of flashing and light up toys, cause and effect. Enjoy her so much right now, have you read welcome to Holland, a lovely poem from parents pov.

My eldest daughter is VI and has climbed, ran, danced since day one, well month 18, let's be honest! We didn't stop her unless there was an immediate danger, she's brave but cautious and makes calculated risks. We might have mollycoddled her a hit more than had she come somewhere in the family.

I grew up with a fully blind friend, maybe because she was the youngest he parents pretty much ignored her disability (in a good way) they had tiny Yorkie dogs, she loved watching soccer with her dad, they didn't change their way of raising kids when she came along.

Your child will have an as fulfilling childhood as you and your community allow her to have. If she joins in plays, sleepovers ,parties, hobbies etc she'll have the same memories as other kids

Fighting with my brother lmao.

Also playing with action figures, watching old cartoons (I could usually tell what was going on through the dialogue), eating food, watching my brother playing video games, and eventually when I knew how to use the internet, it opened up a whole new world of amazingness. I only have light perseption as well.

I also think that you should join a Facebook group for the blind. They talk about video games. I remember playing video games as a kid, don't remember how. It's definitely possible. They should be able to give you ideas and share more. Maybe search YouTube for blind babies and children. There are good resources out there. When your baby gets older o&m and all that will be available

I loved talking toys, plushies, my little cassette radio. Think of textures and sounds. We play the same as any other child. Get them a cane as early as possible and make sure they feel confident. Tell them there's nothing they can't do.

Please, please please do not shelter your child. My parents did this to me for a very long time and its so damn annoying.
We are blind, our eyes doesnt function. Our brains and other senses still do. As long as you treat her like any other child, take her to the same places and do the same activities with her, she will have a pretty normal life.
One thing she will of course struggle with is that the games and toys focused on colors. Else there are so many games and toys available for the blind.