How to Use The Desi Dot Book with Babies and Beyond

The Desi Dot Book is an accordion-style, high-contrast board book designed to grow alongside your child. At first glance, the book might surprise you... There’s no text, the pages unfold instead of flip, and it doesn’t look like a typical baby book. But trust us: there’s a method to the madness.

Whether your child is just starting tummy time or exploring the world as a toddler, this book adapts to every stage of their development. Here’s a simple month-by-month guide to help you make the most of it.

Newborns (0–3 months): Build the Foundation

In the earliest months, babies are drawn to high-contrast (black and white) shapes and patterns. To support their vision development, place the book 8–12 inches from your baby’s face during tummy time or while they’re lying on their back. The bold black, white, and red designs help strengthen eye muscles and encourage visual focus, even if just for a few seconds at a time.

Early Infants (3–6 months): Encourage Visual Tracking

As your baby’s vision sharpens, begin unfolding more sections of the accordion book. You may notice your little one tracking the patterns from side to side and holding their gaze for longer stretches. This stage is all about exploration through sight, and the expanding pages make it inviting.

Mobile Infants (6–9 months): Introduce Interaction

Once babies begin sitting, rolling, and moving with more intention, the book becomes a tool for interactive play. During supervised playtime, let your baby grab, pat, or visually explore the full accordion layout. This is a great opportunity to model simple language. Name the colors (“black,” “white,” “red”) on each page. Count the red dots as you point to them (note: we purposely placed 1–9 red dots on each page!). Even though your baby isn’t repeating these words back just yet, their language development is rapidly growing at this stage. Introducing these terms now lays the groundwork for vocabulary they’ll use as toddlers.

Older Infants (9+ months): Discover the Joy of Mirrors

Around this time, babies become fascinated by faces, including their own, which is where the baby-safe mirror really shines. Your baby will love observing their face in the mirror, though they don’t quite yet recognize that face as their own. This stage is also a wonderful opportunity to introduce cultural vocabulary. Point out specific designs and label them as rangoli or kolam patterns. Not sure which is which? Rangoli patterns connect the dots, whereas kolam patterns are drawn around the dots.

Toddlers & Beyond (12+ months): Grow Through Play

The learning doesn’t stop with infancy. As your child gets older, The Desi Dot Book becomes a hands-on activity book:

• Count the dots, together or independently, to build early math skills.
• Trace the patterns to support fine motor development needed for writing skills later on.
• Recreate the rangoli and kolam designs using crayons, blocks, or art materials for a meaningful cultural craft time. We even have free printable coloring sheets to support this!

A Book That Grows With Your Child

The Desi Dot Book isn’t just like any other baby book. It’s a thoughtfully designed developmental tool and cultural keepsake that adapts to your child’s ever-evolving development. 

📘 Purchase the book on our website (with free U.S. shipping when you sign up for our e-list!):
https://bolandsolbooks.com/products/the-desi-dot-book

🛍️ Purchase the book on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/aAklNUl

✏️ Leave us a book review:
https://bolandsolbooks.com/products/the-desi-dot-book

🎨 Download the free rangoli coloring sheets (perfect for toddlers and up):
https://bolandsolbooks.com/products/free-rangoli-coloring-sheets