Things I didn’t know about babies, until now… THEY CAN’T SEE IN COLOR?!?

Wait… what? Am I the only one that didn’t know this?

👍 All babies are color blind when they are born

👍 Before birth, your baby was accustomed to a dark, muted environment.

👍 Babies eyes have to learn to work together and eyes aren’t fully developed at birth.

So How Do They See You?

✅ They will be able to see the outline of your face.

✅ Newborns can only focus about eight to 12 inches from their face, and they see only black, white and gray.

✅ They like high-contrast patterns which stand out, helping them to focus.

No wonder babies like to stare at fans! High-contrast! 🔘 🔳 ◽️◼️

But When Do They Start Seeing Color?

👉 Babies are several weeks old before they can see their first color – red. 🔴

👉 3-4 months: Most babies can tell the difference between colors (especially red and green).

Why Is Red First?

🌈 Red has the longest wavelength between 760-647 nanometres (nm) and violet is 424-380 nanometers. Wavelengths below this are too short for human eyes to see. Picture a rainbow! 🌈

Since an infant’s vision is blurry and they can't focus farther than 12 inches, the color red can get into their circle of vision and be easily processed by the developing receptors and nerves in the baby's eyes. 👁

So When Can Babies See All Colors?

✴️ They will see the full spectrum of colors by the time they reach 5 months of age.

✴️ Depth perception and eye-hand coordination also begin to develop at this time.

✴️ They can grab at objects now! Intentionally!

Simple lines and bold patterns are easiest for babies to see and they grab and hold their attention.

Checkout these 🔟 handpicked high-contrast baby items that are great for supporting baby’s vision development! To view or purchase, click on links.