Aparna Hari
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.
When Do Babies Start Seeing Colors?
4 min readWritten by Aparna Hari
It is common for every new mother to dream and create a color-filled room that welcomes her newborn home vibrantly. But do you know that a baby’s vision at the neonatal stage (28 days from birth) is still developing, and they have poor focus? Yes, like all the other organs, their eyes and eyesight also evolve slowly. Babies cannot immediately see all the bright colors, nor black and white right after birth. Their only concentration stays on trying to focus on objects near them.
As a new mother, you may wonder if your baby can see your face. Their heartwarming smile while looking at you, can melt your heart. Yes, they will watch your eyes as their eyesight slowly develops. Babies also work on focusing on the objects that go farther, say 12 inches and far. Their ability to focus on a single thing also evolves slowly, but it will take time to distinguish bright colors. This article explains more about when babies start seeing colors and when you should be concerned about your little one’s vision.
In This Article
- When Do Babies Start Seeing Colors?
- What Colors Can Babies See?
- When Do You Know if the Baby is Color Blind?
- When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
- FAQ’s
When Do Babies Start Seeing Colors?
According to several new studies, a newborn can see brighter colors like red patches. It is a fact that a newborn is only learning to focus their vision on an object, like distinguishing two faces in a single room. Their ability to see a particular color remains unknown right after birth. But, once the baby is 3-4 months old, the brain starts processing and reacting to different colors.
Research says that a 4-month-old baby’s brain works the same as an adult’s when they see bright colors like red, green, purple, and blue. Right after birth, they slowly start and learn to fix their focus. You might have observed something while breastfeeding, that your baby keeps their vision fixed on you. They can see your eyes very well. They can even see objects 8-10 inches away from them, but not beyond.
What Colors Can Babies See?
A newborn can only see dark and light, like black, white, and gray. The vision of a newborn slowly develops, and they will start to identify bold lines of red by the time they are eight weeks old. A baby can see appropriate colors like red, blue, purple, and green from 5 months. A baby can easily distinguish and identify almost all dark, light, and other shades of colors by the time they are 12 months old.
As a parent, you must play a keen role in developing their cognitive skills by playing with them. Show them different objects and surround them with vibrant colors. Although the neonatal period is too early for them to see colors, their vision slowly develops to identify different colors. Quality time with your little one can also generate a deep bond between you and the baby.
When Do You Know if the Baby is Color Blind?
You can understand that your little one is color blind only when they start to communicate with you. The learning stage of identifying colors is the stage where you can differentiate if the baby is picking the right color for that particular object.
Keep an eye on your little one, and do not hesitate to call your doctor when they prompt one color for another. Color blind kids mistake one color for another, like green for brown and red for gray.
[Read : Color Blindness In Toddlers]
When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
Get an appointment with your doctor if you observe any of the things below.
- Call the doctor if the baby’s eyes cross inwards or outwards once they are two weeks old. (Below that, a baby is still trying to establish coordination between the two eyes).
- Talk to your doctor if you observe any rapid movement like circular or vertical movement in their eyeballs.
- Let your doctor know if the baby has fixed her vision in just one place, even after diverting them. (This can happen during the first few weeks of birth, but make sure to see your doctor if this persists)
- Once your baby grows, take them to their pediatrician if they say brown for green color. It can happen as a mistake, but make sure to see your doctor if this persists.
As the baby grows, their ability to see and focus also increases. Understanding a newborn’s vision has still been a puzzle to many studies. However, your baby can joyfully react to the different bright colors they see within a few weeks after birth.
[Read : Newborn Baby Cross Eyed]
FAQ’s
1. What Colors Do Babies See First?
A baby can see colors at a very young age, but their brains will not receive them. According to studies, a young baby can see bold lines of red.
2. Can Babies See Colors at Two Months?
During the first few weeks, a newborn’s brain cannot perceive colors other than black and white. As their vision slowly develops, a baby starts seeing different bright colors. At the age of two months, a baby will be able to see bright red, purple, blue, and green colors.
3. What Color Can a Baby See at Six Months?
A baby can see almost all the colors, including their shades, at six months.
Read Also: When Will My Baby Start Remembering Things And People?
Aparna Hari,MBA in Marketing,P.G. Diploma in Human Resource Management from IGNOU Bachelor of Sciences (Home Science) from Nagarjuna University
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.Read more.
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