Your baby’s journey into colour – essential milestones for curious parents

How introducing colour into your baby’s world can boost their development.

”I’ve heard that colour can help with my baby’s mental development, but I’m not sure what they can and can’t see at different ages. Can you explain the science?”

Your home is your baby’s entire world for the first few months after they’re born. So it makes sense that it should be a visually stimulating space that will encourage their mind to expand and explore.

According to AzkoNobel research, over 40% of parents believe that colour is important to a baby’s development. But what can they actually see and when?

Here, we explain the five key stages of your baby’s visual journey.

For the first few weeks after they’re born, babies can only see up to a distance of about 20 to 30 centimetres – just far enough to make out your face when you’re holding them.
Black and white colour scheme

The fuzzy stage

For the first few weeks after they’re born, babies can only see up to a distance of about 20 to 30 centimetres – just far enough to make out your face when you’re holding them.

Their colour vision is also quite limited, so they respond most strongly to high-contrasting colours such as black and white.

Which paints?

Dark Secret   Dulux 00NN 05/000
Winter Hills   Dulux 50RB 83/005
By the time babies reach one to two months old, they have learned to focus their eyes and track objects or people that move around in their line of vision.
Brightly coloured nursery toys

The following-you-with-their-eyes stage

By the time babies reach one to two months old, they have learned to focus their eyes and track objects or people that move around in their line of vision.

Make sure you choose toys in high-contrasting colours that they will be able to make out.

From about two months old, babies start to be able to properly make out different colours, starting with the primary colours of red, yellow and blue.
Choosing a colour

The dawn of colour

From about two months old, babies start to be able to properly make out different colours, starting with the primary colours of red, yellow and blue and gradually becoming more sophisticated until they can tell the difference between things like red and orange.

This is the stage when it’s most important to expose your baby to as many different colours as possible.

Which paints?

Victorian Red   Dulux 98RR 12/480
Blue Blood   Dulux 47BB 14/349
Theatre Lights   Dulux 40YY 48/750
At five months old, a baby’s vision has become so well developed that they can even distinguish between subtle shades, such as pastels.
A pretty pastel nursery

Things are getting clearer…

At five months old, a baby’s vision has become so well developed that they can even distinguish between subtle shades, such as pastels.

Introducing more subdued shades into their toys and nursery décor can help them to get to grips with these new colours.

Which paints?

Blue Silk   Dulux 30BB 63/097
Vogue Violet   Dulux 10RB 65/042
By the time a baby reaches eight months old, their colour vision is almost as good as an adults and they can recognise different and objects across a room.
A collection of nursery toys

By the time a baby reaches eight months old, their colour vision is almost as good as an adults and they can recognise different and objects across a room.

Make sure you decorate your baby’s room with lots of interesting things for them to look at, encouraging their mind to explore the world around them.

Top tip

Don’t forget to paint your ceiling – your baby will spend a lot of time staring up at it once their long-distance vision starts to develop, so why not give them something interesting to look at?

Get the look with these colours:

Dark Secret   Dulux 00NN 05/000
Victorian Red   Dulux 98RR 12/480
Blue Blood   Dulux 47BB 14/349
Theatre Lights   Dulux 40YY 48/750
Vogue Violet   Dulux 10RB 65/042
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