SEEING RED AND YELLOW

To help babies with categorization and spotting differences, we can leverage what is known about baby preferences. One preference babies have in the first few months is for high contrast images and bright colors.

In FD04, this started with simple black and white, and now shifts toward the reds and yellows (exposure to all colors is good). Abstract shapes and patterns were a hit, and now there is a preference for objects, animals, and differences. These preferences for high contrast images and bright solid colors in interesting shapes hold focus and attention of a baby, and can be used for getting in some baby concentration reps.

Note: Babies can be overstimulated, so have times where there is only one thing or activity at once.

As a starting place, look at or print the images in this PDF (use a color printer). These new images have some color mixed into the design and have progressed from more abstract shapes to outlines of animals. There are also a few images that have slight differences in them, as babies like spotting differences around this time! Some images also have the name of the animal. Position a sheet so baby can see it. Say the name of the animal, repeating it a few times, and talk about the color a little bit. You can make up a story or talk about the image/animal in depth if you like, or sit in some quiet concentration time – that’s where your unique approach comes into play. NOTE: There is no hard science on exactly what babies should see – so the images in the PDF are a starting place, but by no means endorsed by science.

To spruce things up you can move the image around, back and forth, or rotate it to stimulate the session. Or move the baby around if you add these to your Daddy Art Gallery. Spend as much or as little time as you have for this – the main thing is having fun and bonus points for making a funny face or two!

If head/neck control has progressed… Tummy Time Art Gallery Mod!

If you don’t have access to a printer – fear not – bright bold colors and high contrast can be made, worn (hats, ties, shirts), put front and center in the house (light colored plates on a dark table), found in nature (leaves on a sidewalk), or can be purchased (Amazon).

Incorporate into movement play by hanging interesting objects and images above the baby or in front of baby for tummy time or back play. If using a mirror, hold the object behind them so they see it in the reflection. If you already have a mobile, add your own things to dangle. If you are up for a Dad Challenge – make something. Marker to paper works well!

Make it social. Put on a hat with some contrast or put white/colored paper on a hat temporarily to create contrast. Hold your alert and awake baby so they can clearly see your face and head. Move your head from side to side in a slow and smooth glide. Your baby may follow you right away, they may ignore you unless you call their name or make a noise, or they may not engage with this at all just yet. Keep it exciting, experiment, and you will find something that is fun for all.

And finally – we are often passengers on their journey – sit back and observe reactions in your baby to new colors and objects in the home or elsewhere – this may clue you in on what they prefer, find interesting, and like to concentrate on. If you look deep into the eyes you can see what they see…

The beginning brain, at birth, weighs about 10 ounces and by late adolescence it rockets to over 3 pounds. The tremendous growth across early development is a result of firing and wiring with every experience your child has. HERE (preview below) is a visual on how sight and vision (understanding) progress in the first year.

In the eye, light is mostly sensed by the rods and cones. The rods help us see in lower light and in more greyscale – and are fairly mature at birth. Cones process brighter light in Red, Green, and Blue and send that information to the brain to create the color spectrums we perceive. Cones develop to adult levels over the first several months of life.

Colors

Scientists have been studying the development of eyesight and color perception for quite some time, and it is currently known that children are born with the ability to perceive Red, Green, and Blue, but that it takes time to develop the connections to the brain, develop sensitivity needed to perceive a full spectrum of colors, and develop the ability to see fine details (acuity), and detect motion.

Specific to color, while there is debate over which colors are processed first, one thing that is agreed on is that exposure to different colors over time is beneficial. This simply means that while a baby may prefer a color at a stage in development, we shouldn’t just show them only that color all the time.

A 1987 study on Color Preference in Early Infancy, by Dr Russell J Adams, found that 3-month old children prefer long-wavelength chromatic colors (pure red and yellow) when compared to short-wavelength colors (pure blue and green). Interestingly, his research showed that adult subjects preferred the opposite – blue/green vs red/yellow. And from a timing perspective, Adams research indicated that babies do not appear to prefer any other colors before the third month, though they seem to be able to differentiate bold colors by 1 month of age.

Light Exposure for Babies (and Dads)

The research from Adams also indicated that newborns showed a brightness preference and looked longer at stimuli of lower brightness, but more pure color. This is not tied to how sensitive babies are to light and brightness though.

At birth it takes about 50x the brightness to bother a baby vs an adult, and by 3-4 months the light threshold of the eye is near adult level. But the eyes are still significantly less sensitive to contrast – which is the ability to understand changes in a tone/hue of a color as it moves away from the pure color. Babies likely perceive three colors in the below – white, pure red, black – and not the slight changes in contrast.

As the light threshold approaches adult levels – light exposure has more impact on your child. This aligns with the biological start of their circadian rhythm, which is influenced by light. The circadian system is a system in the body that tells us when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep. It uses information from light that enters the eye to control sleep-wake cycles, changes in daily hormone production, and other things that are tied to long term health. It is a major controller of the sleep system, and is best trained by getting bright light exposure during the day (natural light is best) and by avoiding bright lights at night (mainly artificial light).

As babies can register more light, and with more color sensitivity, so ramps up the circadian system, which is a main reason why babies start to find more normal sleep patterns around the 3-4 month mark. They need bright days and dark nights to help train this.

To support this process, get outside in natural light within an hour of waking up in morning, even if just for 10 minutes. Get outside throughout the day, and look at the evening sky, again even if just for 10 minutes. This resets and maintains your internal clock – both baby and you!

Focus and Attention

The science behind early childhood development tells us that children with good concentration tend to become kids and adults with good executive function – which is the term for the skills that support good decision making, cognitive coordination, and self control. Executive skills are trainable, and fully develop in late adolescence (18-20 years old) – though training can improve executive skills at many stages in life. The initial foundations for these skills in the brain start with the firing and wiring of visual, sensory – and auditory experiences and the concentration that is used in those experiences. Concentration is the name of the game when building focus and attention.

When you combine what science knows about baby preferences and what you know about your own baby, you can set up opportunities for them to focus. You may have heard the phrase “never wake a sleeping baby” – it may be more important to never distract a concentrating baby.

While many parents feel the urge to constantly entertain a baby, it’s not required. It also turns out that when parents constantly jump in to entertain, it disrupts concentration, rest, time to stare and quietly process experiences around them. Everyone will find their own balance in up time, down time, and time where baby is and isn’t the center of attention.

Vision and Eye Care

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that early vision issues in children may begin to appear around the 3 to 4 month mark. You can read more from the AAP and about common eye/vision issues in children in the links below, however the things to watch for are:

– Extreme sensitivity to bright lights
– Constant eye turning and twitching
– White or grayish color in the pupils
– Constant redness, pus, or crust in either eyelid
– Excessive tearing or watering of the eyes
– Misaligned eyes that look crossed or turned out (eyes not working together as a team to track objects).

If you observe any of these please consult your pediatrician.

About Vision Screenings (AAP)
Signs to Watch for Regarding Vision in Children (AAP)