When Can Babies See Color? Here’s How Baby’s Vision Develops

When I was pregnant with my first son and got a black-and-white mobile for him as a baby shower gift, I immediately wondered if and when babies can see color. As a new mom-to-be, I didn’t yet know much about newborn vision.

It turns out that baby’s sight—including the colors they can see—develops gradually in stages. “Baby visual development is on a continuum,” explains Dr. Megan Collins, MD, MPH, professor of pediatric ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. “It starts at birth and continues through early childhood.”

So, when can babies see color—and recognize your loving smile? Read on to learn how baby vision progresses over time, and when you can expect babies to see faces, objects and colors.

Key Takeaways

• When do babies see color? Color vision develops gradually. At the newborn stage, baby can mostly see gray, white and black. By 2 months, they start to see primary and bright colors, and by 4 months they’ll start to see lots of other hues. Around 12 months old, baby’s able to see the full palette of colors!
• When can babies see clearly? For newborns, things look pretty blurry. But baby’s clarity and depth of vision grows throughout their first year, and by 12 months old, their vision quality improves significantly. By 3 to 5 years old, a child will typically be able to see as well as an adult.
• If baby isn’t making eye contact by 3 months, isn’t tracking objects or faces by 4 months or their eyes turn in or out once they turn 6 months, it’s worth speaking with your provider.

When Do Babies See Color?

Babies typically have good color vision by about 5 months, and see the full range of colors by around 7 months. Early on, baby vision is too weak to really distinguish between colors—but your little one will gradually pick up different hues over time.

The newborn stage

During the newborn period, they’ll mostly see ranges of light and dark as their retinas develop (i.e. shades of white, black or gray—and possibly some bright colors), the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes. “They also tend to be light-sensitive for the first couple of months,” explains Dr. Denise Scott, MD, a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist in Oklahoma. This is also why black-and-white and high-contrast toys are so great for young infants.

2 to 4 months

As baby’s eyesight improves in the weeks and months following birth, they’ll begin to pick up different hues—especially red and green—and will soon be able to see all colors. “In studies, babies have been shown to respond to red, green, blue and yellow starting at 3 months and up,” says Dr. Melanie Kazlas, MD, medical director of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary in Boston. Pastel colors may still prove tricky at this point, but baby will continue to improve their sight.

5 months and beyond

By about 5 months, baby will have good color vision. However, it won’t be as fully developed as that of an adult, says Dr. Ron Benner, OD, an optometrist in Laurel, Montana. By 7 months, baby should be able to see the full color spectrum.

Baby Vision Development

Baby’s vision is constantly changing and improving over time. While every child progresses at their own pace, there are some general vision-development milestones you may notice at certain times.

Newborn to 1 month

Right after birth, baby’s eyes will respond to light, says Dr. Collins. “The way that we test vision in kids is we put a bright light in front of their eye,” she explains. “Their eyes are closed and they squeeze their eyes.” (Dr. Collins doesn’t recommend that parents do this, though.)

2 to 3 months

At around 4 to 6 weeks old, baby will start to visually fix on an object and follow it with their eyes, Dr. Collins says. Baby can focus only on objects and people that are close up, around 8 to 12 inches from their face.

“Initially, the brain isn’t well-developed enough, but by 2 to 3 months, baby should be able to fixate on an object and follow it as it moves through space,” says Dr. Kate Land, MD, a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente.

Don’t be alarmed if your newborn’s eyes may appear to cross or wander. "In the first few months of life, baby’s eyes can look a little [wobbly], like they aren’t working in a perfectly coordinated way,” says Dr. Land, who gets lots of questions about this from worried parents.

4 to 6 months

The world will take on a whole new hue between the four- and six-month marks, when baby is better able to see color and perceive depth. At this point, a few things are happening:

• Baby’s eyes should be looking in the same direction and working together to process information, Dr. Land says.
• Baby will gain better “control over their eye movements, and their eye-body coordination skills will continue to improve,” Dr. Benner says.
• Vision clarity and depth perception (ability to see three-dimensionally) will get better.
• By 4 months, baby’s eyes “will work together, and shouldn’t cross as frequently,” Dr. Scott says, adding that their eyes should stop crossing altogether around 6 months.
• Around 4 to 6 months, baby will also be able to see as far as across a room.

7 to 9 months

At this stage, baby eyesight develops even further. Here’s what’ll happen at this stage:

• Vision improves on all fronts. “Baby vision continues to sharpen in terms of visual acuity and depth, as well as color,” Dr. Kazlas says.
• Babies at this age can recognize shapes and patterns.
• Baby can see farther. “They’ll be able to recognize you from across a room and see much further distance,” Dr. Scott adds. This is partially due to milestones like crawling, which can occur around 8 months, Dr. Benner notes. “This helps further develop eye-hand-foot-body coordination.”

10 to 12 months

Here’s what happens as baby gets ready for toddlerhood:

• Baby’s vision gets even sharper. Wondering when babies can see clearly? That starts to happen around this stage. “Clinical research tells us that as babies approach their first birthday, parts of the eye and the visual part of the brain have matured, and they’ve gained enough visual experience for their vision to approach 20/20,” Dr. Kazlas says. “However, most babies aren’t yet able to tell us what they see on a standard eye chart until they’re a little older.”
• Hand-eye coordination gets more precise. Dr. Benner adds that milestones like the pincer grasp (picking up objects with the thumb and index finger) also help develop baby’s vision at this age. “Babies can also now judge distances fairly well, and they have a bit more precision when throwing things.”

Spotting Issues with Baby Vision Development

“The presence of eye and vision problems in infants is uncommon, but not rare,” Dr. Benner says. “Most babies begin with healthy eyes and start to develop the visual abilities they’ll need throughout life without difficulty.” However, it’s possible for eye health and vision problems to develop.

Below, experts list some eye and baby vision problems to be aware of. Just remember, while the following are guidelines, each baby will hit milestones at their own pace. Consult your pediatrician if:

• Baby doesn’t make eye contact by around 3 months old
• They’re not tracking objects or faces with their eyes by 4 months. (This could indicate a newborn vision problem.)
• Their eyes turn in or out after they turn 6 months—especially if the frequency of occurrence increases rather than decreases with age
• Baby doesn’t reach for objects in front of them by 4 months
• Eyes wander constantly (this could signify an issue with eye-muscle control)
• Excessive tearing (this may signal blocked tear ducts)
• Discharge from either or both eyes or red and crusty eyelids (these could be signs of an eye infection)
• Eyes repeatedly flutter or move rhythmically (a condition called nystagmus)
• Baby tilts their head frequently when looking at things
• Baby’s pupils are different sizes (or if one is white)
• Extreme sensitivity to light (could indicate increased eye pressure)
• Frequent rubbing of one or both eyes
• Baby’s eyes stay fixed in a crossed or deviated position for a long period of time

“Eye health problems [in baby] aren’t common, but if present, early detection and treatment offer the best future for your little one,” says Dr. Benner. During an eye exam, your provider will test for many things, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and any amblyogenic factors that limit the eyes’ ability to develop and learn to see clearly, including eye-movement ability and eye alignment, he adds.

How to Help Baby’s Vision Development

Experts say there’s plenty that parents can do to help support newborn and baby vision development. Here are a few tips they recommend:

• Offer baby developmentally appropriate toys. For newborns, this means high-contrast and brightly colored objects. For older infants—to help with depth perception—Dr. Scott suggests blocks, containers and playing peek-a-boo using a mirror. Crib mobiles and play gyms are also great options. “I went all in with a black-and-white sensory mobile and cards that attached to the car seat for stimulation,” says Erin M., a mom of two in Virginia.
• Engage baby physically. This helps with hand-eye coordination. Dr. Benner suggests engaging in games like patty cake—and plenty of unstructured movement. “Give baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor,” he suggests.
• Protect baby’s eyes. Make sure to shield baby’s eyes when outside with sun hats, sunglasses and sun shades.
• Get baby’s eyes checked. Keep up with regular pediatrician and optometrist checkups. “Vision screening tests, done either by the nurse or with a vision screening device, are helpful to pick up potentially serious vision problems in a child, but a complete eye exam by a pediatric ophthalmologist is the gold standard,” Dr. Kazlas says.

To Sum It Up

There’s a lot of baby vision development in the first year. Their focus range, color vision and motor tracking all develop gradually—until, around 12 months, baby will be able to sing, “I can see clearly now…” For example, while newborns start with blurry vision and mostly see in black, white and gray, a 12-month-old can see all colors and focus clearly. If you have any questions or issues with baby’s vision, make sure to reach out to your pediatrician.

How We Developed This Article

Many new parents wonder about newborn vision, including when babies can see color. To provide clear guidance on baby vision development, we consulted with a pediatrician, two pediatric ophthalmologists and an optometrist. We also connected with real moms who shared stories of when their babies could see and interact with faces and toys.

After editing, this article was vetted through fact-check and reviewed by our pediatrician medical adviser. Learn more about how we ensure the accuracy of our content through our editorial and medical review process.

About the author: Korin Miller is a mom of four who knew next to nothing about baby vision when her first child was born. An experienced health and pregnancy writer and parent, Korin likes to add her personal experience to each article she writes. Her work has appeared in publications such as Women’s Health, Prevention, Cosmopolitan and The Washington Post.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.