If your baby loses interest in the many newborn toys and mobiles featuring high-contrast, black-and-white imagery, it may be a sign they are ready for more exciting things to look at, including color!

While there’s no exact week when all babies start to recognize colors, it’s typical for most babies to see color around two months old. This is when their retinas can develop more photoreceptor cells, enabling this improvement in their sight.

You can introduce them to color by starting with vibrant hues, such as the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow, recognizing that this is a gradual transition and some colors may still be hard to see. After you’ve allowed them time to explore vibrant colors, you can incorporate harder-to-recognize colors, such as items with a visual gradation of hues – recognizing that even one color of blue can come in many shades, from bright to muted.

Remember, you don’t need to buy a ton of toys to connect your baby to colors. Taking them on “house tours” and showing them your existing decor, as well as taking them outside in nature, provides plentiful exposure to color.