When most people choose nursery colors, they focus on colors they love. While it’s definitely good to have a color scheme that you find aesthetically pleasing, there are many other aspects to consider.
Your baby will spend a lot of time in their nursery, surrounded by the colors you choose for decoration. The color scheme you pick can influence your child’s development and mood, so it’s essential to consider the effects of each color to create an environment that meets their needs.
How Do Babies See Colors?
When babies are born, they have limited color vision and primarily see black and white. They notice color contrasts but can’t perceive the colorful world around them yet. Besides black, white, and shades of gray, red is the first color they see at around two months of age. When three to four months old, they start seeing more colors, such as green, but their color vision isn’t fully developed until they’re about five months old. At that point, they can distinguish a variety of colors, but their color vision may still not be as finely tuned as an adult’s.
Babies can see objects within 8 to 12 inches of their faces the best, and their sharpness of vision isn’t great until they’re six months old. Their vision is usually better in dim environments since bright lights are harsh on their sensitive eyes. Contrasting colors, shapes, and lights will stand out the most from a baby’s perspective, along with moving objects.
So, a newborn baby probably won’t be admiring their entire room at first since their vision isn’t that good. They’re more likely to notice things that are close to them and things that stand out. It’s important to consider those aspects when designing a nursery, especially when choosing colors.
High-Contrast Colors Work Best
Since babies see in black and white at first, high contrast is crucial. If two colors are very similar, babies might not be able to distinguish between the two until they’re older. To help with visual and brain development, contrasting colors can help babies see the differing hues around them. High-contrast colors are easy for them to focus on. Plus, using several significantly different colors next to each other can make designs more interesting for babies to observe.
Find the Perfect Color Combinations for Your Baby’s Room
A nursery can be decorated in all the colors of the rainbow, but it’s important to think about what will work best for your child. Contrasting color schemes are often ideal for a baby’s development, so consider one of the following unique color combinations when decorating your nursery.
Remember, you don’t have to stick to only these colors. You can add other colors to the design if you’d like.
1. Black and White
Black and white patterns are usually best for a newborn baby’s eyes as they allow them to see their room similarly to how their parents do. While pastel colors are often associated with babies, they don’t provide anything special visually for them. White and black are both bold colors that are very different from each other. So, using black and white patterns, such as stripes, in a baby’s room can keep the environment interesting for them, which is beneficial for their development.
Black and white patterns are easiest for the baby’s retina to register and send stronger signals to the brain. These strong signals can help the baby’s brain and vision develop faster. Even after babies start seeing other colors, black and white patterns are still great for their development because they provide such a sharp contrast. If you want to add a little color to the room, add some red accents since red is the first color babies see (besides black, white, and gray).
2. Bright Purple and Pale Yellow
Even though newborns can mainly see black and white, other complementary colors (colors on opposite sides of the color wheel) can have a similar effect to black and white. While your baby can’t see purple and yellow at first, they can distinguish the two since they’re very different colors. Light purple (like the one pictured) is a cute baby color, but a dark purple or bright, vibrant purple is even better because it provides more contrast to a light-colored hue like yellow.
Once the baby starts seeing colors, yellow and purple will be even more beneficial. Yellow is a happy and cheerful color that can boost your baby’s mood, and purple is an inspiring and magical color that could help with your baby’s imagination and creativity.
3. Blue and Orange
Blue and orange is another example of complementary colors that are ideal for providing contrast. Orange is a bright, energetic color, while blue is a cool, relaxing hue. Even without seeing what the colors look like, babies can tell that they’re very different. The pictured room has light blue accents since that’s what looks the best, but dark blue, like navy, can be even more effective because the deep blue color is almost black in grayscale while the orange is light and bright. The more different the two colors are, the more interesting they’ll be for a baby.
Orange is a high-energy color that evokes excitement and enthusiasm. Once babies see this hue, it could help them feel more outgoing and joyous. By pairing this bold color with blue, it provides the perfect balance since blue is a relaxing, peaceful color.
4. Red and Green
Red and green are other popular complementary colors. Many people are hesitant about this pair because the colors are typically associated with Christmas. However, if you use unique tints and shades of those colors, such as red-orange and olive green, it won’t give off those vibes. Adding a third color to the design, such as white or blue, could also make it look less holiday-themed. These colors may seem like an odd choice for any room, but they’re an interesting way to help with your baby’s vision and brain development.
Red and green have similar effects as orange and blue. Red is a bold, passionate color that can help babies feel excited and confident. Yet, green is a safe, balanced color that can help them relax, providing a good contrast in appearance and psychological effects.
5. Yellow and Gray
Yellow and gray might not be exact opposites, but they’re still very different. Yellow is a light, bright color, while gray is a simple, neutral color. Using dark gray can make newborn babies see their room similarly to if it were black and white. So, it provides plenty of contrast while using more unique colors for the parents to look at.
Plus, once your baby can see the color yellow, it may improve their mood since yellow is a color typically associated with joy and positivity. Then, gray can help stabilize that excitement and keep your baby relaxed.
6. Teal and Coral
Complete opposites on the color wheel might be good for a baby’s vision but could be too much for adults to look at. To compromise, you can use slight variations of two complementary colors to ensure they’re still interesting to babies while being easier on the eyes. Teal and coral are good alternatives to red and green since teal is a variation of green, and coral is a softer red. Teal and coral are still two very different colors, but many people find them more appealing to look at than red and green.
Teal and coral have similar color meanings to red and green, but not quite as intense. Teal is a calming, healing color that can help your baby feel comfortable in their space. Coral is a warm, positive, and accepting color that can help make your baby’s nursery feel safe.
7. Dark Blue and White
“Baby blue” is a type of light blue, so most people turn toward that when decorating a nursery. However, dark blue works better with white because, like black, it’s drastically different and causes plenty of contrast. White and navy blue patterns often look more appealing than black and white ones, but they both have similar effects on babies.
Since navy blue is a dark color, it can help promote better sleep. Once babies can see the color blue, this color scheme can also help keep them calm, making them less likely to feel upset and stressed.
8. Dark Green and White
Dark green and white is another great alternative to black and white. It offers the same benefits as a dark blue and white room (high contrast with an appealing color scheme). Using shades of green can keep the room dark for when your baby sleeps, but it also provides a unique design that’s not as intense as black and white.
Shades of green can be beneficial for babies because, like dark blue, they’re calming and soothing. Green is a color of harmony and health, so using this color combination can help your baby sleep better and feel better overall.
9. Bright Pink and White
Like baby blue, light pink is a color typically associated with babies. Yet, too many light colors in one design don’t provide enough contrast. Using a bold pink, such as hot pink, in a nursery design can make it unique and more interesting for your baby. Pink is often associated with innocence, which is why parents often love it for children’s rooms.
Pink is a unique color for babies because it has the excitement of red with some calming properties. As babies develop color vision, it’s definitely an interesting hue for them to observe. Even though hot pink is a bold color, pairing it with white makes it more peaceful and easier on the eyes.
10. Dark Brown and White
Not all nurseries need to be colorful. Some can stick to only neutral colors. Neutral colors are often calm and soothing for babies, and they’re a great gender-neutral option. Using dark brown is ideal because it prevents it from blending in with white while your baby develops their color vision.
Brown is a comforting hue because it promotes reliability, stability, and honesty. Babies will likely feel safe in a nursery with brown decorations. That safety could help them build strength and confidence as they develop.
11. Blue and Yellow
Blue and yellow might not be complementary colors, but they’re far apart on the color wheel. Yellow is a bright, joyful color, while blue is a calm, relaxing color. Yellow is also much lighter than most types of blue. So, the two colors are easy to distinguish even before your baby can see them clearly.
These colors bring some of the most important attributes to your baby’s life: happiness and relaxation. Having yellow around can help babies feel happy and optimistic, while blue can keep them calm and at ease. With these colors together, your baby can feel their best both when napping and playing. If you want a different color scheme with similar vibes, consider blue and gold.
12. Monochromatic Colors
Monochromatic colors refer to a color scheme that includes various tints and shades of the same color. While using a bunch of the same color might seem like the opposite of contrast, it actually works well for a baby’s vision. Since babies mainly see black and white at first, they can’t distinguish different colors but can tell when colors are darker or lighter. With a monochromatic color scheme, they can distinguish the darker versions of the color from the lighter versions, such as navy vs sky blue. It provides an aesthetically pleasing design that babies can appreciate in their own way.
The color you choose for the monochromatic color scheme will have different effects depending on the psychology associated with it. Cool colors like blue can create a calm environment, while warm ones like red could make it exciting. Using bits of other colors in your monochromatic color scheme can help balance out certain feelings.
13. White With Bold Colors
Even though babies can’t see a wide range of colors at first, their color vision will develop as they grow up. So, using white paired with other colors can work for all stages of your baby’s development. Bolder colors on white will stand out even when your baby mostly sees black and white. Then, as they start to see more colors, they can admire the other colors in the room. Many nurseries use white as a background and then include plenty of colorful objects to contrast it.
With so many different colors at once, there may be a lot of emotions going around. So, if there are specific colors you want to focus on, like blue, to provide a calming space, have that color appear in your design more frequently than others.
Choose Nursery Colors Carefully
Colors play an important role in a child’s development, so parents should consider colors in all aspects of their baby’s life. That starts with the nursery. The baby’s room is one of the places they see most often, so it should have stimulating colors that can help them develop. Colors can influence their brain, vision, mood, and even language development.
So, offer your baby a nursery with contrasting colors. As they begin to see a wider variety of hues, you can start adding more colors into their daily lives to help improve all areas of their development.
