How Small Children See the World

When a baby is born, nobody expects them to start walking and talking like an adult because a lot of things in their bodies still need to form. But we rarely think about how this holds true for how babies see the world.

Today, 5-Minute Crafts is going to tell you how babies’ vision is different from that of an adult person.

First days after birth

During the first days after birth, babies see the world in black and white. They can tell light from dark and see when something is moving or not. In a few weeks, the baby will be able to see dark and light areas in front of them.

1-2 months

Their vision is still not clear, and the maximum distance they can see something at is about 12 inches. The baby can can’t see much beyond this distance. When they are several weeks old, they can see red, orange, yellow, and green.

3-4 months

This is when a baby’s vision becomes better and sharper. They can see almost all the colors and show preference to certain shades. A baby can switch attention from object to object without turning their head. The 2 eyes work “together” as they do in an adult person. The baby can see at a distance of several feet.

5-6 months

At the age of 5 months, the vision becomes even clearer. The baby sees how far or how close something is from them. They can watch moving objects or animals with their eyes. They also have better hand-eye coordination — they can quickly grab something in their field of vision.

7-9 months

By this time, the baby has clear enough vision to see things at the other end of a room. The baby might like toys with moving parts and bright images in books.

10-12 months

At this age, the baby’s eyes already have their final color. The vision is very close to what adults have, and by the time a baby is 1 year old, they see the world as well as their parents.