Primary colors vs. Pastels
Christine Yoshida
finally have had a chance to get back to this group.
I've been feeling guilty all of a sudden (what else is new...) A certain
family member (hint: first letter "m" last letter "m", sends me at least
two e-mails a day) is insisting that it's bad for me to want pastel colors
for the baby's crib bumpers and sheets. She says that primary colors will
stimulate the baby because babies like them better than pastels. She fell
in love with this colorful marimekko crib set and is just dying to send it
to me, but I have been dreaming about a sweet, soft, pastel baby room for
the past few months.
Does anyone know if there is any reason why I should return all my shower
gifts (all in pastel) and switch to primary colors? Isn't the crib just
for sleeping anyways--why would I want my baby strung out on primary
colors when it could be sleeping peacefully? We have a swing and colorful
jumper and toys to keep the baby entertained.
Is "m__m" just sending me on another pointless guilt trip, or should I
listen to her this time?
Thanks in advance for your advice--I could really use it!
Christine Y.
Due July 23
aki...@cris.com
In article <christine_yoshida...@128.18.24.130>,
> I've been feeling guilty all of a sudden (what else is new...) A certain
> family member (hint: first letter "m" last letter "m", sends me at least
> two e-mails a day) is insisting that it's bad for me to want pastel colors
> for the baby's crib bumpers and sheets. She says that primary colors will
> stimulate the baby because babies like them better than pastels.
I was under the impression black-and-white patterns did this, not pastels!
She fell
> in love with this colorful marimekko crib set and is just dying to send it
> to me, but I have been dreaming about a sweet, soft, pastel baby room for
> the past few months.
Ah-ha! The proof babies are stimulated by primaries is because 'M' fell in love
with the marimekko crib set! LOLOL!
Live your dream. You want pastel, use pastel! I would have loved something like
that jazzy Daisy Kingdom jungle set, instead my 'M' was goofed for pastels, and
that's what I got!
> Does anyone know if there is any reason why I should return all my shower
> gifts (all in pastel) and switch to primary colors?
Other than to please 'M'? None at all! Glad to hear your got the colors you
wanted. :)
Isn't the crib just
> for sleeping anyways--why would I want my baby strung out on primary
> colors when it could be sleeping peacefully?
Oh, man! The 'strung out on primaries' had me on the floor! <laughter> A crib
can be for sleeping, but some parents also use it to occupy the baby for
-short- periods while they do something that takes two hands.
We have a swing and colorful
> jumper and toys to keep the baby entertained.
>
> Is "m__m" just sending me on another pointless guilt trip, or should I
> listen to her this time?
I vote for another pointless guilt trip. If 'm__m' is burning to turn your baby
into Einstein, compromise by telling her you would love one of those black and
white/primary colors mobiles or somesuch.
(Assuming you don't feel like pointing out you're not interested in decorating
the nursery to please her.)
>
> Thanks in advance for your advice--I could really use it!
I hope it helps. I swear, pastels never hurt anybody.
>
Cerebus
>I've been feeling guilty all of a sudden (what else is new...) A certain
>family member (hint: first letter "m" last letter "m", sends me at least
>two e-mails a day) is insisting that it's bad for me to want pastel colors
>for the baby's crib bumpers and sheets. She says that primary colors will
>stimulate the baby because babies like them better than pastels. She fell
>in love with this colorful marimekko crib set and is just dying to send it
>to me, but I have been dreaming about a sweet, soft, pastel baby room for
>the past few months.
>Does anyone know if there is any reason why I should return all my shower
>gifts (all in pastel) and switch to primary colors? Isn't the crib just
>for sleeping anyways--why would I want my baby strung out on primary
>colors when it could be sleeping peacefully? We have a swing and colorful
>jumper and toys to keep the baby entertained.
Well, I'm not sure this is a reason to *return* gifts, or to totally alter
your desires - you have to live with the room as much or more than the
child does. It is true that babies begin their lives seeing only black
and white and move on to red, and then to the other primaries. Pastels
are the last colors a child is able to see. That said, I'm not certain,
but I don't know that lacking visible color stimulus has been shown to
have a negative affect on infants, assuming that they've been stimulated.
I don't know if this fits, but why not allow her to provide a few, primary
colored items in a scheme that fits relatively well with your desires -
maybe read against peach and light yellow, or black and white against
light blue, while doing the rest of it your way. If not, the child
probably isn't going to spend too much time staring at the walls - do
it your way, and provide the stimulus in other ways.
>Is "m__m" just sending me on another pointless guilt trip, or should I
>listen to her this time?
Maybe a little of both ;-).
Sharon Astyk
Anna
my 3 month old daughter's favorite toy is a pastel pink bunny. So much for
child development theories about them liking bold contrasts etc.
--
Anna (mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I thought I was poor.
I mean, nowhere left to stack the videos.
Then I realised, there are people in the world
who don't even have shelves. STEVE TURNER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maurine Neiberg
> In article <D6yHA...@world.std.com> sha...@world.std.com (Cerebus) writes:
>
> It is true that babies begin their lives seeing only black
> and white and move on to red, and then to the other primaries.
This is NOT true, at least according to my sister-in-law the
optometrist. Babies see color at birth. The color pathways are fully
formed at birth. However, their eyes don't focus for a while, so they
seen things best when there is a lot of color contrast. There is no
great contrast than black and white, so they see that easier than if
colors are close together. Deep purple and white or navy and white
would be just about as good. Any dark color paired with any pale
color is just fine. Pastels have little contrast, so new babies may
not be able to distinguish shapes and figures. (Though I think that
you can do what you want with bedding.)
As an aside, my brother and sister-in-law gave us a mobile made of
carved animals in bright primary colors. I asked her about the black
and white thing then. She was appalled at the misinformation. She
thinks it's an American thing (She's South African.)
Maury
--
Maurine Neiberg ma...@turing.eecs.uic.edu
3L, University of Chicago Law School mjne...@midway.uchicago.edu
On maternity leave until Fall Quarter, 1995
misc.kids reader since 1987
expecting ?? in mid April, 1995
LC
>Is "m__m" just sending me on another pointless guilt trip, or should I
>listen to her this time?
there are countless scientists all over the world agonizing over the
significance and effects of color on the intelligence of newborns. What
a good way for them to spend their time!! I think if such colors are
so stimulating that the toys and jumper, etc. are sufficient. I like
the idea of pastels myself. (although not pink...even though I am having
a girl baby)
andrea
Cindy Kandolf
> I've been feeling guilty all of a sudden (what else is new...) A certain
> family member (hint: first letter "m" last letter "m", sends me at least
> two e-mails a day) is insisting that it's bad for me to want pastel colors
> for the baby's crib bumpers and sheets. She says that primary colors will
> stimulate the baby because babies like them better than pastels. She fell
> in love with this colorful marimekko crib set and is just dying to send it
> to me, but I have been dreaming about a sweet, soft, pastel baby room for
> the past few months.
>
> Does anyone know if there is any reason why I should return all my shower
> gifts (all in pastel) and switch to primary colors? Isn't the crib just
> for sleeping anyways--why would I want my baby strung out on primary
> colors when it could be sleeping peacefully? We have a swing and colorful
> jumper and toys to keep the baby entertained.
>
> listen to her this time?
If i have to choose, i'd vote for "pointless guilt trip", although
this is probably terribly important to HER so it probably isn't a good
idea to use those words around her. Our son wouldn't put up with
being put in his cradle while awake, unless he was immediately rocked
to sleep, in the early months. As you say, a baby who is awake can
get plenty of stimulation from colorful toys, and also from colorful
clothing, faces (VERY popular with the newborn set, by the way),
motion and many other things. So i can't understand how it would harm
your baby to have gentler colors in the crib. Maybe babies like a
little break from too many sensory experiences anyway.
Maybe you can suggest that she send another gift to stimulate the
baby, like a bright-colored baby gym or other toys?
-Cindy Kandolf mamma to Kenneth, the gold medal boy
ci...@nvg.unit.no (born 12 February 1994)
Trondheim, Norway
Denmark, n. - Collective name for the islands surrounding Legoland.
Cerebus
>> In article <D6yHA...@world.std.com> sha...@world.std.com (Cerebus) writes:
>>
>> It is true that babies begin their lives seeing only black
>> and white and move on to red, and then to the other primaries.
>This is NOT true, at least according to my sister-in-law the
>optometrist. Babies see color at birth. The color pathways are fully
>formed at birth. However, their eyes don't focus for a while, so they
>seen things best when there is a lot of color contrast. There is no
>great contrast than black and white, so they see that easier than if
>colors are close together. Deep purple and white or navy and white
>would be just about as good. Any dark color paired with any pale
>color is just fine. Pastels have little contrast, so new babies may
>not be able to distinguish shapes and figures. (Though I think that
>you can do what you want with bedding.)
According to my neurology prof, this issue isn't whether or not a child
can actually *see* colors, but whether they interpret them - and there's
evidence that infants begin seeing only dark and light, or b-w, and then
evolve into read and other primaries. Babies respond explicitly only
to the color red at full term, or slightly past it, and it takes a
month or two until they begin to respond to others - premature or just
born infants often cannot even distinguish red.
>As an aside, my brother and sister-in-law gave us a mobile made of
>carved animals in bright primary colors. I asked her about the black
>and white thing then. She was appalled at the misinformation. She
>thinks it's an American thing (She's South African.)
I think it's a matter of different scientific backgrounds - it doesn't
really matter what you can *see* if you brain doesn't respond. I'm
sorry you think that ignorance is an american thing.
Sharon Astyk
Diane K
sleep there. I want stimulation every where else, which they get. I love
some of the bright black and white stuff too, but the point of the bedroom
is to rest, to sleep and to dream.
I don't have play time or toys other than stuffed animals and dolls, and
several pictures in the babies rooms. My daughter at three months helped
pick the color of her room which looks something like dawn. She liked the
color but didn't get overly excited like looking at reds or yellows.
At any rate I've not had any problems with babies getting up at night to
play.
Tell your mom what you want, you are the parent. Or use the blanket for
play time on the floor or at the park.
Diane K, Mom to Katie Rose 3 yrs, and Emily 22 months