“Beige” mothers on the Internet are women who try to surround their children with toys, clothes, furniture and other items in discreet colors. Critics of this approach are confident that the lack of bright colors in a child’s life will have a detrimental effect on his intellectual development. We checked whether such concerns are supported by scientific evidence.

At the end of 2024 on the Life.ru portal came out material under the heading “Life.ru found out what danger “beige” mothers pose and why they are dangerous for their own children.” Its authors, citing child psychologist Daria Dugentsova, state: “If everything around a child - the interior, toys, clothes - is aimed at calm shades, then, unfortunately, we can talk about a possible misunderstanding and incorrect setting of the color scheme.” A similar point of view in January 2025 in a commentary for Moskovsky Komsomolets expressed psychologist Valentina Serova: “Color perception affects emotional development and the development of imagination. In a monochromatic beige room, it is difficult to explain that the sun is yellow, the sky is blue, and the leaves are green. For this reason, a child gets stressed on the street.” “A beige environment can create an unemotional child with low self-esteem and fears. Living in a colorful world is much more joyful,” reasoned in March 2025, in a conversation with Arguments and Facts, psychologist Larisa Okulik.

Some Russian healthcare institutions take similar positions. For example, the Kurgan Regional Perinatal Center on its page on VKontakte published such a warning: “The abundance of things in pastel colors can negatively affect the development of the baby: brain development, emotional development and imagination, because a variety of shades stimulates creative activity and helps form associative series.” At the same time, some thematic publications (for example, “Chalk") in their analyzes of the topic they avoid harsh assessments of the dangers of “beige” motherhood.

Countsthat the aesthetics of “beige” motherhood grew up from minimalism and Scandinavian style in interior design - both concepts avoid bright colors and visual noise. The authors of some architectural magazines explain that interiors in neutral colors were especially popular with millennials, for example, a social media star Kim Kardashian with millions of subscribers, who actively shares pictures from her gray-beige house. The trend was also supported by her half-sister, blogger Kylie Jenner. In 2022, she published a video on YouTube about preparing for the birth of her son, where she showed his room, formalized in different shades of beige. The video received more than 31 million views.

They even appear in specialized publications articles about millennial gray - a special shade that prefer in the interior are representatives of this generation. Some attribute this trend to the fact that interiors in gray or beige tones are more adaptable to colored decorative elements, which can be frequently changed for little money, others - on the contrary, with the ability of gray furniture to fit into almost any interior (which is especially convenient when moving frequently), and others - with millennials being tired of the tacky colors in their parents’ homes. It is believed that a significant part of modern “beige” mothers are precisely representatives of this generation, who previously realized their design preferences in the interiors of studio apartments, and now have transferred them to children’s rooms.

“Beige” mothers not only decorate the rooms where their children live in certain colors, but also select clothes and toys in pastel colors for their children. This is their approach explain both for aesthetic reasons and the desire to instill good taste in a child and protect him from gender stereotypes about colors (for example, that girls should dress in pink and boys in blue). However, “beige” motherhood has not only a visual component - women who adhere to this ideology avoid giving their children toys that are too loud, believing that they have too much influence on the child’s still fragile psyche.

Before moving on to the analysis of existing research on this topic, it is worth considering: no matter how the “beige” mother tries to completely protect the baby from bright colors and loud sounds, she is unlikely to be able to achieve this. Even if the interior of the nursery and the toys are designed in a certain color scheme, both at home and on the street there will be objects whose shade parents cannot change. Yes, products recommended for the first feeding (even in a perfectly adjusted interior) - green broccoli and orange carrots. During a walk, a baby cannot be protected from people dressed not only in gray and beige, leaves on trees, cars, store signs, advertising posters, etc. Therefore, it is still incorrect to say that the life of a child with a “beige” mother is completely devoid of colors.

The fetus is still in the womb starts distinguish between light and dark, and immediately after birth the baby clearly sees black and white colors. This doesn't mean that newborns' vision is completely black and white, but it is the contrast between the two colors that particularly attracts their attention. Babies see all colors more muted than adults, but as their brains develop, they begin to distinguish more and more bright shades. At the same time, the ability to focus the gaze is formed and visual acuity appears, that is, the ability to see objects at a distance. In the first month of life, the child sees only objects larger than 10 cm in diameter that are no more than 40 cm away from it right before his eyes (peripheral vision will develop later).

Development of color perception in children from birth to six months. Source

Based on the available scientific data on the formation of children's vision during the first year of life, ophthalmologist Romesh Angunawela in collaboration with Clinic Compare created An animated image showing how babies' visual abilities change. As can be seen from this example, until at least six months a child already sees the world in pastel colors, whether his mother wants it or not.

Against this background, researchers give different recommendations on how to decorate a children's room. Some remind that the first colors that a child can distinguish well are black and white, and even advise arrange the interior in such an unusual style. Other contrasting combinations are also offered: for example, pale yellow with rich purple, gray with bright yellow or blue-green with coral. Pediatrician Lisa Diard comments for the reputable Cleveland Clinic explainsthat an interior in pastel colors (and even completely beige) will at least not harm the child. “Vision develops upon contact with any visual stimulus. The baby does not need to see all the possible colors of the house. Interior design has no influence on your child’s development,” says the expert, emphasizing that it is much more important for children to see different expressions on their parents’ faces. Other experts agree with Diard’s last thesis. Tricia Schooler, Professor of Psychology, City University of New York, notesthat babies primarily benefit from variety, but this can be achieved not only through color, but also through interaction with objects of different textures and temperatures. Jennifer Poon, a professor of pediatrics at Augusta University in America, also sees no problems with the aesthetics of “beige” motherhood.

Although education and pedagogy experts have not yet specifically studied the children of “beige” mothers, some experiments show that in a multi-colored environment, for example, it is more difficult for children to concentrate. In 2016, Israeli scientists offered for children aged three to four years, put together a puzzle, play children's lotto and assemble a construction set on a white surface and on one decorated with drawings. In the first case, children were less likely to be distracted and, accordingly, cope faster. Moreover, in such conditions they complained less about eye fatigue and quit the game less often. The scientists’ findings indirectly indicate that the philosophy of “beige” mothers at least does not harm the mental development of their children.

In 2014, scientists from Carnegie Mellon University (USA) held A study with slightly older children attending a kindergarten preparatory group. They had to learn a new topic, and three lessons on it were held in a regular classroom decorated with various posters and pictures, and the other three in a classroom with bare walls. Subsequently, the children were tested on the material covered. It turned out that questions on topics covered in a classroom without posters received 55% correct answers, while in a classroom with posters only 42% were answered correctly. Scientists have concluded that the visual noise that “beige” mothers try so hard to avoid actually interferes with the child’s concentration.

Alice Skelton, a research fellow at the Children's Laboratory at the UK's University of Sussex and a specialist in infant color perception, summarizes: Although regular stays in a children's room decorated in beige tones will not do any harm to the child, an interior with contrasting details can captivate his attention for a while, giving parents a good opportunity to relax. However, if the mother is most comfortable be surrounded by neutral shades, she will feel calmer, which cannot but be beneficial for the baby. Babies are easy read maternal emotions. What's more, research from the University of California, San Francisco shows that they share the intensity of maternal stress—the more depressed or stressed the mother, the more the baby's heart rate increases, suggesting similar experiences. Therefore, if a mother feels uncomfortable in a too bright nursery, the baby will experience the same sensations.

Dr. Lisa Diard sums up the debate between “beige” mothers and their opponents: the key to good parenting is not the color palette of the house or the child’s clothes, but the love and care of adults. It turns out that if his parents provide him with emotional support and sufficient interaction with the outside world, then the interior of his room can be anything. Moreover, for children with sensory differences, hypersensitivity or anxiety, “beige” motherhood may even be justified.

Thus, the popular trend for “beige” motherhood, despite the warnings, does not pose any danger. Firstly, children will already be faced with different colors, no matter what shade the walls of their room are painted. Secondly, there is no evidence that anything will go wrong in the child’s mental or physical development if he is not introduced to a particular color at a certain age. Thirdly, as research results show, in a pastel-colored interior without distracting elements, children learn and explore the world more successfully. And if neutral shades and the absence of toys with loud sounds help the mother to be calmer, this will have a positive effect on the baby’s well-being.

Cover image: Stock Cake