Too Much Color?

Some Clinical psychologists have talked about the significance of color and the possible effects of color on your child’s emotional state and emotional development. Some researchers have said that the choice of color in toddler clothing and in their artwork may represent a child’s underlying emotional state. For example, the color red may be associated with anger, aggression, and excitation; the color green with quietness and withdrawal, while black and other dark colors is linked to depression or anxiety. Other psychologists suggest that intense, bright and varied color in toddler clothing may overstimulate a young child’s nervous system. One school of thought is that only mild, pastel colors should be used for newborns and toddler clothing because intense color may be harmful in some way to a child’s developing nervous system.

Despite these ideas, there is no real evidence from studies that supports any of the things said above. Reviews mostly conclude that while color is a salient dimension in toddler’s lives, (ie: they like it)! Choice of color in toddler clothing or art does not appear to be strongly associated with any particular pattern of emotional responses or developmental outcomes. So the best advice seems to be to trust to your own ideas and feelings when it comes to choosing the color of your toddler clothes!