BLUE for boys and pink for girls has long been a theme in baby clothes, but in recent years there has been a change in this convention. The colour coding of infants now seems to cut only one way.

Recently I conducted an experiment, walking my baby up and down a busy shopping strip. She was dressed in a lime-green hoodie and pink pants but before I set out I covered her pants with a grey blanket. The immediate assumption from all those who cooed at my infant was that she was a boy.

I then removed the blanket to reveal her pink pants and we walked up the other side of the street. This time everyone assumed that my daughter was a girl.

It appears that the link between pink and girls is stronger than ever, while the link between boys and blue has weakened. No matter what colour a baby wears, the infant will typically be taken to be a boy, unless the ensemble includes some pink.

Walk into the baby section of most department stores and you'll be confronted by a wall of pink on one side, but no blue onslaught on the other. And this colour branding of girl children goes far beyond clothes. Many toyshops boast girls' sections that are virtually monochromatic.