What Color Eyes Will My Baby Have?

Imagining what your baby will look like can be so fun! Will they resemble you or your partner? Or maybe their grandparents? While some traits can be hard to predict, genetics strongly influence baby eye color. You may be able to predict your little one’s eye color with relative accuracy based on the color of your and your partner’s eyes and each of your parents’ eyes.¹ Here, we’ll discuss what determines a baby’s eye color, if and whether their eyes change color, and how to estimate their eye color (with charts). Finally, you’ll learn how to keep your baby’s eyes safe, regardless of their hue!

What Determines a Baby’s Eye Color?

The color of your baby’s eyes depends on how much pigment is in the iris, which genetics mostly determines.² Let’s explore eye pigment and the genes that make up a baby’s eye color:

Melanin

The iris is the colored part of the eye that surrounds a small, black pupil. Baby eye color is a product of the amount of pigment in the iris of the eye.³ Eye color pigment is called melanin. Darker, brown irises have more melanin than lighter, blue irises.² Eye color is a full spectrum from light blue to almost black. But eyes are usually classified as one of four colors: blue, green, hazel, or brown.³

Genetics

Genetics determine how much melanin a body produces, how it’s transported, and where it’s stored.³ Multiple genes play a role in eye color determination, and many of them are also involved in hair and skin color. Since this involves more than one single gene, eye color doesn’t follow a simple dominant or recessive inheritance pattern. Contrary to popular eye color genetics belief, it’s possible (though rare) for two blue-eyed parents to have a brown-eyed baby.³

Are All Babies Born With Blue Eyes?

Many babies are born with blue eyes because their melanin pigmentation that makes eyes darker has yet to fully develop.¹ Melanin production can change over time, which sometimes causes a change in iris color from birth.² However, it’s a myth that all babies are born with blue eyes — many babies come out with brown eyes that stay brown.²

When Do Babies’ Eyes Change Color?

If it’s possible for their eye color to change over time, when do babies get their eye color? Melanin production can take up to a year to reach completion after your baby is born. Therefore, if your baby is going to experience an eye color change, it’s most likely to happen by 6 months to 1 year of age.⁴ Sometimes, it can take even longer to notice an eye color change. In one study, 10-20% of children experienced a change in eye color between 3 months and 6 years of age. 10-15% of Caucasian individuals within the change group experienced eye color change up until adulthood.⁵

While baby eye color isn’t as straightforward as researchers once believed, we can still predict it pretty accurately based on the eye colors of each biological parent (and sometimes going back to the grandparents).⁴ Dark eyes are a dominant trait, meaning that, most of the time, if a baby inherits any one gene for brown eyes, their eyes will be brown.¹ However, sometimes a brown-eyed parent can still have and pass on a blue-eyed trait. It might be masked in that parent’s eyes, but if one of their parents (the baby’s grandparents) has blue eyes, it’s still possible for the baby to have blue eyes.⁶

In general, two parents with blue or green eyes are very likely to have babies with blue or green eyes. Two parents with brown eyes usually have brown-eyed babies, but they can have blue-eyed babies, too, depending on the genes they inherited from their parents. Children with one blue-eyed and one brown-eyed parent can have blue- or brown-eyed babies, depending on if there are any blue-eyed family members of the brown-eyed parent.⁴

Eye Color Charts

You can use a Punnett square to predict eye color. This is a simplified model, as many different, complex genes control eye color. We all inherit one copy of each gene from each parent. So remember, even a brown-eyed person might have a hidden blue-eyed gene to pass on since brown is dominant over blue.¹ A genotype reports both copies of a gene, regardless of what you can see.⁷

A Punnett square places one parent’s genotype at the top of the square and one parent’s to the left. A capital “B” represents a dominant gene (brown), and a lowercase “b” represents a recessive gene (blue). A brown-eyed parent’s genotype can either be “BB” or “Bb.” A blue-eyed parent is always “bb.”⁷ While a Punnett square reports a 100% chance that two blue-eyed parents will have blue-eyed children, it’s possible, though rare, for them to have a brown-eyed baby. This is because of the complex genetics that determine eye color and the concentration of melanin in the eyes.¹

The eye color charts below aren’t 100% accurate because, again, more than one gene helps determine eye color. But these Punnett squares can serve as a baby eye color calculator to make a prediction based on the colors of the baby’s parents and grandparents:⁶

Two Blue-Eyed Parents

One Blue-Eyed and One Brown-Eyed Parent

Two Brown-Eyed Parents

And here’s a full chart that breaks down the percentages.

A chart titled Baby Eye Color Predictor Chart showing the probabilities of a child's eye color based on the eye colors of the parents. It lists combinations of brown, green, and blue eyes with corresponding percentage chances for the child's possible baby eye colors and when do babies eyes change color.

Keeping Your Baby’s Eyes Safe

Eye color is thought to have evolved based on latitude. At higher latitudes with less sun exposure, lighter eyes with less melanin are able to absorb more vitamin D. At lower latitudes with more sun exposure, darker eyes have protection against too much UV damage.²

Regardless of your baby’s eye color, protecting your baby’s eyes from the sun is important to prevent eye problems later in life.⁸ Some easy interventions to keep your baby’s eyes safe include:⁸

Putting on sunglasses with 100% UV protection
Having baby wear a wide-brimmed hat
Keeping baby in the shade, especially in the summer between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Installing mesh sunshades in the car

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Baby Eye Color

What determines my baby’s eye color?

Your baby’s eye color is primarily determined by genetics, specifically by the amount of melanin in the iris. The more melanin present, the darker the eye color. Multiple genes contribute to eye color, making it a complex trait.

Are all babies born with blue eyes?

No, not all babies are born with blue eyes. While many babies are born with blue eyes due to low melanin levels at birth, others are born with brown eyes that remain brown. Melanin production increases over time, which may change the eye color as your baby grows.

When do babies’ eyes change color?

Babies’ eye color can change over time as melanin production continues. This process is usually completed by the time a baby is 6 months to 1 year old, but in some cases, it can take up to several years. Studies show that up to 10-20% of children may experience a change in eye color between 3 months and 6 years of age.

Can two blue-eyed parents have a brown-eyed baby?

Although it’s rare, two blue-eyed parents can have a brown-eyed baby due to the complex nature of genetics. Eye color is determined by multiple genes, and a brown-eyed trait can be present even if it’s not visible in the parents’ eye color.

How can I predict my baby’s eye color?

You can estimate your baby’s eye color by looking at the eye colors of both parents and sometimes the grandparents. Generally, dark eyes are dominant, so if either parent has brown eyes, the baby is more likely to have brown eyes. A Punnett square can also be used to make a basic prediction, though it’s not 100% accurate.

Is it possible for my baby’s eye color to change after their first birthday?

Yes, it’s possible. While most eye color changes occur within the first year, some children may experience changes in eye color up to age 6 or even into adulthood.

How can I protect my baby’s eyes from the sun?

To protect your baby’s eyes from the sun, you can:
• Use sunglasses with 100% UV protection.
• Have your baby wear a wide-brimmed hat.
• Keep your baby in the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Install mesh sunshades in the car to block out sunlight.

Does eye color affect my baby’s health?

Eye color itself doesn’t affect health, but it is believed to have evolved based on geographical latitude. Lighter eyes may absorb more vitamin D in areas with less sunlight, while darker eyes offer more protection against UV damage in sunnier regions. Regardless of eye color, proper protection from UV rays is important.

Can a baby’s eye color be unique?

Yes, your baby’s eye color is unique to them. Even though eye colors are generally categorized into blue, green, hazel, or brown, the exact hue and shade can vary, making each person’s eye color unique.

Why is it important to know about my baby’s eye color?

Understanding your baby’s eye color can be a fun way to learn about genetics and how traits are passed down through families. It also helps to know how to protect your baby’s eyes based on their color, as certain colors might be more sensitive to sunlight.

Whether your baby’s eyes are blue, brown, green, or somewhere in between, you’re sure to love staring into them looking back at you. Take a good look because their eye color today may change, and no one will ever have the exact same eye color as your baby!¹ While genetics can help predict the color of their eyes, only time will tell. Focus on protecting their eyes and soaking in their gaze, and watch them grow into their unique look before your very eyes.

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