Guessing what color your baby’s eyes will be is an exciting part of early parenthood. Many babies are born with blue or gray eyes, and those colors often change over time. Your baby’s eye color may shift several times before it becomes permanent, which can leave parents wondering what to expect.1 Eye color changes are a normal part of development and usually do not indicate a health concern.
Most eye color changes happen within the first six to nine months of life, and by a baby’s first birthday, you usually have a good idea of their final eye color.1,6,7 In some children, subtle changes in shade can continue until around age 3.8 Understanding when and why these changes happen can help explain what you’re seeing as your baby grows.
When Will My Baby’s Eyes Change Color?
Eye color changes usually begin in the first few months of life and depend largely on genetics and melanin production.
Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic babies typically have more melanin and are therefore more likely to be born with brown eyes that remain brown.7,8,9 White or Caucasian babies, on the other hand, are often born with blue or gray eyes that gradually darken during their first year of life.1,7,9 For some babies, the final eye color may not be fully set until age 2 or 3, although this is less common.8
According to World Atlas, here are some general estimates of how eye color is distributed worldwide:2
- 70% to 80% of the world’s population has brown eyes.
- 8% to 10% has blue eyes.
- 5% has hazel eyes.
- 5% has amber eyes.
- 2% has green eyes.
- 3% has gray eyes.
- Rare eye colors include red and violet.
*Note: The percentages above are estimates.2
How Does Eye Color Work?
A baby’s eye color comes from the iris, the colored ring around the pupil, which contains a pigment called melanin.1,3 Melanin is also responsible for skin and hair color.8,11 When a baby is born and exposed to light for the first time, the iris begins producing more melanin.12 Similar to how sunlight causes the skin to darken by increasing melanin production, light exposure can trigger changes in eye color.9,11 As melanin levels increase, a baby’s eye color may gradually change, with most of this process slowing down around 6 months of age.1
Genetics play a major role in determining how much melanin the iris produces.4,7 People with brown eyes typically have a genetic makeup that leads to higher melanin levels. Babies with hazel or green eyes produce moderate amounts of melanin, while babies with blue eyes produce very little.4,13
Related: Baby Vision Development by Age: Newborn to Infant
Why Do My Newborn’s Eyes Appear Blue?
If your newborn’s eyes appear blue at birth, their irises have a low melanin concentration.7,13 Remember, melanin production typically finishes between 6 and 9 months of age, which is when you will see your child’s actual eye color emerge.7 But there is not much blue, green, or brown pigment in the eye at birth.10 Instead, the blue eye color is due to how the light gets scattered inside the iris, combined with a low melanin concentration.5,7
The eyes will stay blue if the iris doesn’t produce much more melanin after birth. If the iris produces more melanin, they’ll become green or hazel. And if the iris produces even more melanin, they’ll become brown or darker brown.14
What If My Baby’s Eyes Are Different Colors?
Some babies are born with a condition called heterochromia, which occurs when a person has eyes with different colored irises or more than one color within the same iris.5 Heterochromia is uncommon and usually harmless.5 There are several ways in which heterochromia can occur, including:5,15
- At birth due to genetics
- As a result of another condition
- Due to a problem during eye development
- From an injury to the eye
In most cases, heterochromia does not cause any problems.5 However, if you notice two different eye colors or a noticeable lightening of eye color by 6 or 7 months of age, it’s a good idea to contact your pediatrician to be safe.15
Genetics allow for many possible eye color combinations, which means it’s not always possible to predict a baby’s final eye color based on their parents alone. While watching those changes unfold can be exciting, eye color does not affect a child’s vision or development. Over time, your baby’s eye color will settle into its permanent shade, becoming just one more unique part of who they are.
