Will my baby’s eye color change?

The lighter your baby’s eye color is the more likely it will change.    

Why does eye color change?

The color of a baby’s eyes is determined by the amount of melanin, a brown pigment, in it.  Babies with a small amount will have blue eyes, those with a large amount will have brown eyes, with the other colors in between.  When a baby is born, they will have less melanin, but as they are exposed to light more melanin will be produced.    

Can I guess the color based on the color of the parents’ eyes? 

Unfortunately, there are a few different genes that affect eye color, so it’s a little more complicated than that.  However, if both parents are brown eyed or blue eyed, it is more likely to end up with a baby with the same eye color. 

When will I know what color they’re going to be? 

Most of the change will be done by about 9 months.  However, they may still deepen in color for another year.

Bottom line.

Brown eyes at birth will stay brown, but may get darker over time.  Other colors may change with time.  

Links.

Eye color at healthychildren.org.