When Do Babies’ Eyes Change Color? Timeline, Eye Color Chart and Genetics

When do babies’ eyes change color? Usually between about 3 and 9 months, as pigment builds in the iris, and most babies have their lasting eye color by around 9 to 12 months, though some keep changing slightly for a few years.

Many parents spend the first months staring into their baby’s eyes and wondering whether that blue or gray will last. When do babies’ eyes change color, and how much can you read from what you see now? The answer depends on how much pigment your baby’s irises still have to add.

This guide pulls together what the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic and NIH genetics researchers say: the timeline, a month-by-month eye color chart, how eye color is inherited, what heterochromia means, and which eye changes deserve a call to your pediatrician.

When Do Babies’ Eyes Change Color? The Short Answer

So the honest answer is a range, not a date. HealthyChildren.org, the AAP’s parent site, says the change slows after about 6 months but can continue, so predicting eye color before the first birthday is unreliable.

Not every baby’s eyes change. Cleveland Clinic puts it plainly: not all babies’ eyes will change color, but many will. When they do, Cleveland Clinic says the color can deepen or change altogether once the eyes get more light, and many babies born with blue-gray eyes change color as they grow.

Why Babies Are Born With Blue or Gray Eyes

Eye color comes from melanin, the same pigment that colors skin and hair. Cleveland Clinic explains that the iris (the colored ring of muscle around the pupil) contains pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. A baby gets very little light in the womb. After birth, those cells respond to light and start making more pigment.

The amount of pigment sets the color. HealthyChildren.org explains: a little melanin gives blue eyes, more gives green or hazel, and a lot gives brown. MedlinePlus Genetics (NIH) ties color to the melanin in the front layers of the iris.

That is why a baby who is still building up melanin can look blue or gray at first and later show green, hazel or brown. HealthyChildren.org notes that if the melanocytes only release a little melanin over time, the eyes stay blue.

Are All Babies Born With Blue Eyes?

No. This is one of the most repeated baby myths. Cleveland Clinic points to a 2016 study of newborns that found about 63% had brown eyes at birth, about 20% had blue eyes, and just under 6% had green eyes. Brown, not blue, was the most common newborn eye color in that study.

Cleveland Clinic also reports that in a 2-year follow-up of that study, about 1 in 3 children had changed eye color.

Worldwide, Cleveland Clinic says more than half of all people have brown eyes, and green is the rarest of the main colors at about 2%.

Baby Eye Color Chart: Month by Month

Use this baby eye color chart as a rough guide. Every row is tied to a source, and “varies” means no source gives a reliable rule for that age.

Want to watch it happen? Take a photo in the same spot and the same kind of light each month so the pictures are fair to compare. Until about the first birthday, what you see is a snapshot, not the final answer.

What the Final Eye Color Can Be

Cleveland Clinic lists six main eye colors and describes how the pigment differs for most of them:

Baby Eye Color Predictor: Why Genetics Is More Complex Than the Old Chart

You may remember a school chart where brown eyes were “dominant” and blue were “recessive,” and two blue-eyed parents could never have a brown-eyed child. MedlinePlus Genetics says that single-gene model was found to be too simple, and that two blue-eyed parents can, though uncommonly, have a brown-eyed child.

Here is what MedlinePlus Genetics describes instead:

• A main region on chromosome 15: two genes there, OCA2 and HERC2, play a major role. OCA2 helps the cell structures that make and store melanin mature; common variations reduce its protein and can lead to blue eyes. A section of HERC2 controls how active OCA2 is.
• At least eight more genes: ASIP, IRF4, SLC24A4, SLC24A5, SLC45A2, TPCN2, TYR and TYRP1 have smaller effects. Together they produce a continuum of colors, not a few fixed boxes.
• Prediction is possible but imperfect: a child’s eye color can often be predicted from parents and other relatives, but genetic variation sometimes produces unexpected results.

Cleveland Clinic goes further and says researchers know of dozens of genes and DNA changes that affect eye color, and that eye color can skip generations. So an online baby eye color predictor can only give rough odds from a simplified model. No predictor can tell you your baby’s actual eye color: treat any result as a guess for fun.

Can Two Blue-Eyed Parents Have a Brown-Eyed Baby?

Yes, though it is uncommon, according to MedlinePlus Genetics. Here is how the sources describe the odds for common parent pairings:

Because genetic variation sometimes produces unexpected results (MedlinePlus Genetics), a color nobody in the family seems to have is not by itself a concern. A sudden change, or two eyes that do not match, is different and is covered below.

Heterochromia: When a Baby Has Two Different Eye Colors

Heterochromia means the irises are different colors. The AAO describes three types:

• Complete: one iris is a different color from the other.
• Partial (sectoral): part of one iris is a different color from the rest of it.
• Central: an inner ring of the iris is a different color from the outer part.

The AAO says heterochromia present at birth or soon after is called congenital. It is often harmless: children born with it usually have no other eye or general health problems. Sometimes, though, it is linked to another condition. The AAO lists causes in infants that include benign heterochromia, Horner syndrome, Sturge-Weber syndrome, Waardenburg syndrome and piebaldism, among others.

Because of that, the AAO says an ophthalmologist should examine any infant with heterochromia. HealthyChildren.org gives the same advice in plain terms: if your baby has one brown eye and one blue eye, tell your doctor, since it can be a sign of Waardenburg syndrome, a rare genetic condition.

Newborn Vision Milestones That Go Along With Eye Color

Meanwhile your baby’s vision is developing fast. The AAO lists these milestones (for preemies, count from the due date):

HealthyChildren.org adds that in the first 2 to 4 weeks a baby’s eyes may cross or wander because vision is not yet sharp enough to lock onto a target, that by 2 months babies should track from side to side, and that by 6 months the eyes should keep pointing the same way.

For the fuller picture, see our newborn vision guide, plus 2 month old milestones, 3 month old milestones and 6 month old milestones. Our baby milestones by month guide, the 9 month old milestones page and tummy time by age round out the first year.

Pediatricians also look at the eyes at well-child visits; the AAO says the red reflex (the red glow in the pupil) should be checked at every one, so bring any eye color questions along.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Newborn Vision: What Babies See
• Baby Milestones by Month
• 6 Month Old Milestones
• 3 Month Old Milestones
• Baby Jaundice
• How Long Is the Newborn Stage?

When to Talk to Your Pediatrician

Gradual color change over the first year is common. These signs are different, and the sources say to bring them to your pediatrician or an eye doctor promptly:

• A white, grayish white, yellow or black reflection in the pupil: HealthyChildren.org lists a white or grayish white pupil as a warning sign. The AAO says an odd reflection in a flash photo can be a warning sign, and a large white reflex (leukocoria) is a serious red flag that can point to cataracts, retinal detachment, infection or retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer. Show the photo to your pediatrician promptly.
• Eyes that do not track: the AAO says to talk to your pediatrician if eyes do not focus and track together by 3 months. HealthyChildren.org adds a baby who cannot make steady eye contact or seems unable to see.
• Eyes that cross or drift after the early months: occasional misalignment is common in newborns, but HealthyChildren.org says regular crossing or drifting after 4 months should be reported. The AAO says to call if one eye constantly turns in or out.
• Two different eye colors: the AAO says an ophthalmologist should examine any infant with heterochromia.
• A sudden or distinct change in eye color: Cleveland Clinic says any sudden change in eye color may signal a medical problem and should be raised with an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
• Other eye symptoms: HealthyChildren.org lists eyes that flutter quickly side to side or up and down, redness that does not go away in a few days, pus or crust, eyes that are always watery, drooping eyelids, and eyes that often seem very sensitive to light.
• Yellow or pink whites: HealthyChildren.org says jaundice may turn the whites yellow and inflammation may make them look pink or red; both are worth a call. See our baby jaundice guide.

If your baby has an eye injury or seems to be in pain, call your pediatrician right away, and if you cannot reach them, seek urgent care. You see your baby’s eyes every day, so trust your instincts. This article is general education, not medical advice. More on what to watch for in the first year: 12 month old milestones.

Frequently Asked Questions