When your little one was first born, you probably noticed that he or she seemed to focus only on objects right in front of their eyes. In fact, for many babies, their eyes remain completely shut for the first few days of life. But when those little eyes did open up, they probably stared intently at you much of the time. This is because at birth, baby eyesight isn’t very strong. Most babies can only see about 8 to 10 inches away—the perfect distance to where your face was as you held your little one.

Newborns also struggle to tell the difference between two objects by sight, and they have a hard time moving their eyes from one object to another. So once they’ve locked in on something, that’s where their focus remains.

Recently though, you’ve probably noticed that this is starting to change. In these early months, your baby’s vision has been improving every single day. By 2 months old, your little one’s stares were likely seeming more intentional. And around 3 months of age, babies can start to track moving objects, which means they can watch you as you walk across a room.

In the coming months, your baby’s eye-body coordination will start to improve along with baby eyesight—allowing him or her to start reaching for objects nearby. This may take some practice at first, because younger babies don’t yet have depth perception, so they can’t tell how far away objects are. But around 5 months of age, your baby will start to recognize the three-dimensional nature of his or her world, which will allow that depth perception to develop. Your baby should also be seeing a range of colors by 5 months old, though their color vision still isn’t as good as yours just yet.

The more mobile your little one becomes over the next year, the more their depth perception will continue to develop. At the same time, eye-hand and eye-body coordination will also be improving.

But that’s all still a few months away. Right now, just know that your baby is more likely to start recognizing you by sight, and that high contrast objects are going to continue capturing their attention.

If you notice any potential issues, such as excessive tearing, red or crusty eye lids, sensitivity to light, or their little eyes turning in different directions, make an appointment with your pediatrician to follow up. Your baby could have a simple infection, or there could be issues with eye muscle control that need to be addressed. Either way, your pediatrician should be able to respond to your concerns and make recommendations if visiting a specialist is advisable.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

When your baby was born, you probably spent hours trying to work out who she looked out. Does she have your nose? Your partner’s chin? Her grandma’s smile? It can be fascinating to see who she has inherited her features from, especially after you’ve spent nine long months wondering who she would take after.

Eye color at birth

Caucasian babies are usually born with either gray or blue eyes. They may be light colored or appear murky to begin with, but this doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way for life. African American, Asian and Hispanic babies may be born with darker eyes though they can also be blue at first. In the womb, your baby won’t produce much, if any, melanin, and it’s this pigment that darkens the color of your baby’s eyes. After spending nine months in a dark womb, your baby will start producing melanin after the birth, and once she’s in the light for the first time.

When will they change color?

The color of your baby’s eyes was determined at the moment of conception because it is a genetic trait. Although it has been determined since that very first moment, you may have to wait a little longer to discover what color they will finally be. In fact, it can take until your child’s third birthday until you can say with certainty what color eyes she has.

Most babies, however, have their permanent eye color by the time they turn one. The eyes may stay blue for a number of months, but as your baby’s body starts producing more melanin, the color of her eyes may change. It is most common for eye color to change between the age of six and nine months. It won’t happen overnight, but will be a gradual change of color that isn’t all too noticeable until one day your baby’s eyes have changed color.

What determines eye color

Eye color is determined by genetics. If you and your partner both have blue eyes, chances are your baby will have blue eyes too, though it’s not guaranteed. If a grandparent has blue eyes, this increases the odds that your baby will have blue eyes. The same theory applies if you both have brown eyes, then your baby is likely to inherit brown eyes. If one of you has brown eyes and the other has blue, your baby is believed to have an equal chance of having brown or blue eyes. Green is the rarest eye color, with an estimated 2% of the world’s population having this eye color.

What color do you think your baby’s eyes will be?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.