What Will My Baby Look Like?

What will my baby look like? Genes are a BIG factor here. While a ‘what my baby will look like generator’ might not be accurate, we can help. What will my baby look like? Of course, you’re curious to find out!

The question’s probably been running around your head for the last nine months — probably long before then!

But is there any way to get an answer before the big day? No, not really. Not for sure. The only reliable way to know what baby will look like is through a little game of wait and see.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common questions about your little one’s possible appearance.

In this article 📝

How can you predict what your baby will look like?

You know the score. The sperm meets the egg, they’ll settle down in the mama’s womb, and 9 months later, the most wonderful little thing in the world pops out. The process is pretty familiar.

However, beneath it all is a magical exchange that produces a person that is completely and utterly unique.

How genes play a role in what your baby will look like

Ultimately, what baby will look like all boils down to your genes, or DNA. These genes are the bits of information that make you look like you.

There are thousands of them, and they determine your eye color, hair color, the sound of your laugh, the size of your feet, the length of your nose, and on and on. These genes are carried in the egg and sperm and mix together in marvelous and unexpected combinations to create a baby. [1]

Also, your baby will have two sets of genomes (one copy of DNA from each parent), so there’s a fair chance they’ll have traits or resemble both sides of the family. And while genetic research has advanced enough to spot variations in DNA that can hint at certain health conditions or identify which genes influence features like eye or hair color, it’s not something that’s used in everyday pregnancy care.

Even if you did sequence your baby’s genome, science still can’t tell you the exact shade of their eyes or the curl pattern of their hair (Let’s say-some mysteries are meant to be revealed only after birth!)

So what will our baby look like?

Unfortunately, we don’t really know. There’s no real way to say that your baby’s eye color will be the same as yours or their dad’s. Or that they’ll have big feet or little feet.

It’s why those ‘what will my baby look like’ generators aren’t all that accurate. Genes are just far too complicated.

Given all the different ways that genes interact with each other, there’s no definitive way to predict how your baby will look like. Which gene will get passed on to the little one is notoriously hard (downright impossible) to predict. And sometimes, due to genetic variations, the baby may have features like eye color, or hair color that neither you or your partner has.

That’s why you should always take with a little pinch (or a great big handful) of salt any tool that promises to predict what your baby will look like. Those ‘what will my baby look like’ generators are a bit of fun, but they won’t give you any certainty.

Do babies first look like mom or dad?

In the face-off between mamas vs dads, who will baby look like more? Amazingly, loads of studies have tried to find a precise answer to this.

The result? Well, the case is far from closed (sorry!).

For a long time, it was generally thought that babies more often resemble their dads. The theory was that mamas have a greater certainty that their kids are, in fact, theirs (on account of something pretty obvious). [2]

Meanwhile, dads needed a bit more evidence to convince them. And that — or so the theory goes — encouraged evolution to make babies look a little more dad-like, so they’d be convinced to look after them (how nice!).

However, the reality is that some babies look more like their mama, and others more like their dads. And others look a little like both. [3]

Despite this, people love to focus on resemblances between babies and their dads. And that happens even in cases when kids actually look a little more like their mamas. [4]

Who has stronger genes mother or father?

Well, supposedly, according to this study from 2015, mammals’ genes more closely resemble their fathers. This would imply that dad’s genes are the stronger of the two. [5]

However, this study was conducted on mice ‒ while that’s pretty commonplace in the scientific community, that doesn’t necessarily mean that exactly the same applies to humans.

And in reality, it’s a lot more complicated. Which parent’s genes show up more strongly depends on the specific gene and where it’s expressed in the body. Some genes are more active (or dominant) when passed down from the mother, others from the father, and many are equally expressed from both sides.

So there isn’t one “stronger” set of genes — it all comes down to which genes are doing the talking.

What do babies inherit from their mother?

While you may have seen around the internet that babies get their intelligence from their mama’s genes, that’s not so cut and dry. In fact, there isn’t any hard and fast rule that links particular traits of yours to your baby.

Sorry to spoil the fun!

What genes do you get from your father?

Firstly, the sex of a baby is usually determined by their father’s sperm. Very generally speaking, the more women a father has in their family, the more likely they’ll have a girl, and the more men, the more likely a baby boy is on the way. [6]

Are first-born daughters like their dad?

You might have seen a few TikTok videos suggesting that first-born daughters are ‘feminine’ versions of their fathers. There’s not really any scientific evidence for this ‒ chances are, there will always be a resemblance between a child and their father.

Does hair come from mom or dad?

Well… both!

Babies can have similar hair to either of their parents, there isn’t a specific gene in mom or dad’s makeup that will influence their hair. So continuing our quest to find out ‘what will my baby look like’, we’ve thrown another possibility into the mix.

Is thick hair genetic?

Yes, thick hair is genetic, but it’s not guaranteed. If baby’s mother has thick hair but their dad doesn’t, there’s a chance they could have thin or thick hair. And while hair thickness comes from a mix of genes from both parents, but it’s also shaped by things like hormones, nutrition, and the environment.

So while genetics set the foundation, things like nutrition, hormonal balance and other factors after birth helps decide how that hair actually grows.

Which parent determines height?

Both and neither. Height is also a polygenenic trait, which means that it is influenced by hundreds and thousands of genes from both parents.

But two tall parents may have a shorter child, because nurture, as well as nature, can impact how tall a child can be. Eating enough is a big factor in determining someone’s height after birth, along with hormone imbalances and congenital disorders.

Can two short parents have a tall child?

Yes, it is possible, although it may not be as likely. Proper nutrition can help a growing baby and child to grow taller, although genes do play their part, too.

Do grandparents play a role in height?

Yes, grandparents’ genes can be just as important as parents’ genes when it comes to baby’s height or what baby will look like. But nutrition, hormones, and congenital disorders can also factor into height.

It’s never cut-and-dry when it comes to what your baby will look like!

Which parent determines eye color?

We hate to repeat ourselves, but… both parents can determine eye color. However, there’s a certain likelihood that can help predict baby’s eye color:

• If both parents have blue eyes, baby will also likely have blue eyes, but there’s a chance they could have brown eyes.
• If both parents have brown eyes, baby will also likely have brown eyes, but there’s a chance they could have blue eyes.
• If both parents have green eyes, baby will also likely have green eyes.
• If both parents have hazel eyes, baby will also likely have hazel eyes.
• If one parent has brown eyes and the other has blue eyes, baby could be born with either brown or blue eyes.
• If one parent has green eyes and the other has blue eyes, baby could be born with either green or blue eyes.
• If one parent has brown eyes and the other has green eyes, baby will likely have brown eyes, but may have green or blue eyes.

Can 2 brown eyes make blue-eyed baby?

Yup! Stranger things have happened. Two brown-eyed parents can have a blue-eyed baby, although it is rare.

It’s usually the result of a recessive gene, which is how grandparents can determine what baby will look like.

Do grandparents play a role in eye color?

Yes, they can ‒ genes can go this far back to influence baby’s eye color.

What determines baby facial features?

A lot of what determines what your baby will look like is genes. However, several different factors play their role, too ‒ your pregnancy journey, baby’s diet throughout their life, and so many more.

But the science of determining facial features is more of an art.

There are no definites ‒ so while we can look at baby and say “You’ve got your mother’s nose” or “You have your father’s eyes”, we’re looking at them pretty subjectively. But this means that if we’re asking the question “what will my future baby look like” or even “what will my baby look like when older”, the answer is a pretty big we don’t know.

One thing we do know is that, whatever genes your baby has, they will be the most beautiful thing in your world.

So, to the question, what will your baby look like? Part of the beauty of having a baby is being surprised.

But remember, even if baby doesn’t have your bouncy curls or dad’s sparkling eyes, the traits that you pass on are not limited to your genes or your looks. They’ll learn your affection, your tastes and interests, and your habits and mannerisms, too!

And seeing all that develop can be even more fun than seeing whose nose baby has when you finally glimpse their little face.

So what will my baby look like? Simply gorgeous.