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Multicultural families

Here's where to share your experience of raising a child or growing up in a multicultural family.

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Original poster

how much did your babies skin colour change fromn birth?

22 replies

Ginni · 04/01/2009 17:59

dd is 10 days old i'm white british daddy is black british-jamaican. dd is very light skinned, she has slightly olive skin though and straight dark hair and eyes (and Mongolian blue-spot), everyone assumes daddy is also white. We are wondering if it is likely she will get much darker than this? Thanks

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ragd0ll · 04/01/2009 18:08

DS is quite abit darker at 2.4 than ha was at birth, he got darker over the first 6 months then got a bit of sun and got darker again and has stayed that colour. DD is as pale now at 9 months as she was at birth. Both are mixed white and asian although to look at dd you'd never know. Not much help am i, sorry!

saramoon · 04/01/2009 18:24

My dds are half white british and half sudanese. They did come out much lighter than they are now but i still always though they would be darker than they are. They have olive skin and dark brown hair. They are gorgeous!
Suppose it depends on how black your partner is. Mine isn't really black. His cousin is really dark and his boys are much darker than our girls.

MrsMattie · 04/01/2009 18:33

I'm white, DH is black (not very dark skinned)

My DS was very fair skinned with straight black hair at birth. He is now nearly 4 yrs old and has very gradually, very slightly darkened and his hair has gotten curlier. People make all sorts of assumptions about his origins - most commonly we get Brazillian, Italian, Turkish. People are mostly surprised to find that his dad is black.

DD is 7 wks old and so far is even fairer, with blonde hair and green eyes. She looks white, to be honest. The HV assumed she was white and thought she looked slightly jaundiced. She was fairly embarrassed when we questioned whether the 'slight yellowness' was because she is actually mixed race! It'll be interesting to see if and how she changes.

I think the fairness of my DS's is partly because I am a ghost (it's the Irish in me!) and partly because DH has a very mixed background typical of a lot of people from the Caribbean, i think - Spanish, Portugese, indian in there, as well as the African roots.

MrsMattie · 04/01/2009 18:34

sorry, my DCs

pinkmagic1 · 05/01/2009 13:09

My kids are half Egyptian and half white British. DS was born really quite dark with jet black hair, but paled up and is now a pale olive colour, with dark brown eyes and course but straight mouse brown hair. DD was paler at birth, but has gone much darker than her brother and now looks 100% Arab, with extremely curly, almost afro hair.

Original poster

Ginni · 05/01/2009 15:18

we also got the jaundice queries and subsequent embarassement when we questioned whether it could be because she is mixed race. My dp has east asian type eyes too, says there is some Chinese in his roots too, my daughter looks more Chinese-Caucasian if anything than Black-White mix. Well she's beautiful and much loved however dark she gets (or doesn't!)

OP posts:

mamaolivia · 05/01/2009 22:56

Was told to look at the tops of their ears - seems true! When she was born, my daughter (half East African, half white British) was pale (looked East Asian).She slowly changed and is now quite a bit darker than when she was born.

Rindercella · 10/01/2009 11:58

Ginni. Congratulations on your DD . My DD has a similar background - I am white, DH is British Jamaican. DD was very light skinned when born, with straight dark hair, She is now 16 months is quite a lot darker with lots of dark curls. A few months ago though my GP (who doesn't know my DH) said that DD had a good tan, had we been away?! She was quite surprised when I said, actually she's mixed race.

Sexy1 · 12/01/2009 21:50

Hi just thought I would add to this discussion.

I am British Asian, with a tanned complexion. My husband is White British, with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. My daughter is the spitting image of her father. Everyone assumes she isn't mine, it's the looks I get! She was snow white when she was born but now has a bit of an olive glow. Her eyes have stayed blue. She is goregeous, I am forever being stopped when I am out and told how beautiful she is. I often wonder if her skin will darken, she is coming up to one and is still very fair.

claireybrations · 15/01/2009 14:44

Both of mine have only got slightly darker, they were very pale at birth and gradually changed but still very pale. One of dd's friends (white) is darker than dd in the summer because she tans really easily and dd doesn't! Their hair went curly after a few months, can't remember exactly when.

pinata · 17/01/2009 11:20

my DD (also half white european, half black west indian) has darker skin but lighter hair than she had at birth. she was born very fair with straight black hair and blue eyes. she now has mid brown curly hair, light brown eyes and her skin is a fair bit darker. She's 13 months and i'm sure she'll carry on gradually changing for the next few years at least

MrsGrouchoMarxMerryHenry · 17/01/2009 11:25

Congrats, Ginni! I'm black, my DH is white. When DS was born he was incredibly pale, with dead-straight jet-black hair. Within a couple of weeks his skin had turned a warm honey brown, which it still is now, and his hair is dk brown and curly.

MissM · 20/01/2009 20:43

I'm white but Jewish so have olivey skin and DH is Asian. Our DCs seem to have got lighter! DS had almost black hair when he was born but now it's more of a golden brown. DD had no hair for ages but now has similar hair colour to DS. Their skin is my sort of tone but goes very dark in the sun, and their eyes are dark brown. I really thought they'd be much darker, but they probably look more Italian or Spanish than half Asian.

We also got the jaundice comments for both!

techno · 21/01/2009 10:38

hi there and congrats ginni!
i have 3dc's my first dd(previous relationship) is and was white when born although gets a nice tan in summer her daddy is white-british. i myself am of mixed race, black south african mother, white british father, i am also the fairest out of 3 children.
my other 2 children, whos daddy is jamaican and very dark, have very different skin tones although when born were both very white but now dd2 is dark skinned and looks very much like her daddy and ds who is a much lighter skin tone and looks very much like me.
i would say as she is only a few weeks old she still has time for her "true" colour to come out, my dp always goes by their ears as they seem to darken quicker or their nail beds, im sure she will be beautiful weather dark or light skinned

Sweetie34 · 29/01/2009 08:52

My DD was completely white when she was born. I am black and partner is very pale white. She is not 2.5yrs old and still as pale as when she was born!! She has 'darker days' or darker patches but these soon go.

Strangers always assume I am the nanny. It's great fun!

Physically, she is a very pale version of myself!!

Timbuktu · 30/01/2009 23:05

My dd is white british/black ghanaian and has got progressively darker since birth. Although her body is much darker than her face - we live in Glasgow! Her hair was very straight until about 12 months, but now at 2 is in beautiful ringlets.

urbanangel · 06/02/2009 10:14

Hi all
Im White British and my son's daddy is black African! My son was Tanned from birth and has only got slightly darker, he had straight hair at birth but now has an amazing afro. Hes 12 months now! I have heard that a mixed race babys finger nail beds at birth are the eventual coulor of the child. Dont really know if thats the truth??

maria76 · 09/02/2009 23:04

hi im british-white & the kids dad is jamaican (not dark or light) dd (now 3)was born white with loads of blk hair & blue eyes her eyes changed to brown when about a yr old, her hair is still dark bit like mine but can look afro & her skin has got only slightly darker shes more olive skinned but white she had the bits on her finger tips which im not 2 sure on if to believe & to me she looks like turkish etc but every1 says u can tell shes mixed race but to me u cant (if tht makes sense)her dad says she is dark??? (i took her to jamaica 2 yrs ago to meet his family & his bro said shes dark?? so god nos what he would have thought about a dark mixed race child) i had a boy 6 months ago (same dad) well hes as white as me & got like blond hair (which daddy isnt impressed with lol) coming thru & wasnt born with much & hes also got blue eyes & already has this finger tip colour which if true will go like his sis but i have also heard with a boy if there balls (sorry about tht lol) are dark then thts a sign of colour, so has any1 else heard this or know if true??? every1 assumed by there dad they would be dark but know it makes u realise its not about how dark the person is, its who carries the strongest genes, its funny when we go out with there dad especally if hes holding ds as u can c people looking & can c they r thinking is tht his baby lol so i bet he gets some proper looks when out on his own with them lol.

Rachel2796 · 07/04/2009 20:57

I also got the jaundice question when my son was born!!! I am so glad someone else had the same!!!!!!!!

I am white (ghost like) and my husband is black african (quite dark but not as dark as could be) and our 10mth old son is very light with soft curly brown hair and brown eyes. To look at him you would not think his father was black. Ppl often say Italian... but he has his father's features.

What do you mean about "finger tip colour"??????

Charlootle · 15/09/2009 11:38

I'm white and DP is black. When DS was born he was white and had lots of straight black hair, he did look mixed though. His skin colour has changed as he's got older and hes gone through dark and light phases. His hair remained dead straight until he was about 10 months so people often assumed he was asian. He now has a full head of crazy afro curls! All children are diffent, I think some people get a bit too het up about complexion, DPs SIL particularly finds each change in DS's complexion and hair seemingly fascinating

lovemybabyboy · 17/09/2009 19:30

Im white irish and DH is black (gambian and very dark skinned).
We have a 9 month old DS. when he was born he was very light with loads of jet black straight hair and dark eyes. He has got much darker now and id say he had started to get darker in the first 2 oe 3 months. his hair also fell out and has grown back but its more curly now.

angelz · 20/09/2009 21:38

I'm very pale British (we're talking nearly see through!) and my DH is black British (Jamaican heritage), our DS was born 10 weeks ago with bright ginger hair and the palest skin! The midwives all raised an eyebrow when they saw my partner, and to be perfectly honest my partner even raised a little eyebrow when he first saw our little bundle. He shows no sign of darkening, not that we care - he's beautiful to us whatever colour he ends up :O)

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