No Products in the Cart
Every parent wants the very best for their baby — even before they are born. You eat carefully, rest more, avoid stress, and listen to every piece of advice your mother, mother-in-law, and neighbour offers with love. And somewhere in that well-meaning flood of guidance, a question surfaces that almost every expecting parent has heard or quietly wondered about: is there something I can do to make my baby's skin fairer?
It's a question rooted not in vanity but in care. In many Indian households, advice about saffron milk, coconut water, and specific foods during pregnancy has been passed down for generations — shared with genuine affection and the sincere hope that it helps. This blog isn't here to dismiss that love or those traditions.
What it will do is give you honest, clear answers. We'll explore what actually determines a baby's skin colour, separate longstanding myths from scientific fact around "how to get fair skin for baby during pregnancy," and redirect that very natural parental energy toward something far more impactful — your baby's skin health.
Because a healthy baby is always more important than a fair one.
Before addressing the myths, it helps to understand the science — and it's simpler than most people expect.
A baby's skin colour is determined almost entirely by genetics. Specifically, it depends on the combination of genes inherited from both parents that govern the production of melanin — the pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eye colour. Every baby receives two sets of these genes, one from each parent, and the interplay between them determines where the baby will fall on the spectrum of skin tones.
Melanin itself comes in two primary forms: eumelanin (which produces brown and black tones) and pheomelanin (which produces yellow and red tones). The ratio and total amount of these pigments — dictated entirely by the baby's unique genetic code — is what creates their skin colour.
Here is the critical point: this process is internal, genetic, and largely fixed from the moment of conception. No food, drink, topical product, or practice during pregnancy can alter the genetic instructions already written into your baby's DNA.
Skin tone is inherited, not created. It is one of the most beautifully personal things your baby will carry — a combination of you, your partner, and generations before you both.
Understanding why these beliefs exist is just as important as understanding why they aren't scientifically accurate.
In India, and across much of South Asia, a preference for lighter skin has deep cultural roots — shaped over centuries by complex social, historical, and colonial influences. These beliefs became embedded in everyday language, marriage conversations, and yes, pregnancy advice. When something is repeated across enough generations with enough conviction, it begins to feel like established truth.
Traditional advice about saffron milk or avoiding certain foods wasn't born from malice — it was born from a time when the science of genetics and melanin wasn't understood the way it is today. Elders shared what they believed would help, and it was received with gratitude.
The second force at work is marketing. The fairness and skin-lightening industry in India is enormous, and its messaging — that lighter skin is inherently better or more desirable — has filtered into pregnancy advice in subtle ways. Products, old wives' tales, and social media posts have all reinforced the idea that a baby's complexion can be shaped from the womb.
Acknowledging this context doesn't mean dismissing the traditions themselves. It means understanding where they come from so we can take what is genuinely beneficial — many traditional pregnancy practices are excellent for health — and gently set aside what isn't accurate.
The belief: If a pregnant woman drinks saffron-infused warm milk regularly, particularly in the later months of pregnancy, the baby will be born with a lighter, glowing complexion.
This is one of the most widely held pregnancy beliefs in Indian households, and it's shared with such regularity and warmth that questioning it can feel almost impolite.
The fact: Saffron does not influence a baby's skin colour. Melanin production is governed by genetics — it is not affected by any food or drink consumed during pregnancy.
That said, saffron is not without value. Research suggests it may have mild mood-stabilising properties, can aid digestion, and has antioxidant compounds that support general wellbeing. Warm milk itself is a good source of calcium and can be soothing before sleep.
So if you enjoy saffron milk during pregnancy, there is no harm in continuing. Just know that you're nourishing yourself — which is wonderful — and not changing your baby's complexion, because that simply isn't possible through diet.
Here’s another resource you’ll find useful: Baby Bath Powder | Best Herbal & Organic Baby Bath Powder in India – ByGrandma
The belief: Coconut water, especially tender coconut water consumed regularly during pregnancy, will give the baby fair and clear skin.
The fact: Coconut water is genuinely good for you during pregnancy. It is hydrating, naturally rich in electrolytes like potassium and magnesium, low in calories, and easy on the stomach during periods of nausea. There are real reasons to drink it.
However, none of those benefits include changing your baby's skin tone. Hydration supports your own skin health and overall body function during pregnancy, but it does not interact with the genetic pathways that determine melanin production in your developing baby.
Drink coconut water because it keeps you hydrated and makes you feel good. That is more than enough reason. Your baby's complexion will be exactly what their genetics have already decided.
The belief: Eating dark-coloured foods — like brinjal, dark lentils, or certain spices — will make the baby's skin darker. Avoiding them will keep the baby's skin lighter.
The fact: There is no scientific evidence connecting the colour of foods you eat to the colour of your baby's skin. The pigments in food are processed through your digestive system and do not reach or alter the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) in your baby's developing skin.
What makes this myth particularly worth addressing is the risk it carries. Pregnant women who restrict entire food groups based on colour-related beliefs may inadvertently cut out foods with significant nutritional value. Lentils and legumes, for example, are critical sources of protein, iron, and folate during pregnancy — nutrients that support the baby's neural tube development, blood production, and overall growth.
Nutritional deficiency during pregnancy has real consequences — for brain development, birth weight, immunity, and long-term health. The colour of a lentil has none.
Eat a wide, balanced, varied diet during pregnancy. That is the single best thing your food choices can do for your baby.
The belief: Applying certain creams, oils, or traditional ubtan mixtures to the mother's belly during pregnancy can influence how the baby's skin develops or what colour it will be.
The fact: A baby develops inside the amniotic sac, protected by multiple layers of tissue, the uterine wall, and the placenta. Topical products applied to the mother's skin surface do not cross this barrier to reach the baby. They do not enter the amniotic fluid, and they have no pathway to influence fetal skin development.
The baby's skin is forming according to its own genetic blueprint, well insulated from anything happening on the outside.
Now, oils and creams during pregnancy can absolutely be beneficial — for the mother. Keeping the abdominal skin moisturised as it stretches may help reduce discomfort and support skin elasticity. That is a legitimate reason to use them. Just not with the expectation that they are reaching or shaping the baby in any way.
The belief: If a pregnant woman eats the "right" foods in the right combinations, she can meaningfully influence how fair her baby will be born.
The fact: Diet during pregnancy has a profound impact on your baby — but not on their skin colour.
What your nutrition during pregnancy genuinely affects includes: brain development, organ formation, birth weight, immune system strength, bone density, and your baby's long-term metabolic health. These are enormous, life-shaping outcomes. Diet is one of the most powerful tools a pregnant woman has — it's just not pointed at complexion.
Skin colour, as established, comes from genetics. A baby born to two dark-skinned parents will not be born fair regardless of what the mother ate. A baby born to lighter-skinned parents will not be born darker because of the mother's food choices. These outcomes are not within the reach of diet to change.
What a balanced pregnancy diet can do is give your baby the healthiest possible start — glowing, resilient, nourished skin included. That is a far more meaningful outcome.
Now that we've separated the myths, here is what genuinely matters — and the good news is, it's simpler and more achievable than any of the myths suggest.
Your baby's skin — its strength, softness, and resilience — is shaped by overall fetal development, which is directly supported by your nutrition during pregnancy. The following nutrients are particularly relevant:
Vitamin A supports cell growth and the development of the skin's structure. Found in sweet potato, carrots, leafy greens, eggs, and dairy.
Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis — the protein that gives skin its firmness and elasticity. Found in citrus fruits, guava, amla, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Amla in particular is one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin C available.
Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, supporting skin cell health and protecting developing tissue. Found in nuts, seeds, avocado, and plant oils.
Healthy fats (Omega-3 fatty acids) support the development of the skin's lipid barrier — the layer that keeps moisture in and irritants out. Found in walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and fatty fish.
Hydration supports amniotic fluid levels, circulation, and the delivery of nutrients to the baby. Eight to ten glasses of water daily is a reasonable target.
Iron and folate are critical for blood production and neural development — conditions that indirectly support healthy skin by ensuring the baby receives adequate oxygen and nutrients throughout development.
These are the baby nutrition tips that actually matter. Feed yourself well, and you feed your baby well — skin and all.
This section might be the most important one in this entire blog.
The conversation around how to get fair skin for baby during pregnancy is, at its heart, a conversation about what we want for our children. And what every parent truly wants — beneath the cultural conditioning, beneath the advice from elders, beneath the social pressures — is a baby who is healthy, happy, and confident.
Healthy skin is not about colour. It is about:
A strong skin barrier that protects against infection and irritation
Adequate moisture retention that keeps skin soft and resilient
A balanced microbiome that supports immunity
Skin that heals well and responds appropriately to the environment
These qualities are available to every baby, regardless of their melanin levels. They are built through good prenatal nutrition, gentle newborn care, and an absence of harsh chemicals in the early months.
A baby with deep, rich skin tone and a healthy, nourished skin barrier is in every way more fortunate than a baby with lighter skin that is dry, irritated, or compromised. Complexion is the least meaningful measure of skin health.
Beyond the physical, there is something even more important: the confidence your child will carry through life. Children who grow up in homes where their natural appearance is celebrated — not compared, not quietly wished to be different — develop a relationship with themselves that is grounded and secure. That is a gift parents give not through what they eat during pregnancy, but through how they speak about beauty, skin, and worth in the years that follow.
Related read: Best Baby Skin Care Products Brand: 6 Ingredients Parents Must Avoid
Once your baby arrives, the focus shifts from prenatal nutrition to gentle, mindful newborn skin care. Newborn skin is thinner, more absorbent, and more reactive than adult skin — which means less is genuinely more.
Keep cleansing gentle. Newborns don't need daily soap baths. Their skin produces natural oils that protect the barrier, and harsh cleansers strip these away. A gentle herbal bath powder mixed with warm water, used daily, is far kinder to newborn skin than foam-based soap.
Avoid unnecessary products. The fewer ingredients on your baby's skin in the first weeks, the better. Fragrances, preservatives, and synthetic surfactants are among the leading causes of infant skin irritation. If a product has a long ingredient list with names you can't recognise, set it aside.
Moisturise with natural oils. Traditional baby massage with oils like coconut, sesame, or almond is one of the most beneficial things you can do for newborn skin. It supports the skin barrier, improves circulation, and provides the bonding contact that babies need.
Protect from sun exposure. A newborn's skin has limited capacity to manage UV radiation. Keep them out of direct sunlight in the early weeks, and use shade and light clothing as the primary protection.
Watch for reactions. Every baby's skin responds differently. If you notice redness, rashes, or dry patches, simplify what you're using and consult your paediatrician before trying new products.
Gentle, minimal, natural — that is the foundation of safe newborn skin care.
There is a reason that traditional Indian baby care — developed over centuries and passed down through generations of grandmothers and Ayurvedic practice — has endured. Not because it was fashionable, but because it worked.
Traditional newborn care never tried to change a baby's skin. It focused on nourishing it.
Oil massages with sesame or coconut oil were understood to strengthen the skin barrier and support the baby's developing nervous system. Herbal bath powders made from neem, reetha, and sprouted grains cleansed gently without stripping. Minimal product use meant minimal chemical exposure during the most sensitive developmental window.
This is precisely the philosophy behind ByGrandma — a brand built on the understanding that traditional care methods are not outdated, they are often ahead of modern minimalist thinking. The ingredients that grandmothers trusted — neem for its antimicrobial properties, reetha for its gentle cleansing action, natural botanicals for their skin-supporting actives — are the same ingredients that hold up under scrutiny today.
Traditional care focuses on nourishing skin, not changing it. That distinction is everything.
If you came to this blog looking for a way to influence your baby's skin colour during pregnancy, we hope you're leaving with something more useful: clarity.
A baby's skin tone is one of the most personal and beautiful expressions of their genetic heritage — yours, your partner's, and the generations before you both. It is not something that saffron, coconut water, food restrictions, or topical products can alter, because it was decided at the cellular level long before any of that advice reached you.
What you can influence — genuinely and meaningfully — is your baby's skin health. Through good prenatal nutrition, hydration, and gentle newborn care rooted in natural, minimal ingredients, you give your baby skin that is strong, resilient, and healthy for life.
The question "how to get fair skin for baby during pregnancy" deserves an honest answer, and this is it: you can't change your baby's complexion, but you can absolutely nourish the skin they're born with. And a healthy baby, in every shade and tone, is always the most beautiful outcome.
That is what ByGrandma has believed for generations. And it is what we'll keep building products around — gentle care that supports your baby exactly as they are.
Explore ByGrandma's range of natural baby care products — crafted from time-tested botanicals, free from harsh chemicals, and designed to nourish your newborn's skin from day one.
Available on our website, Amazon, Flipkart, and FirstCry.
Because your baby deserves care that is as natural as they are.
Here are all the SEO and FAQ elements for the blog:
No. Saffron has genuine benefits during pregnancy — it supports digestion, has mild mood-stabilising properties, and contains antioxidants. However, it has no influence over a baby's skin colour. Skin tone is determined by genetics and melanin production, neither of which is affected by any food consumed during pregnancy.
Diet during pregnancy profoundly impacts a baby's brain development, immunity, organ formation, and overall health — but it does not determine skin colour. Melanin levels, which control complexion, are set by the baby's genetic makeup from conception. A nutritious diet supports healthy skin development, but cannot change the skin tone your baby is genetically predisposed to have.
Coconut water is an excellent choice during pregnancy for hydration and electrolyte balance, and is easy on the stomach during nausea. However, it has no connection to a baby's skin colour. Its benefits are entirely for the mother's hydration and wellbeing, not for altering fetal melanin production.
A baby's skin colour is determined entirely by genetics — specifically the genes inherited from both parents that regulate melanin production. Melanin comes in two forms: eumelanin (brown and black tones) and pheomelanin (yellow and red tones). The unique combination of these genes, fixed at conception, is what creates your baby's natural skin tone. No external factor during pregnancy can override this.
Focus on gentle, minimal, and natural care. Use a chemical-free herbal bath powder for daily cleansing instead of soap, moisturise with natural oils like coconut or almond through daily massage, keep the baby away from direct sunlight in the early weeks, and avoid products with synthetic fragrances, parabens, or sulphates. Healthy newborn skin is about barrier protection and nourishment — not complexion.
