Babies Who Are Born Looking Like This Parent Are Healthier, Says Science
The healthiest babies seem to mirror this parent's features.
serjan midili | Unsplash Most parents would agree that the health and happiness of their kids is their foremost concern. And while there are many ways parents can help their little ones thrive, research has found that in that first year of an infant's life, basic biology might play a bigger role than straight nurturing. In fact, the more a baby looks like a certain parent when they are born, the healthier they are by their first birthday.
Yep, it's true! A 2018 study, conducted by Solomon Polachek, Research Professor of Economics at Binghamton University, and Marlon Tracey from Southern Illinois University, focused on 715 families in which the babies only lived with their mothers. The researchers analyzed the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study and found that the babies who looked more like their father at birth were actually healthier one year later than those who favored their mother.
Researchers found that kids who look like their fathers at birth are healthier by their first birthday.
Yan Krukau | Pexels
The study found that fathers who resembled their children spent more time with them versus the fathers who didn't — an average of two and a half more days, to be exact. According to the study, researchers found that infants who were born out of wedlock and who look like their father at birth (as determined by both parents in separate interviews) are healthier on their first birthday.
This has nothing to do with paternal health, however. It's much more nuanced than that. Researchers determined that when babies resemble the father, fathers typically spend more time with the child (two and a half days more on average), which helps the baby's overall well-being. "Those fathers that perceive the baby's resemblance to them are more certain the baby is theirs, and thus spend more time with the baby," Dr. Polachek explained. "Fathers are important in raising a child, and it manifests itself in the health of the child."
Evolutionary sociobiology backs up this theory, showing that the father-child resemblance encourages paternal time investment. However, there was basically no evidence to support other potential mechanisms, such as a father's economic provision, his involvement in shared parenting, or maternal parenting.
A father can impact the health of their child before they are even born.
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Traditional family structures have long held the belief that mom is the nurturer and dad is the provider. While modern approaches to parenting are slowly changing, mothers still play a more predominant role in the actual raising of children, especially from pregnancy through early childhood. What's interesting, however, is that from a scientific perspective, fathers who are more actively involved even as early as during the pregnancy have a much more profound effect than most people would realize.
In fact, a 2021 study found that mothers who feel supported during their pregnancies by the father have healthier pregnancies and births. Even the babies have statistically healthier birth experiences. An academic analysis published in 2000 suggested that the more supportive and engaged a father is during pregnancy could even influence the mother's bond with her baby. If the health of the couple's relationship was good and the family unit was sound, statistically, the needs of the baby were more likely to be met.
All that is to say that a father's involvement in early childhood is much more significant than most people realize. What's sad, however, is that a 2025 survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago found that 64% of fathers reported taking less than two weeks of leave or no leave after the birth of their baby. Senior researcher Clarissa Simon explained, “It’s not always an easy time — you’re sleep deprived, it’s not fun — but it’s part of being a dad. Fathers can and should experience the pains and the joys of parenthood, and the best way to do that is if they can take a break from work to spend time with their new baby without financial barriers or stressors like fear of job loss.”
The more actively involved a father is in his child's life, the better.
Technically, a baby doesn't have to look like their father to reap the health benefits explored in the study, but from an evolutionary perspective, it seems that dads are just more inclined to bond with a baby that looks like their doppelganger.
To put it simply, dads are important in a baby's overall health. Dr. Polachek noted, "frequent father visits allow for greater parental time for caregiving and supervision, and for information gathering about child health and economic needs. It's been said that 'it takes a village,' but my coauthor, Marlon Tracey, and I find that having an involved father certainly helps."
While we know how important a paternal role is when it comes to raising a child, the results of the study suggest that the role of a father figure in a child's development is even more important than people can imagine. The study hopes to encourage fathers to engage more in their children's lives and realize the major role they play in their children's growth and well-being.
So to all the dads out there, spend as much time as possible with your children. Even if they don't look exactly like you, getting that one-on-one bonding time with them is essential to their health and their happiness.
Brittany White is a freelance writer who focuses on the latest news and relationships. She has written for Ocean Drive Magazine, Central Florida Future, and Knight News.
