Let’s get one thing out of the way: while old wives’ tales for predicting your baby’s gender may be fun, they’re not actually reliable or based on science. You’ll have just as much luck predicting your baby’s gender based on the flip of a coin. But that doesn’t take away from them being fun to participate in. While you wait for your anatomy scan, amniocentesis, NIPT or whatever other scan or test you’ll be having that can accurately tell you whether you are having a boy or a girl, check out the below old wives’ tales as a fun activity to “predict” your baby’s gender. Even if you’re choosing to not find out the sex of your baby before your little one arrives, it sure is fun to guess, right?
Cravings
If you’d take donuts, cookies and ice cream over pretzels, french fries and bagels, the old wives’ tale says you’re likely having a girl. If the opposite is true, it’s more likely to be a boy. .
How you’re carrying
Are you carrying low? The tale goes that you’re having a boy. Those carrying closer to their rib cage, are thought to more likely be carrying a girl.
Belly shape
If you’re having a girl, the tale goes that your belly will stick out straight whereas with a boy your belly will take on a wider shape.
Morning sickness
The worse your morning sickness, the more likely you are to be having a girl. This is the one tale that may have some truth to it according to a study that found that women that carried a female fetus, as opposed to a male fetus, reported significantly higher frequency of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy during in the first trimester.
Acid reflux
Given that acid reflux often goes hand-in-hand with morning sickness it’s fitting that the old wives tale says that women having acid reflux symptoms are more likely to be having a girl.
Baby’s heart rate
The tale goes that if baby’s heart rate is over 140 beats per minute, you’re having a girl; if it’s slower than 140, you’re having a boy. This one is easily debunked as the science shows heart rates are comparable between both genders.
Bad skin
Acne, discoloration and other blemishes? The saying goes you’ll have a girl. Glowing skin? A boy it is!
Headaches
Not all negative symptoms mean you’re having a girl, headaches are thought to mean you’re having a boy.
