Before the days of gender sorting and “swaying,” women didn’t get a say in whether or not they were having a baby boy or a baby girl. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
In fact, women didn’t even get ultrasounds to know the sex of their baby until back a few years ago.
However, that didn’t stop women for wondering and wanting to know whether their bundle of joy would be a boy or a girl. So, women had no choice but to go old school when it came to gender determination.
There were tons of different wives tales out there, and DIY “tricks” that women could to in order to determine if their baby was going to be a boy or a girl. Of course, these are only for fun and not at all scientific based, however, they can still be a ton of fun!
You will probably already know many of these wives tales, and if you have been pregnant before, you have probably even taken part in some of these before! However, there really are tons of them out there!
Read on for some more information about the most common Old Wives Tales when it comes to determining baby gender!
This is one of the more popular old wives tales out there, and most people are already aware of this one. If you are already pregnant, you have probably already noticed that people will make comments about how you are carrying and whether that means your baby is a boy or a girl.
The way the rumor goes, women who are carrying “high” are said to be having a baby girl, while women who are carrying “low” are said to be having a baby boy. How true is this one? We can’t really say, but in my own personal experience, my sister carried both of her babies “low” and both of them really did turn out to be boys!
WIVES TALE #1: Carry high for a girl; carry low for a boy.
This one is another popular theory, and people will usually start making their own assertions about the sex of your baby after you tell them the heart rate. The saying goes that a fast heart rate (one over 140 beats per minute) is usually a girl. Heart rate below 140 beats per minute? The old wives tales say that you are having a boy.
Of course, this is just a myth, and not really an accurate predictor of gender. When my OB took my baby’s heart rate, he would tell me, and then say: “That means, guess what? It’s a…. baby!” Basically, it’s fun to guess, but heart rate really doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the sex of the baby.
WIVES TALE #2: Fast heart rate for girl; slow heart rate for boy.
This one is always fun, and when my friend was a waitress she would have people doing this to her every day when she was pregnant. You take your wedding ring and tie it to a piece of string. Then you hold it over your belly without moving it on your own. If it swings around in a circle, the saying is that you are likely to be having a boy. However, if the string just rocks back and forth, that indicates a girl.
This one is really fun and kind of silly, and I am not sure if anyone really expects it to work. However, when you are pregnant, you will often encounter folks (mostly older folks) who believe that this is a legitimate test of your baby’s gender. It is a funny way to test though, and every pregnant woman should try it at least once!
WIVES TALE #3: Rocks back and forth for girl; swings in a circle for boy.
Yes, Drano. Here’s how it goes, although I don’t really recommend trying this one, since it could be kind of (ok, really) dangerous! It starts off simple enough, with the mom to be peeing in a cup. However, this is where it gets weird. Then you mix in a tablespoon of Drano. If the mixture turns green, you are supposed to be having a girl. However, if it turns blue, you’re supposed to be having a boy.
This one doesn’t sound very safe or fun (who wants to mix Drano with pee!?!). For a safer alternative to this crazy wives tale, you can mix baking soda with a cup of urine. If the mixture bubbles and fizzes, it means a boy. No reaction means a girl. Or so they say! This one is a little too “science experiment-y” for me!
WIVES TALE #4: Mixture green for girl; mixture blue for boy.
This one is also silly and just for fun, but it’s cool to try anyway. A friend or family member places a key in front of the pregnant woman and asks her to pick it up. If the pregnant lady grabs the key by the narrow end, it means a baby girl. However, if she grabs the key by the fat part, it means a boy is on the way.
This one is fun and there are a ton of variations on it. It sounds a little bit crazy, but many people still do this one and try to see how a woman will pick up the key.
WIVES TALE #5: Grabs narrow end for girl; grabs fat end for boy.
The saying goes, a little girl will try to steal away her mother’s beauty. This means that if you have oily, acne prone skin or other skin issues during your pregnancy, you are probably having a baby girl. For women who have perfect skin and the pregnancy glow, the old wives tales say that you are probably having a baby boy!
Baby boys are also supposed to bring about dry, flaky skin and cold feet, so keep that in consideration as well. Definitely pay attention to your body and the clues it is giving you, and see if you can find out if you are having a boy or a girl.
WIVES TALE #6: Acne prone skin for girl; perfect skin glow for boy.
The Linea Nigra is the dark line that some women get on their stomachs during pregnancies. It is completely normal, and many women get this during pregnancy. However, many people believe that this line can actually indicate a baby’s gender.
The way the story goes, if the linea nigra goes from the woman’s belly button down to a woman’s pubic bone, it is likely that the woman will be having a girl. If the linea nigra goes from a woman’s navel up to the ribcage, it is said that a woman will be having a baby boy. Many women believe this theory, although it is not clear if it has any truth.
WIVES TALE #7: Line down to pubic bone for girl; line up to ribcage for boy.
Another way that women can use old wives tales to determine the gender of their baby is by paying attention to their hair. The way the theory goes, if a woman’s hair is looking dry, dull and brittle during her pregnancy, it’s another case of the baby “stealing her mother’s beauty,” and the baby is expected to be a girl. In the case of a woman whose hair is looking healthy, shiny, strong and luxurious, the baby is expected to be a boy.
WIVES TALE #8: Dry, brittle hair or girl; healthy, shiny hair for boy.
It’s a well known fact that sometimes, a woman’s partner will also gain weight during her pregnancy. However, many times, people actually believe that this can help to determine a baby’s gender.
The story goes, if a woman’s partner is gaining a lot of weight during the pregnancy, the baby is most likely going to be a baby girl. However, if the dad to be isn’t putting on too much weight, the baby is probably going to be a baby boy.
WIVES TALE #9: Partner gains weight for girl; no weight gain for boy.
All women gain weight during their pregnancies, that is no surprise. It is to be expected of course! However, the way that women gain their weight is said to be a big indication of whether or not she will have a boy or a girl.
The theory says that if a woman is gaining weight equally all over her body, with more of a watermelon-shaped belly, she is more likely to be having a girl. If a woman is gaining weight just in her belly area, like a basketball, the baby is likely to be a boy.
WIVES TALE #10: Watermelon belly for girl; basketball belly for boy.
Growing feet is just a normal side effect of pregnancy, although sometimes it lasts forever and sometimes it is only temporary. However, if a woman finds that her feet do stay the same size throughout the duration of pregnancy, it is said that her baby will be a girl. However, boy babies can be known to add anywhere from a half size to a whole entire size to a woman’s feet!
WIVES TALE #11: Feet size the same for girl; feet grow for boy.
Another way to tell if your baby is going to be a boy or a girl is by the cravings that a woman has during her pregnancy. Old wives tales state that women who are craving sweets like cakes, candies, cookies and fruit are going to be having a baby girl. However, if it is salty foods like chips, snack foods, fast foods, pizza, or meats, a woman is probably having a baby boy.
WIVES TALE #12: Craving sweets for girl; craving salty foods for boy.
It is very common for a woman’s breasts to change during pregnancy, but for some women, the aerolas of the breasts darken dramatically during pregnancy. This is said to happen more in women who are having a baby boy. Women who do not see much of a change in nipple color are said to be having a baby girl.
Is this true? We don’t know, but it’s just one more entertaining wives tale when it comes to pregnancy.
WIVES TALE #13: No areola color change for girl; areolas darken for boy.
It’s also very common that women experience morning sickness during their pregnancies. Many women find that morning sickness can be quite severe during these times. However, wives tales say that women who have severe morning sickness are often going to have a boy, while women who are immune from morning sickness are often going to have a baby girl.
Is this true? I am not sure how true this is, but it’s a common rumor when it comes to baby gender and wives’ tales.
WIVES TALE #14: No morning sickness for girl; severe morning sickness for boy.
Another very strange old wives’ tale when it comes to baby gender is the clumsiness factor of the mom during pregnancy. The saying goes that if a woman is graceful and gentle throughout her pregnancy, she is probably going to be having a baby girl.
If a woman finds herself becoming clumsy during her pregnancy, chances are that her baby is going to be a boy. It sounds weird, but many people actually believe that this one could possibly be true.
WIVES TALE #15: Graceful for a girl; clumsy for a boy.
I’m not sure whether to call this one a wives tale or not, since it is actually a real ancient scientific method of gender prediction. But we’ll include it anyway, as a fun indication of gender!
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a real chart, and by using a woman’s age at conception, combined with the month in which she conceived, the chart is able to predict whether a couple will have a boy or a girl. This ancient method of gender prediction has been around for hundreds of years, and according to many people, is a very accurate way of determining gender.
WIVES TALE #16: Combine mother’s age at conception with month conceived and read chart for boy or girl.
As you can see, there is no shortage of wives’ tales when it comes to determining whether you are having a boy or girl. These are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the crazy ideas and theories that are out there regarding baby gender. There are so many different ideas out there and women can try for days to determine if their baby is going to be a boy or a girl, based solely on wives’ tales alone.
This would actually be a fun experiment, to try all of the different wives tales out there, and tally up the results. This would be a fun way to find out if these old wives’ tales had any merit at all, based on a woman’s particular results. There are definitely enough things out there to keep you busy if you wanted to test them all out, that is for sure.
However, if you do decide to test out these old wives’ tales and these things that help to determine baby gender, do remember that they are not scientifically proven, and should just be done for fun! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself during this, and remember that it’s all in good fun!
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