Predicting Your Baby’s Gender

It’s true that an ultrasound is the only scientifically proven way to know whether you’re expecting a boy or a girl -- but that hasn’t stopped women from employing a slew of tactics to predict their new baby’s gender. While they’re not rooted in fact, these practices can be fun for moms-to-be who are too early in their pregnancy to get the official word from their doctor (and for moms who would rather wait until the birth to truly find out). Try one out today!

Number tests
It’s not modern science, but an ancient Chinese method uses a little bit of math to determine the sex of a new baby. Pre-dating modern ultrasounds by at least six centuries, the Chinese gender prediction calendar cross references a new mom’s age with the month of conception. Women have even used this chart to determine the best month to get pregnant if they’re angling for a pink or a blue nursery.

Direction tests
Try this group-friendly baby gender guessing game with friends, family, or at a baby shower: Place a ring on a thread and dangle it over your pregnant belly. Encourage everyone to watch closely. Supposedly, a ring that swings in a circular motion means you’re having a baby girl; if it swings back and forth, it’s a boy.

Appearance tests
A myriad of old wives tales to predict a baby’s gender center on the pregnant belly of a new mom. Carrying high means a boy, carrying low means a girl; you’re having a Jane if the bump resembles a basketball, and a John if it’s more watermelon-shaped.

But there are also legends around the appearance of the new mom herself: A little girl will cause you to glow, whereas a boy prompts mom to lose her beauty and charm. However, a contradicting tale claims if your new baby is a girl, the excess of estrogen will cause you to break out more than normal. (An important piece of parenting advice: Science does not support either of these concepts, so don’t spend too much time studying the mirror!)

If all else fails, the next best thing to a doctor’s confirmation may be the intuition of a new mom: A recent study shows that women who have an intuition about their baby’s gender were right more than 70 percent of the time. So trust yourself when preparing for a new baby!