What the Old Wives' Tales Say About Whether You'll Have a Boy or a Girl

By Jenny Saltiel with Lexi Walters
June 28, 2009
Are you having a boy or a girl? These old wives' tales are a fun (but not scientific!) way to guess the sex of your baby.
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Old Wives' Tales

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Old wives' tales are little more than super-circulated rumors. Never proven to be true, they're sayings and adages that generations of women have passed down to one another regarding family health ("Eating carrots improves your vision"), safe parenting ("Wait an hour after eating before swimming"), and -- most popularly -- pregnancy. Whether you're trying to guess your own baby's gender or looking for shower games for a friend, read on for the top ways women have guessed: boy or girl?

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Sleep Position

Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight. If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you'll have a boy. Right side? Your pregnant with a girl.

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Upset Stomach

Little girls aren't always sweet. Extreme nausea means you are having a daughter.

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Pregnancy Myths: What Should You Believe?

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Boy or Girl: How Genetics Determine Your Baby's Gender

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Soft or dry hands

If your hands are dry during pregnancy, you are having a boy; soft -- expect a girl.

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Food Cravings

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Your favorite pregnancy foods may tell you what sex the baby is. If you're craving citrus while pregnant, you're having a girl.

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Adult Acne

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If altering hormones makes your skin break out, expect a girl.

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Graceful or Clumsy Pregnancy

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If you feel as though you're gliding through they day, you'll have a girl. Stumbling? It's a boy.

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Face Weight Gain

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If your face gets fuller, it means you're having a girl.

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Sugar and Spice Food Cravings

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Craving salt during pregnancy? Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn means a boy is on the way. Need a little something sweet? Ice cream, chocolate, and candy means you're having a girl.

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Mood Changes

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If you're experiencing pregnant mood-swings, expect a baby girl to arrive soon.

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High or Low Pregnant Belly

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If you're carrying the baby low on your stomach, expect a boy. If it's high, you're having a girl.

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Baby Weight

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If you're carrying baby in front, it's a boy. Is the baby weight spaced all around your middle? It's a girl.

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Pendulum Test

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Dangle a chain with a charm over your palm. If it swings back and forth: boy. In a circle: girl.

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Model Your Hands

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"Show me your hands." If you would hold your hands palms up it's a girl. Down? You're having a boy.

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Toddler Advice

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Get baby advice from a nephew or friend's little boy. If a toddler boy shows interest in your belly, you'll have a girl. If he ignores you, it's a boy.

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Eat Garlic

Guess the baby's sex by eating garlic. If the smell seeps out of your pores it's a boy. If there's no scent it's a little girl.

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Key to Pregnancy

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If you pick up a key by the round end, you're having a boy. If it's by the long end? A girl.

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Even and Odd Numbers

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If your age and year of conception are both even or odd, it's girl. One even, one odd means a boy.

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Baby's Heartbeat

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If the baby's heart beats more than 150 times per minute, you're pregnant with a girl. Less than 150, it's a boy.

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Stress Test

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A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception.

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Dream Meanings

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If you dream about having a girl while pregnant, you will wind up having a boy and vice versa.

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Breast Size

Kaysh Shinn

If your right breast is larger than the left while pregnant, you are having a girl. If the left is larger, it's a baby boy.

Copyright &copy 2009 Meredith Corporation.

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