Old Wives' Tales About Baby Gender: The Complete List

Old wives' tales about baby gender have been passed down for generations across almost every culture. Some sound oddly plausible; others are pure guesswork dressed up as tradition. Here's the complete list — and the honest answer about whether any of them actually work.

The Complete List

Below are the most commonly cited gender prediction old wives' tales. Each has been handed down through generations but none has been validated by scientific research.

Body and bump shape:

Carrying high is said to mean a girl; carrying low means a boy. In reality, bump position depends on your abdominal muscle tone, posture, and the baby's position — not sex.
Bump shape round and all-out front = boy; wider and spreading to the sides = girl. Again, this depends on your body shape, not the baby's sex.

Symptoms and how you feel: 3. Severe morning sickness is traditionally linked to a girl — the idea being that higher oestrogen causes more nausea. While some research has found a very weak association, it is nowhere near reliable enough to predict sex. 4. Craving sweet foods = girl; craving salty or savoury foods = boy. Food cravings are driven by nutritional needs, hormones, and habit — not baby sex. 5. Acne and skin breakouts during pregnancy = girl (supposedly caused by the girl "stealing your beauty"). Skin changes are caused by hormonal fluctuations that affect everyone differently. 6. Heartburn throughout pregnancy = baby with lots of hair (not a gender prediction as such, but commonly cited). There is one small study suggesting a weak link between heartburn and newborn hair — but it is not a gender indicator. 7. Feeling hot all the time = boy. There is no evidence for this.

Home tests and rituals: 8. The ring test: suspend a ring (or needle) on a piece of thread over the bump. Circles = girl; back and forth = boy (or vice versa, depending on who you ask). The result reflects small involuntary hand movements, not the baby's sex. 9. The baking soda test: mix urine with baking soda. Fizzing = boy; no reaction = girl. Urine acidity depends on diet and hydration, not baby sex. 10. The cabbage test: boil red cabbage and mix the water with urine. A red/pink colour = boy; purple/blue = girl. Again, this is just measuring urine acidity. 11. Pee colour test: dark yellow urine = boy; pale yellow = girl. Urine colour reflects hydration levels only. 12. The Chinese gender chart: uses your age at conception and the month of conception to predict sex. Studies examining it have found it performs at chance level. 13. The Mayan calendar method: similar in concept to the Chinese chart. No scientific support.

Heartbeat and physical signs: 14. Heart rate above 140 bpm = girl; below 140 = boy. A large study found foetal heart rate does not reliably predict sex. 15. Cold feet during pregnancy = boy. No evidence for this. 16. Hair grows faster = boy; slower = girl. Hair growth changes in pregnancy are caused by hormonal shifts affecting all pregnancies. 17. Linea nigra only to the belly button = girl; continuing above = boy. The linea nigra is caused by melanin stimulation and has no known link to baby sex. 18. Skull shape theory: a squared jaw and prominent brow ridges on a scan = boy; a rounder skull = girl. Limited supporting research; not considered reliable by medical professionals.

Do Any of Them Work?

None of these old wives' tales have been shown to predict baby sex more accurately than chance in well-designed studies. They are all approximately 50% accurate — the same as guessing. Because there are only two possible outcomes (boy or girl), you would expect any random method to be right half the time.

That doesn't make them worthless as a source of fun and conversation during pregnancy. Many families enjoy working through the list and tallying the "votes." Just treat the results as entertainment, not information.

If you want a genuinely informative prediction:

NIPT blood testing (from around 10 weeks) is highly accurate and uses the baby's own DNA.
Nub theory at the 12-week dating scan is a widely used informal method with better-than-chance accuracy when the scan image is clear.
The 20-week anomaly scan is the standard NHS opportunity to find out the sex visually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do any old wives' tales predict gender accurately?

No. All old wives' tales for gender prediction perform at around 50% accuracy — the same as guessing. None have scientific support, and none are used in clinical practice. For a reliable prediction, NIPT blood testing or a later ultrasound scan are your best options.

Why do old wives' tales persist if they don't work?

Because they're 50% accurate — which feels like it works half the time. When a tale gets it right, people remember it. When it gets it wrong, it tends to be forgotten or explained away. This is called confirmation bias, and it's why so many of these traditions have survived across generations and cultures.

Is it safe to try home gender tests like the baking soda or cabbage test?

Yes — these tests are harmless. Baking soda and red cabbage are everyday food items with no safety concerns in this context. Just remember that the result carries no real information about your baby's sex.

Always speak to your midwife or GP for personal advice about your pregnancy.

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