There are so many fun methods for baby gender predictions, but are they accurate? I tested them all and share my surprising results!
I bobbed my wedding ring up and down seven times.
Is this really going to work??” I thought to myself, but my friend claimed it was incredibly accurate so I kept going.
Boy…
Girl…
Girl…
Boy…
No way!
My husband and I had always said we would have four kids, so the fact that my wedding ring stopped moving after four tries really freaked me out.
The Best Baby Gender Predictions
We had a boy first and then a girl, so we decided to keep the gender for our third baby a surprise since we already had one of each.
If the ring test was at all accurate, our third would be a girl.
That got me thinking about all the super fun baby gender predictions out there, and I decided to try the best ones to see if any of those gender prediction tests work.
I put together this comprehensive list of fun gender predictions including some old wives tales.
Since baby #3 is finally here, I’ll share if any of these tests worked below!
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1. Cravings
As the gender lore goes, if you’re craving salty things, you’re having a boy and if you can’t seem to stay away from the sweets, then your bundle of joy is most likely a girl.
While there’s not much scientific proof to back that, we do know that most women will experience cravings at some point during their pregnancy!
Some of the combinations of food women report wanting to eat can be pretty comical. Here are a few of the combinations other mamas shared with me:
Eggo waffles and peanut butter = GIRL
Mangos and chicken (not together!) = GIRL
Root beer and burritos = BOY
Waffles and pineapple = BOY
Breakfast foods and veggies = BOY
Salad and fruit = GIRL
Steak and olives = BOY
Pineapple and beef jerky = BOY
Subway and apple sauce = BOY
Mozzarella sticks and fries = BOY
Hot Cheetos and pickles = GIRL
Apple juice = GIRL
Anything with lime = GIRL
Sour candy and fruit = GIRL
Peanut butter and Dr. Pepper = BOY
Sour candy, Subway, and steak = BOY
Cheeseburgers, Slurpees, and shaved ice = GIRL
Those are some pretty crazy combinations!
As far as my cravings have gone…they’ve really been all over the place.
I’ve really wanted sweet things and sour candy this pregnancy, but I also really wanted turkey sandwiches and Subway the whole time.
So for now, the craving gender predictor test is inconclusive for me!
2. Morning Sickness
Ugh! Morning sickness is such a tough symptom to deal with.
If you’re feeling nauseous, legend says, you’re having a girl. The theory is that girls bring added hormones, making an already hormonal mama even more susceptible to nausea.
If you are feeling really nauseous, a really easy help is to eat more protein! My nurse gave me this advice, and it’s worked wonders to keep nausea at bay.
I ate Premier Protein Shakes, peanut butter on toast, and cheese a lot during my first trimester, which helped a lot.
You can watch how I make my protein shakes here.
I haven’t thrown up a single time with baby number three, which is a HUGE contrast from my first two pregnancies! So the morning sickness gender predictor test = BOY
3. How You Carry Baby
As gender predictions go, how you’re carrying might help you determine boy or girl.
The idea is that if you’re carrying high, it’s a girl. If you’re carrying low, it’s more likely to be a boy.
But, no matter how you’re carrying, pregnancy can get pretty uncomfortable.
The weight from baby can cause back pain.
One solution to try is kinesiology tape. This tape is usually used by athletes, but strategically taping a pregnant belly can offer significant pain relief for mamas, too!
I’ve been feeling baby pretty high this pregnancy, so this gender predictor test = GIRL
4. Baby’s Heart Rate
According to the tales, a boy’s heart rate will be <140, and girls are anything >140 beats per minute.
I find my baby’s heart rate with a portable fetal heart doppler.
I love having a heart doppler for peace of mind. I purchased one with Ella and it made me feel so much better! I could check her heart rate at any time and it wasn’t even that expensive to buy.
For the heart rate gender predictor test, my results say BOY
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5. Beauty
Pregnancy and beauty have a pretty well-known relationship. You either glow and look wonderful or find yourself breaking out in acne and wondering what’s wrong with your hair.
As far as gender predictions go, beauty is probably one of the easiest to spot because it can literally be written all over your face!
The wives tales say that moms who glow, are probably having a boy. Moms who experience acne and “dead-looking” hair, are in for a girl.
I have oily, acne-prone skin as it is, so I can really tell when my hormones are affected.
But during this pregnancy, my skin has never been better so my results for the beauty gender predictor test = BOY
6. Sleeping Position
This is one of the more obscure gender predictions, but, if you’re following the lore, it goes that sleeping on your left side means you’re probably having a boy and the right side means you’re having a girl.
Unfortunately, pregnancy and ACTUAL sleep don’t typically go together, regardless of the position.
With my first two pregnancies, I experienced a lot of sleep-related problems like:
- Getting up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom
- Back pains
- Cramped limbs
- SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) pains
- Night sweats
- Insomnia
This time around, I’ve had pretty good rest each night, and it’s all thanks to the best mattress for pregnancy.
Lately, I’ve been sleeping more on my right side, so this gender predictor test = GIRL
7. Mood
Pregnant women are notorious for severe shifts in mood. But, if you’re generally feeling good, you’re more likely having a boy. Girls tend to bring on the mood swings.
Go figure!
Probiotics have really helped me to feel better this pregnancy, and have more energy. Another great way to help with mood swings is to get in a good pregnancy workout.
I’ve been pretty moody this pregnancy, but that may be thanks to my postpartum anger issues. For now, we’ll say the mood gender predictor test = GIRL
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8. Mayan & Chinese Calendars
The Mayan and Chinese Calendars can help predict gender based on the time of conception and mother’s age.
The Mayan gender prediction chart maps out both the mother’s age and the month the baby is conceived.
If both numbers are either even or odd, the baby will be a girl. If one number is even and the other is odd, the baby will be a boy.
For example:
If you’re 22 at the time of conception and conceive in June, your baby will be a girl because 22 and 6 are both even numbers.
The Chinese gender chart is very similar. Both cultures used numbers and astrology to predict gender.
Does the Chinese gender calendar really work?
The calendar correctly predicted my first baby as a boy, but was not correct for my second baby.
It says at age 24 and in the month of September it should be a boy but our second is a girl!
Based on the Mayan gender predictor, baby #3 will be a BOY
9. Hands
Cold, dry hands? You’re probably having a boy. Girls will bring the opposite symptoms.
This particular gender prediction test would probably be a challenge for me because I tend to have dry skin as it is.
It also doesn’t help that I live in Utah!
For now, we’ll say the hands gender predictor test = BOY
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10. Ring Test
This is the baby gender predictions test I mentioned at the beginning.
What you do is take your wedding ring and suspend it from a strand of your hair, then hold it over your belly. (I’ve also seen it done just held over the person’s hand). Steady the ring and bounce it seven times. If the ring swings side to side, its a boy. If it swings in a circle, it’s a girl.
You keep bouncing the ring until it stops moving and that’s how many kids you’re having.
I did this test several times and it said the same thing with every round. Crazy!
You can watch a video of me doing the test here.
The ring gender predictor test = GIRL for baby #3
11. Key Test
This is another gender prediction test, similar to the ring test.
Ask the mom to be to pick up a key.
If she picks it up from the wide end, she’s having a boy. If she picks it up from the narrow end, baby’s going to be a girl.
My results for the key gender predictor test = BOY
12. Baking Soda Gender Test
To complete this gender prediction test at home, you’ll need to combine your urine with baking soda to see how it reacts.
I remember trying this with my first and not being too sure of the results…but still it’s a fun test to try!
It’s best to start with the morning’s first urine. Collect it in a cup and add an equal amount of baking soda. If the mixture fizzes it’s a boy and if nothing happens it’s a girl.
My results for the baking soda gender test = GIRL
How can I find out my baby’s gender?
Unfortunately, the only conclusive way to find out your baby’s gender is at delivery.
Sometimes, even your ultrasound gets it wrong!
But here are my results for those who were keeping track:
BOY = 6
GIRL = 5
INCONCLUSIVE = 1
Even though it was split pretty evenly, I had a strong feeling that our third baby would be a boy.
You can imagine my surprise when out popped a little girl! (I guess the ring test is pretty accurate 😉
Want More?
Once you find out your baby’s gender (either through these tests or the ultrasound) here’s 1000+ modern baby names to go through with your partner.
If you’re keeping the gender a surprise like we did, you might like these 115 gender neutral baby names.
Your Turn
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