15 ways to tell your unborn baby's gender before the doctor can.

Expectant mothers will try some weird things to predict the gender of their unborn baby.

Realistically the only true way to know the gender of your baby is to wait until birth and check if out first hand. Until then, the non-invasive prenatal DND and 20 weeks ultrasound scans can give a pretty accurate predication of gender, although it’s not 100% guaranteed.

But mums to be can be a curious bunch with many of us hanging in suspense at finding out whether a pink or a blue bundle is on the cards. Who can wait all those months and weeks anyways?

That’s when we turn to the weird and wonderful at-home gender predication tests. 100% legit and accurate (okay, maybe not 100%).

1. The ring test.

Get mum to lie on the floor and suspend her wedding ring from a piece of thread or string. Hold it high above the bump. If the ring starts circling, it’s a boy. If the ring swings back and forth, a girl is on the way.

2. The bi-carb test.

Just when you thought you’d done enough peeing on things, comes the bi-carb test. It has to do with the acidity (or lack there of) in a pregnant woman’s urine. Basically, you wee in a cup (you should be familiar with that) and add a tablespoon of bi-carb soda to it.

If the mixture starts to fizz, you’re having a boy. If there is no fizz, girl! I confess to doing this one with my current pregnancy. I was told I was having a girl, and it was right.

3. Draino.

Yep, more peeing on stuff.

This time, add a tablespoon of draino (found in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket) to your wee. If it changes colour to green you should start shopping for pink stuff. If it shows blue, it’s boy stuff for you.

4. Cabbage Test.

Ready? More wee!

Buy yourself a red cabbage next time you're at the green grocer. Boil it up and save the water. Next time you get the call of nature, mix some of the cabbage juice in with your urine. If it looks pink in colour, it's a girl and if it looks more purple, it's a boy.

5. Cravings.

The old wives tale says that if you crave more sweet things than savoury, a little princess is on the way.

I'm unsure of what the predication is if you just ate a bag of doritos in  ice-cream. I have one confused little baby.

6. Key test.

Ask a pregnant woman to pick up a key. If she grabs the narrow end, it's said that she is pregnant with a daughter. If mum to be goes to pick up the key by the rounded end, she's due with a boy.

7. Bump position.

Apparently, the way you carry your baby bump can be used to determine bub's gender. Women who are expecting boys are said to carry lower, where as mums who are having pink babies are rocking higher bumps.

8. The nub test.

I actually tried this and didn't get anywhere but as with most pregnancy issues, there are forums upon forums of women asking others about 'the nub'.

The idea behind the nub theory is that your 12 week ultrasound photos could show you the gender of hub, but not in the way you think. It's all about the nub (which both boys and girls have at this age. In girls, the nub shrinks and retreats and in boys the nub develops into a penis).

The angle of the nub is what you need to focus on. If the nub of baby is pointed up 30 degrees or more, it's apparently a boy. If the nub is not pointing high, it's a girl.

9. Heartbeat.

It's said that babies with a heartbeat of 150 bpm or more are girls. I'm sceptical about this one. Both of my boys had high heartbeats from the get-go and this one (a girl) has hovered around the lower end of the scale. But, many people swear by this theory. I guess my kids didn't get the memo.

10. Pregnancy glow.

The old wives tale says that girls steal their beauty from their mothers so if you're experiencing more breakouts than usual, it could be because a little Miss is on the cards.

11. Skull theory.

This is another theory that leaves mums to be gazing endlessly at early ultrasound pictures. The skull theory says that square skulls belong to boys and rounded skulls belong to girls. All three of my kids have looked exactly the same on their 12 week scans so this one did nothing for me.

12. Garlic.

Chow down on a clove or two of garlic (yum yum) and wait.

The next morning, if you can smell the garlic on your skin, you're apparently due with a boy. If there is no smell on your skin, it's a girl. The downside is that no one will really want to test this for you to see if you stink, so you're on your own. Also, it's likely that your partner will sleep on the couch.

13. Chinese gender chart.

The Chinese gender chart uses the maternal age at the time of conception and the month of conception to predict the gender of your unborn child. Some people have had huge success with this but really, it's 50/50. All of mine were wrong.

14. Morning sickness.

If you are constantly stuck to the bathroom tiles, a girl is apparently on the way for you. If your sickness comes on a little later, it could be a boy. Either way you get to feel like crap. I was sick with all of my pregnancies but I have to say that this one had some accuracy.

15. Breasts.

Whip off the bra ladies and check out your norks. If the right one seems bigger than the left, you should start buying blue. If the left seems larger, pink. This doesn't account for what you were working with before, seeing as though most os us have differences in breasts in the first place.

So while none of these gender prediction tests are proven to be foolproof, at least it keeps the pregnant mind busy until the next scan.

Have you tried any of these gender predication methods? Were they accurate?

Want more? Try:

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