Baby Boy or Girl Prediction Calculator

Carrying high or low? Craving sweet or salty? Use our playful calculator to find out what the folklore says!

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  By: Tali Ditye, Ph.D., Co-founder

  Updated: September 29, 2025

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Discover what traditional signs like belly shape, cravings, and even dream patterns have meant for generations when guessing a baby’s sex. Remember, this is for entertainment only!

Answer each question below and click See My Prediction. It only takes a few seconds to calculate your results!

When you're done, check out our reviews of the best baby products of the year to find the perfect gear for your growing family!

Pregnancy Boy or Girl Symptoms Quiz

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Scroll up to try our Baby Gender Predictor, based on 30 traditional “old wives’ tales” and folk methods that people have used for generations to guess whether they are carrying a boy or a girl. Answer as many or as few as you like, and see the playful prediction!

The 31 Old Wives’ Tales for Predicting Baby’s Sex

For centuries, parents-to-be have turned to old wives’ tales to guess whether their baby would be a boy or a girl. These folklore methods don’t have scientific backing, but they remain popular because they’re fun, simple, and often spark lively conversations among family and friends. Below is a detailed guide to each question in our calculator, including what the tale suggests and the reasoning behind it:

1. Carrying high vs. low: If your bump is sitting high on your belly, tradition says you’re likely having a girl. If it sits lower and protrudes more, it’s thought to be a boy. This idea comes from the belief that muscle tone and baby position differ between the sexes.
2. Carrying wide vs. narrow: A belly that spreads wide across your midsection supposedly signals a girl, while a narrow, out-front bump suggests a boy. This stems from the assumption that girls “spread you out,” while boys “stick out.”
3. Linea nigra: The dark vertical line that appears on some pregnant bellies is called the linea nigra. If it stops at or below the belly button, folklore says girl. If it extends well above the belly button, it’s thought to mean boy.
4. Fetal heart rate: A popular belief is that a faster heartbeat (above 140 bpm) belongs to a girl, while a slower one (below 140 bpm) points to a boy. In reality, studies show little consistent difference, but it remains a widely cited myth.
5. Morning sickness: Severe nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy are said to be more common with girls, while mild or absent morning sickness suggests a boy. This tale may connect to the idea that higher estrogen levels with female fetuses worsen nausea.
6. Skin condition: If your skin is glowing and clear, people may say you’re having a boy. If you’re breaking out more than usual, folklore says it’s a girl — with the old phrase that “girls steal their mother’s beauty.”
7. Hair texture: Thick, shiny, healthy hair is associated with carrying a boy, while dull, thinning, or brittle hair is tied to carrying a girl. Hormonal changes drive real differences, but not by baby sex.
8. Breast size difference: Some tales say if your left breast grows larger than your right, it’s a girl. If the right becomes bigger, it’s a boy. This belief likely grew from people trying to find symmetry clues in body changes.
9. Clumsiness: Feeling unusually clumsy or off-balance is thought to mean you’re carrying a boy, while maintaining your usual coordination suggests a girl. This likely comes from stereotypes about boys being “rowdy.”
10. Headaches: Frequent or more severe headaches during pregnancy are said to indicate a boy, while fewer or milder headaches suggest a girl. The theory is that higher testosterone levels from male fetuses could trigger headaches.
11. Cravings (sweet vs salty): Sweet cravings, like chocolate, pastries, or fruit, are linked to having a girl. Salty, sour, or savory cravings, like chips and pickles, are tied to having a boy. This reflects the idea that cravings reveal the baby’s gender “preferences.”
12. Cravings (meat vs fruits/veg): A strong desire for protein-rich foods like red meat supposedly means boy, while preferring fruits and vegetables signals girl. This may come from cultural associations of meat with strength and masculinity.
13. Dairy cravings: If you can’t get enough milk, cheese, or ice cream, folklore suggests you’re carrying a girl. If dairy isn’t appealing, people may say it’s a boy.
14. Citrus cravings: Craving oranges, lemons, or other citrus fruits is said to mean you’re having a girl. This belief likely stems from citrus being seen as “light and refreshing,” qualities stereotypically assigned to girls.
15. Chocolate cravings: A strong or frequent craving for chocolate is considered a sign of a girl. This has become one of the more modernized versions of the sweet vs. salty craving tale.
16. Chinese gender calendar: This centuries-old method combines the mother’s lunar age and the lunar month of conception to predict sex. According to the chart, certain age-month combinations result in a boy, while others suggest a girl.
17. Mayan predictor: The Mayan method says that if both the mother’s age at conception and the year of conception are even or odd, you’ll have a girl. If one is even and the other odd, it’s a boy.
18. Wedding ring test: Tying a ring to a string and holding it above the belly is thought to reveal gender. If it swings in circles, you’re having a girl; if it moves back-and-forth like a pendulum, it’s a boy.
19. Key test: Placing a key on a table and asking a pregnant person to pick it up is another playful test. Grabbing it by the narrow end supposedly means girl, while picking it up by the wider end means boy.
20. Drano test: Mixing urine with Drano (not safe to try!) is said to cause different color changes depending on the baby’s sex — with amber/yellow meaning girl and greenish meaning boy. Despite its risks, this tale persisted in some circles.
21. Baking soda test: Adding urine to baking soda is thought to reveal sex by how it reacts. If it fizzes and bubbles, it’s a boy; if it stays flat, it’s a girl. This comes from the belief that urine chemistry differs by fetal sex.
22. Garlic test: Eating garlic and noticing how strongly (or not) you smell afterward is another folk test. If your sweat smells strong, it’s said to be a boy; if there’s no odor, it’s a girl.
23. Urine color: Bright, neon-like yellow urine is thought to indicate a boy, while dull or pale yellow urine suggests a girl. In reality, urine color changes mostly with hydration and diet.
24. Dreams: Interestingly, this one predicts the opposite of your dream. If you dream about having a boy, folklore says you’re carrying a girl, and if you dream of a girl, it’s a boy. The idea is that dreams “balance out” reality.
25. Partner’s weight gain: If your partner gains sympathy weight during your pregnancy, tradition says it’s a girl. If your partner’s weight stays stable, it’s a boy. This is rooted in the idea of shared hormonal or emotional effects.
26. Face shape: A rounder, fuller face is said to signal a girl, while a sharper, longer face indicates a boy. This belief connects to the “girls steal beauty” concept.
27. Nose growth: Some tales claim your nose actually widens when carrying a boy, while no change means girl. This likely comes from observations of swelling during pregnancy.
28. Cold feet: Feet that feel colder than usual are linked to having a boy, while unchanged or warmer feet suggest a girl. This could be tied to circulation differences.
29. Mood swings: Increased moodiness or irritability is said to indicate a girl, while a calmer emotional state suggests a boy. Folklore here ties emotional intensity to female babies.
30. Sleep position: Preferring to sleep on your left side supposedly means you’re having a boy, while sleeping on your right side means girl. This may be linked to cultural associations of left = male, right = female.
31. Placenta position (Ramzi theory): An ultrasound-based tale says that if the placenta is developing on the right side of the uterus, you’re more likely to be having a boy. If it’s on the left side, it points to a girl. This method, sometimes called the “Ramzi method,” has been debated and isn’t medically validated but remains popular in online pregnancy forums.

Where These Beliefs Come From

Many of these tales come from centuries-old traditions. They often reflect attempts to connect visible or everyday signs with the mystery of a baby’s sex, long before ultrasound existed.

• Physical appearance: Carrying high or low, belly shape, linea nigra length all stem from the belief that a baby’s sex influences the mother’s body shape.
• Food cravings: Cravings have long been interpreted as signs of what the body “needs” — sweet for girls, salty for boys.
• Folk rituals: The ring test, key test, and even the Drano test come from cultural traditions that used random chance or chemical reactions as supposed indicators.
• Calendars: The Chinese and Mayan predictors are based on numerology, astrology, and symbolic thinking rather than biology.

What the Science Actually Says

Modern science is clear: none of these old wives’ tales is an accurate method for predicting sex. Studies show that methods such as belly shape, heart rate, cravings, and skin changes have no correlation with whether a fetus is male or female.

The only scientifically reliable methods are:

• Ultrasound: Typically accurate after ~18–20 weeks, depending on baby’s position.
• Genetic testing: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) from a blood sample, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), or amniocentesis can determine sex with near 100% accuracy.
• At birth: Of course, the most definitive moment is delivery itself!

Other Fun Gender Prediction Methods

Beyond the 30 questions in our calculator, people sometimes look at other signs:

• Astrology: Predicting baby sex based on zodiac and moon phases.
• Ring of hair: In some cultures, strands of hair on the baby’s ultrasound were thought to reveal gender.
• Sibling pattern: Families often guess based on whether previous children were boys or girls.

While these aren’t backed by science, they show how universal the curiosity about baby gender has always been!

Disclaimer

Our This Baby Gender Predictor is intended purely for entertainment purposes. The old wives’ tales and folklore traditions described here are cultural curiosities, not medical facts.

If you truly want to know your baby’s sex before birth, talk to your healthcare provider about safe, accurate testing options.

Scientific References

BabyCenter Editorial Team. (2023). Old wives’ tales for predicting baby’s sex. babycenter.com.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). (2022). Prenatal Genetic Screening Tests. acog.org.

Reddy, U. M. (2017). Accuracy of fetal sex determination by ultrasound. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 129(1), 75–80.