1. Pink Wasn’t Always for Girls
a line of pink clothes in a closet
In our society, the fastest way to tell if a baby is a boy or a girl is by the color of their clothes–boys wear blue, and girls wear pink–but it wasn’t always that simple. Up to the early 1900s, children of both sexes traditionally wore white dresses and had long hair until about age six. When pastel shades became the more popular choice over white, pink was marketed as the color for boys. It wasn’t until the late 1930s when consumers started showing a preference for pink as a girl’s color.
2. Boys and Girls Look the Same, At First
a baby in a sonogram
During the earliest stages of embryonic growth babies’ genitals are indistinguishable. Both boys and girls develop the same genital nub until about 7-weeks of growth. Once testosterone begins to kick in boys will grow a penis and girls will develop labia.
3. You Can See She’s a Girl by 18 Weeks
a pregnant woman having a ultrasound.
Ultrasound is the least invasive way of finding out the health and gender of your baby. While gender differences do become noticeable around the second month, ultrasound is not yet powerful enough to see them. When your baby is closer to 18 weeks old she will be large enough that as long as she is cooperating, you will see that she’s a girl on ultrasound.
4. Withdrawal from Maternal Hormones
a baby having it’s diaper changed
May Cause Pseudomenstruation.
When changing your newborn daughter’s diaper you might notice some blood coming from her vagina. Don’t be alarmed, it’s totally normal. Your hormones, particularly estrogen, have been crossing the placenta for the last nine months. Withdrawal of the hormones can cause vaginal discharge. It is also common for her to have small breast buds that might even leak a milky discharge. As your hormones leave her system the bleeding will stop and the breast buds will disappear.
5. Girls Really Are More Nurturing
a young girl bottle feeding her doll
Studies have shown that girls are better able to interpret facial expressions than their male counterparts. Recognition of emotion in others leads them to feel more empathy at an earlier age. While this doesn’t mean that you should only get dolls and soft, fluffy toys for your girl, it does mean that if she gravitates to them no matter how many times you hand her a truck, it’s nature at work.
6. Girls Talk Earlier
a little girl using a mobile phone
Your little girl’s brain is wired to tune into speech more intently than boys. Girls are also experts at mimicry. With her brain tuned into who’s saying and doing what, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she’s going to speak earlier than her male peers. While the difference only amounts to a month or two, she’ll stay ahead of him until 2 ½-3 where the boys will start to catch up verbally.
7. Girls are Ready for Potty Training Earlier
a young girl sitting on a potty
When it comes to potty training, it’s been proven that girls are ready before boys. In a study done at the Medical College of Wisconsin it was found that girls have all of the skills in place to be potty trained a full three months before the boys.
8. Girls Are Easier to Deliver
a baby girls foot in an adults hand
It turns out that size really does matter. On average, girls are 3.5 ounces smaller than boys at birth. Labor studies have also shown that delivery tends to happen 30-45 minutes sooner with a girl than a boy. It may not sound like a lot, but when you’re trying to push out a baby, every little bit helps.
9. Babies don’t Distinguish Between Boy and Girl Toys
a young girl chewing on some toys
Researchers discovered that your little girl has no idea if a toy is meant for a boy or a girl until after one year of age. Due to her tendency to want to nurture she’ll likely become more drawn to dolls in time. If she decides she prefers trucks and toys with wheels, those same researchers have seen a relation between testosterone exposure in the womb and a love of more boyish toys.
10. Girls are Reaching Puberty Younger
two young girls using mobile phones while shopping
Puberty is no fun for anyone, and recent studies show that girls are reaching it younger than ever. Scientists think that earlier puberties are linked with rising obesity rates, so helping your daughter to maintain a healthy diet throughout her childhood and pre-teen years might help her to avoid an early start.
