Food you need to be careful with and whether you ought to give them to your child are as follows:

#1: Sugar and salt
It is not necessary to add sugar and salt to the food prepared for your child. Both are unhealthy and tend to make the child develop a taste for sweet and salty food in the future.

photo credit: Vali…

#2: Nuts
Avoid feeding your child nuts or other peanut-based products especially if a member of the family is allergic to them. For a young child under the age of five, nuts can be a choking hazard as well.

photo credit: steffenz

#3: Certain milk types
Certain milk types may not be suitable for your child and may trigger allergic reaction or digestive problems. I had a first hand experience when I switch the milk formula for my daughter from a low-content cow’s milk to a higher content cow’s milk. She experienced severe stomach pains, diarrhea and fever. The milk switching was not intentional as the original milk formula was not being sold anymore and I had to find another replacement.

Her doctor later diagnosed that she may have lactose intolerance and I had to switch to a new plant / soy based milk formula. She recovered immediately after that.

photo credit: NickPiggott

#4: Honey
It is common knowledge that honey is not suitable for a child under the age of one as it can cause botulism.

photo credit: Todd Huffman

#5: Wheat
Wheat is notorious for causing an allergic reaction and hence should not be offered to a child under the age of one. This is important if there is a family history of gluten intolerance.

photo credit: ladyb

#6: Fish
Deep sea fish like tuna or swordfish may carry a high level of mercury which can be damaging to the nervous system. A healthier alternative are salmon and sardines.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

#7: Citrus fruits
Fruits like oranges, grapefruits and tomatoes are good sources of vitamin C but should not be given to children under six months of age. The high acidic content can easily cause stomach upsets and digestive problems.

photo credit: audreyjm529

#8: High-fiber food
High fiber food is not recommended as a daily food for children under the age of five as it prevents the absorption of some important nutrients. Limited consumption is however acceptable.

photo credit: visualpanic

For first time parents, getting a baby boy or baby girl does not generally make a difference. The expecting parents are happy just at the prospect of the coming of a new baby into their lives.

The desire to select the sex of the baby may arise when it is time to plan on having a second child. For my case, financial constraint is one of the main factors. For others, it could be the mother’s age or there are health risks related to the pregnancy.

There are unlimited recommended ways to help you achieve your goal. Old wives’ tale also abounds and if you are adventurous enough, below are some of the ideas or suggestions.

Baby boy

To get a baby boy, do the following:
• Plan to have sex on ovulation day where the male sperm supposedly swims faster and will reach the egg first
• The female partner reaches orgasm first before the male partner as this creates an alkaline environment
• Have deep sex penetration (e.g. doggie-style from behind)
• Plan the make love on the odd days of the month

Baby girl

To get a baby girl, do the following:
• Plan to have sex a few days early before your ovulation day
• Have shallow sex penetration
• The male partner reaches orgasm first before the female partner
• Plan to make love on the even days of the month

Control your diet

There are also advices on the type of food to be eaten to tip the scales in your favor. To get a boy, it is recommended to consume lots of meat, fish, salty food, white flour and to avoid milk and dairy products, nuts, chocolates and even shellfish. To get a girl on the other hand, take plenty of milk and dairy products, unsalted food, rice, pasta, spinach, fresh fruits, tomatoes, mushrooms, chocolate and to avoid salty foods.

Chinese calendar or chart

Another popular method is by following an ancient Chinese lunar calendar or chart where conceiving in certain months will produce a baby boy and other months, a baby girl. It also takes into consideration the woman’s ‘Chinese age’ when using the baby gender chart based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Please take note that the stated accuracy of this method is about 60% only.

Scientific methods

You may also explore other more ‘scientific’ methods like the Preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD for short, which is an in-vitro fertilization technique. Another method is called the Ericsson (no relation to the hand phone brand name) which is a sperm-sorting technique with claims of 78 – 85% effective for choosing boys and 73-75% for choosing girls. A simpler method is the Shettles method which requires timing the intercourse on specific days of the woman’s cycle.

My own experience

Personally, I found the Chinese calendar method above was easy and straightforward enough to follow. I was aiming for a baby girl as my first child was a boy. For the first seven months of pregnancy, my spouse and I were kept guessing on the baby’s sex. According to our doctor, due to the position of the fetus it was difficult to determine and confirm whether it was a boy or a girl. It was only later after the fetus shifted position and we were able to confirm that it was going to be another boy. We were happy all the same as the most important thing is that the baby is born healthy.

Four years later with my biological clock ticking away, I decided that if my spouse and I wanted to try for a baby girl, we had to do it soon. A research on the web produced the Selnas method which claimed ~98% success rate for the selection of the preferred baby’s sex. Other creative methods like those mentioned above have much lower success rates. Hence, my spouse and I decided to go for the Selnas method. I did not conceived during the first year and we went for a second try. My baby girl was eventually born in 2006 and we did not regret our decision to try this method.

If you are faced with a similar predicament, allow yourself to explore and learn the various ways of achieving your goal. You can even combine a few methods to increase your chances of getting the desired result.