The absolute BEST things about having kids of the same gender

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Sssh, don’t tell anyone but having kids of the same gender is actually pretty fabulous.

As someone who managed to have two sons at the exact same time of year, three years apart, I have to say that I couldn’t have planned it better.

Same gender, same season helps even more

Son number one was completely done with baby clothes and baby stuff by the time son number two came along. And the best bit? Nobody wanted anybody else’s stuff.

Hooray.

I expect that will change come the tween and teenage years, but for now, I am high-fiving myself for having no say whatsoever in the gender selection process.

Which is lucky, really, because imagining having to decide. I don’t think I could do it. As a notorious overthinker, I reckon I’d just spend too long trying to make a decision and ruin it anyway. 


Read more about gender:


Did you hear the old wives’ tale about … 

The old wives’ tales about gender always managed to suck me in, though.

Especially the one about the way you’re carrying bub. As the saying goes, if your bump is high, you’re pregnant with a girl. If your bump sits low, you’ll be welcoming a boy.

Yet according to British journalist Jena Pincott, who set herself a mission to myth-bust these old wives’ tales, the shape of a woman’s breasts is a more accurate predictor of gender.

Apparently, women who are pregnant with a female baby have an average of 8 cm increase in their breast size, while women pregnant with a male baby only get a 6.3cm increase.

Then there’s the craving sour food means it’s a boy and craving sweet food means it’s a girl.

Or how about the morning sickness theory?

“Boys make you go green,” my mother-in-law said to me after my second son was born. And true that.

I was sick as a dog until week 16 with both my boys. Bacon, fizzy water and Vitamin B12 tablets staved off the pain for a bit.

It felt like the most prolonged hangover I’d ever had.

Here are a collection of happy things that happened because we had two kids of the same gender.

7 things I love about having kids of the same gender

1. Double the clothes 

As previously mentioned, we really hit the jackpot in the clothes department having our two boys at exactly the same time of year, three years apart. Not only did everything fit baby number two, but they were also the perfect fit for the season. And that gift keeps on giving now they’re two and a half and five and a half years old. 

2. Double the toys

Okay, so out of all the toys you can buy, baby toys are pretty gender neutral which was great; we saved them all up and stuck them back in the playroom basket as the time came. The only real complaint came in the form of questions like, “Wasn’t that MY baby toy?” when son number one had his cranky pants on.

3. No nursery update needed

Sheets, cot, bedding, sleepsuits, baby bag. All of that stuff got hurled from the top of the wardrobe when I was about halfway through pregnancy number two and nothing needed updating. The nursery colours were still on point and the sheets masculine enough – well, for a baby anyway.

4. You can use leftover stationery to write your thank you cards

If like me, you love a bit of old-school letter writing and bought a bit of boy-flavoured baby thank you notes with baby number one, you were very glad you could put the rest to use with baby number two. 

5. Parenting skills

You nailed parenting your first child, and as a result, now think you’re an expert on that gender (yes, I know, I did too), completely ignoring the fact that personality has a lot more to do with how your child reacts. But there is something to be said for knowing what kind of games bide the time and spark their interest. Most of the time.

6. You’ve already nailed the baby shower 

A bit like when you revisit the 1st and 2nd birthday party with subsequent kids, the fact that you’ve already had a baby shower for the gender of your second baby really saves you time and energy! Just think about what worked last time and repeat.

7. It’s just cute

Every Christmas I buy a matchy-matchy outfit for our two boys. I mean, I want to do this ALL through the year, but fear they’ll hate me for it later. So I just save it up and chuck it together for the big day. Seriously, I get such a kick out of seeing them sitting there, one bigger, one smaller in the same shaped clothes. Cheap thrills! 

What would you add to this list?

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