Ah, the Chinese Gender Chart. Some swear by it, some scoff, some don't even know what it is. I, personally, find all of these gender prediction methods fascinating (or at least amusing), so I had to add it into The Gender Prediction Project! The things is, there are so many versions of this chart running around on the internet that I can't use just one and say that I've done my job for this highly scientific project of mine. So I decided to have one full entry dedicated to nothing except the Chinese Gender Calender...or at least all of them that pop up on the first page of a Google search.
For anyone who doesn't know, the Chinese Gender Calender is said to be over 700 years old and over 90% accurate "when used correctly". Using it correctly means calculation your lunar age for many of the charts, though not all of them seem to make this distinction via the interwebs. It was "recently" discovered in an ancient royal tomb in China and has been correctly predicting births around the globe ever sense. I guess we shall see about that! Let the Chinese Gender Charting begin!
One of the simplest to use that can be imagines, the calender at the popular parenting website doesn't ask you anything about lunar ages or charting. You don't even have to look at the calender at all. You answer two simple questions about your age and the month you conceived and it pops an answer back at you in the form of "Congratulations! It's a girl! or It's a boy!" and then advises you to brush up on your baby names.
This time around I was told It's a girl. Luckily hubby and I have a list of girl names picked out, because it was also accurate with my son when I plugged in his numbers. If you can overlook how annoying it is to have to enter your e-mail address into the Parents website every time you want to use this chart, it might prove to be pretty darn accurate. Not to mention, easy for those of us not skilled in figuring out things like lunar ages.
At first glance, this site is actually pretty intimidating and something I would have passed over were it not in the name of research. It gives you an official looking history and background of the chart along with samples of other charts and a set of rules to follow when using the chart. Not exactly my idea of fun, but some people take this kind of thing very seriously apparently. Like I said though, for the sake of science...
The first "step" of using this chart is to figure out when your birth day falls by converting our Gregorian (Western) Calendar to a Chinese Lunar Calendar. Luckily they have a chart that makes this process "easy". The following step involves finding out not only your lunar age, but the age of your child as well. This step is more complicated, and a little silly if you ask me. The idea that your baby is born as a one year old and if the lunar new year is the next day would be considered two just doesn't click in my head...but I am obviously not enlightened. Regardless, big old pain in the rear, and we're only on the second step. There is also math involved, which usually turns me off of most things.
What it all comes down to, if you are even still with me at this point, is that I was 26 in the 6th lunar month (July) of the year I was actually 24...which makes this charts prediction accurate with my son. I was also apparently 28 in the 10th lunar month (November) this past time (I was in fact only 26...why you would use a calendar that makes you older is beyond me!) which means I am predicted a boy this time around too. As usual, we shall see, though I think this was a lot of work in order to come up with a gender prediction. Some people are really into this kind of thing...
With a name like babygenderprediction.com, you have to have high hopes right? This chart also requires your lunar age and lunar month of conception, but there are two very easy links right there on the main page to help you find both...or you'd think. Repeatedly clicking on both links produced absolutely nothing for me, so I used the lunar ages and months that I had taken such time to figure out at out last website. I suppose that this could effect the results.
According to this chart, I should have a lot more pink in my life already, as my son should have been a daughter. Completely inaccurate with my son, so I don't know what to think about it predicting a girl this time around, though I suppose that I could assume it means I have another little boy in my life. Who knows?! I am certainly confused at this point.
Ah! Thank goodness! Another chart where all I have to do is type in my age and the month I conceived! Oh why can't they all be like this? The chart at The Bump asks simply for your age and the month you got pregnant and then the chart below highlights a happy looking pink or blue swaddled baby complete with a cheery voice bubble saying "hi, mom!" Simple and fast, no math required!
The chart was also accurate with my son when using my actual age at conception. For fun, and so no one could come back and claim I didn't do it "correctly", I also typed in my lunar age and got the same happy boy result for my little man. (The chart did not ask for a lunar age, but I felt it was important to be thorough.) Using my actual age this time around I am predicted a girl, though I am predicted a boy if I use my lunar age. Perhaps my baby is just confused. Or, perhaps the chart is.
Another simple chart to use, the chart at iVillage doesn't ask for you to figure out your lunar age either. (Don't worry, I did it both ways.) I love simple things in life! Without all the complications of my lunar age, this chart was accurate with my son and we are predicted a girl this time around. That seems to be a theme happening a lot...Hmmmm...
Of course, if I use my lunar age, which is how the chart is supposed to be "accurate", it was accurate with my son but predicts a boy for this pregnancy. *sigh* Looks like the reliable Chinese Gender Calendar is causing more questions than providing answers.
Another chart that doesn't require any calculations or math, but I'm taking no chances at this point. Besides, I'm in it with both feet now. Again, when using my actual ages this chart was accurate with my son and predicts a girl this time around. I'm actually starting to believe it might be true. And I'm scared.
Unfortunately, when using my lunar age I am again told that my son should have been a daughter and that I can expect a girl this time around too. Again, I suppose this could mean I have another little boy in here...or that I will have two gay sons. Who knows? We'll find out in a few weeks if nothing else!
This site has two different methods of determining your baby's gender, one being called the "Ancient Chinese Gender Chart" and the other being called the "Chinese Lunar Calendar". I did both. Why not. It's just two different versions of the same thing, and both were easy to do.
The Chinese Gender Chart asks your month, date, and year of birth in addition to your month, date, and year of conception. I admit, I guessed a little on the exact date of conception. I am fairly sure within a day or two for both of my children, but there is still a window for mistake in there. If that somehow messes with my results, I do hope I can be forgiven. It was accurate with my son though, and predicts a boy for us this time around.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar was accurate with my son as well and predicts a girl for us this time when using my actual ages, but was inaccurate with my son and predicts a girl if you use my lunar ages.
This one is a little different in that it asks you the mother's age at the time of birth instead of at conception. Again, this says nothing about a lunar age, and I'm not going to try to figure out my lunar age at the time of my children's births...sorry.
Either way, it was inaccurate with my son and tells me that I can expect a boy this time around. I am pretty sure that, though this chart actually claims a 99% accuracy rate, it can be debunked. It doesn't look very official or well researched, and it is the only chart I've seen that wants the mother's age, lunar or otherwise, at birth instead of conception.
This is an easy one to do provided you already know your lunar age. (If not, there are several sites above that will help you with that if you are patient.) All you have to do is type in your lunar age and the month you conceived and they will pop back at you with a baby gender. Using what I now know about my lunar age I did it twice and wasn't shocked to find that it was inaccurate with my son and predicts a girl this time around too.
For fun, I did it using my actual ages at both my conceptions and found it was accurate with my son and tells me I am predicted a girl this time.
Another prediction method that is a little different. This one asks not only for the mother's birth month and year plus the conception month and year, but the father's birth month and year as well. It is the first chart that I've seen that takes the father into account...something you would think you would see more often since it is generally accepted that it is the father's sperm which determine a baby's gender anyways.
Using this one I found it to be incorrect with my son and predicting a boy this time around. So maybe I'll just assume it's actually a girl this time, since it was actually a boy last time.
In case you were keeping track, out of the 11 different "Chinese Gender Calendars" I did on this post, 6 were accurate with Parker, though 2 of those were no longer accurate when I used my lunar age, which is the only way they are supposed to be accurate. 5 of them predicted that we will have a girl, regardless of using my lunar or actual age, and 4 predicted a boy either way. 2 of them could be either a boy or a girl depending on if I used my lunar age or my actual age. Confused yet? I am.
All I know is that, after doing all of these over the course of time, I am pretty sure that the Chinese Gender Calendar (just like other forms of gender prediction) has about a 50% accuracy rate. I certainly wouldn't use them to base my shopping on or to family plan in the future. It will be fun to see which of these were right though. I'll be reporting on that sometime in August I'm sure.
Until then, happy gender predicting everyone!
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