The differences between boys and girls
Once you find out you’re expecting a baby you might well have a preference for whether it’s a boy or a girl, especially if you already have a child and would like your new baby to balance your family.
Your baby’s sex is decided at the moment of conception and it all hangs on whether your egg is fertilized by an X-chromosome (female) or Y-chromosome (male) sperm. You won’t find out which type won the egg and sperm race until your ultrasound scan, when your sonographer may be able to tell you assuming your baby is in a good position.
If you do find out your baby’s sex ahead of the birth it can help you prepare for the differences between raising a baby boy and a baby girl – differences that begin even before your baby is born, in the uterus. Advanced scanning techniques have detected more than 100 differences between the male and female brain and these become apparent in the first days after a baby is born, with baby boys and baby girls responding differently to sights, sounds, smells and touch.
Their brains process information differently and this means that they perceive the world and everything in it differently and respond differently. These differences in their behavior influence the way they develop, play and react to you. Gender differences also can affect their health. Baby girls who are born prematurely fare better than boy preemies. Baby boys also are more likely to be hospitalized for bronchiolitis (a common illness in infancy) as well as wheezing and asthma.
Physical differences between boys and girls
Newborn baby girls tend to be shorter in length, weigh less, and typically have a smaller head circumference. But despite their lack of bulk compared to baby boys, their bones tend to be stronger, making them more able to withstand skeletal injuries. Your baby boy will be more vulnerable to injuries in his first few years – and the fact that he’ll also be more physically active than a baby girl, kicking and squirming a lot more energetically, can put him at risk of hurting himself. Of course, the fact he’s more active will mean he’s likely to
crawl and walk earlier than a baby girl – but his cognitive development may lag.
Your baby girl will have better
fine motor skills than a baby boy – she’ll do better when it comes to holding her crayons and pulling up her zipper. But encourage her to be active too. Place a special toy just out of reach to get her on the move once she shows signs of being ready to crawl, and give her plenty of opportunities to climb and toddle. Don’t be tempted to curtail her physical activities just because she’s a girl.
With your baby boy, be alert to the possibilities that he could overdo it and hurt himself. Don’t hold him back – but do take precautions by showing him how to climb and play safely. Help him polish his fine motor skills too, by planning short sessions of quiet play with threading beads and coloring.
Speech differences between boys and girls
While a baby boy is likely to get mobile before a baby girl the same age, when it comes to speech development, baby boys tend to be slower than girls, and
speech delays are diagnosed in boys much more frequently than girls.
Studies suggest that female brains have more nerve cells in the region that processes language and this may be why they often begin talking several months ahead of boys and have better verbal ability. You’ll notice that your girl toddler strings words together sooner, and that once she reaches preschool age she’ll communicate in longer and more complex sentences.
Don’t be surprised, therefore, if your baby boy isn’t as articulate as his older sister was at his age, and isn’t speaking as much or as clearly as baby girls his age. But do speak to your pediatrician about getting him assessed for speech delay if he isn’t keeping up with other boys his age.
Sight differences between boys and girls
Baby girls can better perceive differences in color and texture and this typically manifests itself as the old cliché of girls preferring to play with dolls, which will tend to have more patterns and textures than ‘boy’ toys. Their better vision also means that baby girls are better able to focus on faces – this is one reason why they are more sociable and more likely to coo and babble when they have your attention, and another reason why they tend to prefer dolls above all else. You’ll also see it in the pictures they draw and color – girls are more likely to draw flowers and faces, and use brightly colored crayons while boys are more likely to draw with lines and use drab, dark colors.
Your boy baby’s sight is better able to discern objects with less specific details – one reason why baby boys tend to prefer toys that are all about motion, such as toy cars and trains.
Hearing differences between baby boys and baby girls
There is evidence that baby girls hear a wider range of sound frequencies than boys. In one study, moms were encouraged to hum a melody over and over to their preemie babies while they were in the
NICU. On average, the baby girls who were hummed to were discharged 12 days earlier than the baby boys, who didn’t register the higher-pitched sounds as well.
This may play into the fact that boys don’t vocalize as early as girls, who are better able to hear their mother’s higher-pitched tones. It may help to speak more clearly to your baby boy and to look at him when you speak so that he knows you are addressing him – particularly when it comes to discipline! Keep this in mind for when your son is attending preschool and kindergarten – the fact that his hearing may not be as sharp as a girl’ could cause him to have difficulty in picking up what his teacher is saying, especially if he has a female teacher with a higher-pitch voice. Some experts suggest this may be why boys typically have more problems focusing in school later on, and that it may be why they are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Social differences between baby boys and baby girls
A she grows, your baby girl will tend to be more social, because girls tend to be more empathic and more tuned into the feelings of others than boys are. They recognize and respond better to emotion, and because they speak sooner they are better able to communicate with others.
Boys are less skilled when it comes to empathy, and tend to play more aggressively and more autonomously too. However, you’d be wrong to assume this means that your baby boy is less emotional. In fact he may be more anxious than a baby girl, more troubled by being separated from you, and less able to soothe himself if he gets upset.
Keep in mind that despite the known differences between baby boys and baby girls, all babies are unique individuals. You may well have a shy, quiet baby girl and an outgoing, chatty baby boy. So just sit back and get to know your baby!
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 02/08/2009