A parent once told me that her infant boy was worse than her girl when it came to wailing anytime the hunger pangs struck. She thought girls could exercise better control. It was exactly the opposite elsewhere. And we hear how parents can tell the difference between their baby boys and baby girls in their attitudes and behavioral pattern. Some believe that baby girls are faster when it comes to learning to talk or show early gross motor activities; while some have a contrasting opinion. Most of these beliefs are founded on the experience parents have had while raising their children. Here’s a take on what research says about the differences between boy and girl babies and whether these differences exist in the first place:
1. Social Skills
Girls are hailed sweet because they are more sensitive to people’s emotions. The belief is supported by 100 studies whereby the researchers arrived at the conclusion that girls are good at grasping facial expressions. On the other hand, a British study found that while baby boys look at mobiles, baby girls first observe the faces. Also, the ability to read faces is imparted in the womb, while nurturing also plays a crucial role in enhancing the skill. In case of adult men and women, the difference in the ability to be receptive to emotions is more than twice than in the little ones. Apparently, girls learn to express their feelings while in the womb while boys learn to bottle up their feelings. One way you can have your boys be receptive is by helping him learn the words that make him express himself.
2. Spatial Skills
Boys are ahead of girls in spatial skills. Studies have shown that boys aged as young as three to five months can visualize how an object will appear when rotated. But girls of the same age cannot do so. Spatial skills as these help boys have an edge over girls when it comes to scoring higher in math. It doesn’t mean that girls lack this ability. It simply explains why boys also love sports and video games better than girls very early in life. You can help girls to cultivate the spatial skills when they are in infancy itself by introducing them to building blocks, numericals, puzzles and activities that stimulate mental agility at a very young age.
3. Toy Preference
What if your boy liked dolls and your girl liked trucks? Interestingly, babies cannot differentiate between playthings as ‘boyish’ or ‘girlish’. While playing with tea sets like girls do or playing with trucks like boys do is the norm, the trend has been there because of the pressures from society, peers and gender-specific marketing. In fact, it turns out that girls could like the playthings that are normally meant for boys if they are exposed to good amount of testosterone in the womb.From a study that was carried out on monkeys to observe the toy preference it turned out that while male monkeys chose wheeled over plush toys, female monkeys chose both. In case of human beings, it could be wise to help remove the stereotype if your child has a toy preference that is contrary to the norm.
4. Walking
Babies of both the genders start walking between 9 and 11 months. Some parents claim that their boys are faster than their girls at reaching gross-motor milestones, but others believe it’s the girls first. And so do some pediatricians think. However, a study held recently showed that there isn’t a significant difference between boys and girls regarding gross-motor development. Parents either underestimate or overestimate their boys and girls primarily because boys are usually taller and heavier than baby girls by the time they are six months old. So there is an expectation of the boy baby showing physical skills sooner than the girls. One way to keep both on par with each other is by giving them plenty of exercises and keeping them active physically unlike have them strapped on a stroller.
5. Talking
Girls usually start talking about a month sooner than boys, i.e. around the first half of the second year. Studies by British researchers have confirmed this belief with that girls tend to develop larger vocabulary by the time they are between 18 and 24 months. However, it has also been established that more than gender that accounts for only 3% of ability for verbal skills, at least 50% of the child’s ability for language comes how he or she is exposed to the surroundings and the people around.
6. Physical Activity
Canadian researchers have found that boys more wiggly than baby girls. Between boys and girls, it’s the boys who are found running, jumping and playing ball in a playground when compared to the female children who spend more time on changing table, crawl over longer distances or get restless in the stroller. Be a girl or a boy, it’s always a good idea to involve your children in plenty of exercises or physical activity, both outdoors and indoors.
7. Aggression
It’s a known fact that boys are more aggressive than girls. Boys show this aggressiveness even before they turn two! Blame it on the testosterone levels. Boys are meant to be aggressive to prepare themselves for physical confrontations. Although girls are not as aggressive a boys, as toddlers girls could kick or bite by the time they enter grade-school. Make sure that both boys and girls learn to behave and exercise their control their urge to hit anyone.
It turns out that there could be few significant or insignificant differences between baby boys and girls. So you have good reasons to give kudos to boys or girls. But one thing is for sure that you could mould them in a way that they reflect an all-round development.
Share with us any difference you observed between your boys and girls. We would love to hear from you!