Boys vs Girls

I’ve always bragged to Zach that I will outlive him since women live longer than men do! Now that I have a son I find the differences between women and men (boys and girls in this case I guess) so interesting. I stumbled across an article in Parents magazine and thought I’d share! And of course I included some pictures of Kye doing the typical boy thing…playing with a ball 🙂

Girls:

• are four times more susceptible to hip dysplasia where the thighbone dislocates from the hip socket
• more likely to leak breast milk from their nipples as newborns due to high levels of Mom’s estrogen
• get more UTIs
• twice as likely to get asthma
• five times as likely to be born with hemangiomas (raised red spots)
• feel pain and discomfort more acutely than boys so are more likely to cry or fuss
• produce more of the human-bonding hormone (oxytocin) and the feel-good hormone (serotonin)
• less active style of play, stay closer to adults, engage in fantasy and play in small groups
• typically master the potty four months earlier (35 months old)
• more likely to be fascinated by objects with interesting colors and textures
• reach 50% of adult height at 20 months old
• at 18 months vocabulary averages 90 words
• weight less at birth (average is 7lb 4 oz)

Boys:

• are eight times more likely to be born with a hernia
• four times as many boys are affected by autism
• three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD
• more likely to have dyslexia or delayed speech
• don’t hear as well but are better at determining the location of a sound
• explore things more physically yet also have more fluid in their brains to protect their heads from impact
• gravitate towards packs of playmates and intense active games that involve lots of running and chasing
• weigh 4 ounces more on average at birth (average is 7 lb 8 oz, bigger because women pregnant with a boy typically tend to consume 10% more calories!)
• more interested in playing with things that move like toy cars and trucks
• reach 50% of adult height at 24 months old (late bloomers)
• reach puberty 2 years later and tend to continue growing for an additional three years
• at 18 months vocabulary averages 40 words (but catch up to girls by age 3)
• have larger area of brain devoted to visual-spatial relation so master advanced movements (aiming a throw, kicking a ball, building towers) at a younger age
• master the potty 4 months slower (39 months old)

 throwing the ball to Mommy!

I thought this was so interesting! Especially the fact that women pregnant with boys consume more calories!!! Does that mean if I have a baby girl that I won’t gain so much weight? That’d be awesome! 🙂 I really feel like that boys have the shorter end of the stick. Girls seem to be healthier and more ahead in life overall. While it makes me happy because I’m a woman, it makes me feel sorry for my son and a little nervous too. The whole autism thing is SO scary! One statistic they missed? Boys are also more likely to be color blind than girls! 1 out of every 20 men are color blind…crazy huh?