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?
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That is really interesting. I definitely agree on the playing habits. Damian is so much more physical than his little girl friends. Most of the little boys want to wrestle and chase each other and the little girls aren't nearly as active. I guess D is way ahead with the potty training (thank goodness!!!). He is 27 months old and has been potty trained for nearly two months.
39 months that is not cool…I am so sick of diapers!! I have always that now that I have a super active and physical little boy when I have a girl I am going to be so confused on what to do with her! But then before I had C I could not have told one thing boys play with and now my house is covered in boy toys 🙂