Found out that Iam having a baby boy - are they really so different from girls?

[Minniethemoocher]

Just found out that I am having a baby boy and after having a little girl I am panicking a bit with visions of a testosterone filled toddler running riot!

Are boys very different from girls? What do I need to know? Apart from that they can pee in the air!

Should I start reading "Raising Boys" or something?!!

Don't get me wrong, I am sure that having a boy will be great, it is just a step into the unknown.

[expatinscotland]

I have two wee girls and am nearly 25 weeks pregnant with a baby boy.

Even the pregnancy is different!

[NumberJill]

Yes, read raising boys.

And yes, toddler boys do tend to charge around raising Hell in a handbasket.

They don't demand as much maternal input and they don't tend so much towards bitching and whining. Instead you get hitting, destructive play and running everywhere shouting.

[dylsmum1998]

i found my ds more relaxed as a baby, and slightly harder work as a toddler. whereas my dd was very hard work as a baby and as a toddler she seems easier, although she's only just 2 so i'm sure this opinion could change
although ds never had tantrums as intense as dd does, he was very easy to distract but very energetic

[beansmum]

Boys are cool. They aren't so bitchy and bossy and they have better toys. They smell though, ds's bedroom definitely smells like boy in the morning and he's only 3.

[OverMyDeadBody]

Boys are very differnet, just like girls, and can vary a lot from boy to boy, so don't start panicking just yet or you'll have yourself a self-fulfilling prophesy!

My Ds is the calmest child I know, he was certainly never a toddler running riot.

Boys are great!

[beansmum]

no he's not, he's 4

[OverMyDeadBody]

my DS doesn't smell beansmum!

[NumberJill]

Boys make the best mother look like a bad one. not for boys the gently articulate whitterings about fairies. No. Boys talk about Poo. And Dog Poo. And Cat Poo. And your Poo. And how big it is, and how smelly it is.

[beansmum]

Maybe mine just needs to wash more often?

[Idobelieveinfairies]

I found boys are easier...lazier and calmer..i have 6 of them oldest 12, youngest 3.

[NumberJill]

PS mothers of girls try to tell you there is no difference, and will whisper to you in a horrified fashion "You know, girls are naughty too, jemima drew on her bedroom wall once!"

Pah. Ds1, when he was 3 and 4, would do up to 10 destructive things before breakfast, with remorse for none.

[ButterflyBessie]

My ds is the same as OMDB's, he is not a physical little whirlwind, he is very gentle, doesn't smell and is really rather gorgeous - he is 4 btw

His three sisters are all very different, and obviously all gorgeous too

[IdrisTheDragon]

I have a 4.7 DS and a 2.9 DD.

There are many ways in which they are different, but I think much of this is due to their own individual personalities rather than one being a boy and one being a girl.

I haven't read any books on raising boys, although maybe I should . I have found both my children seem to need lots of maternal input, both have times of whining a lot. DD is much more likely to hit than DS. DS is a lot more active than she is.

It was a lot easier to clean DS after a major poo incident as there were fewer places for the poo to go - girls have so many creases for it to get into .

Also, if anyone is going to make a complete mess, it is DD - DS is and has been much calmer.

Enjoy your boy .

[IdrisTheDragon]

Am starting to wonder if my children are actually in the wrong bodies

[Idobelieveinfairies]

My DD's were/are like that too idris..so loud and so fast!..whirlwinds in bedrooms, always climbing trees.

[bamzooki]

Idobelieveinfairies - 6 boys?? Hats off....

Re OP - I felt the same when I found out I about ds. Already had DD and only had a sister myself so not much experience of little boys.
But 5 yrs down the line I can say it has been huge fun. Yes my two are very different, but no idea how much is gender v individual based. And I don't reallly care tbh. I just thoroughly enjoy the variety.
DD is girly, introverted, thoughtful, kind, loving....and at 10.....lippy, hormonal, stroppy, messy etc etc.
DS is bouncy, cuddly, enthusiastic, enquiring, smiley, happy.....and loud, dirty, destructive, willy obsessed etc etc.
(My MIL said he would be a 'noise surrounded by mess' and she was spot on - but then she raised his Dad........)

And yes a baby boy can pee in the air to a surprising height, and WILL catch you out at some point! Always have a hand towel or similar to hand when nappy changing.....

[AllieBongo]

let's put it this way, if i'd have had dd first, she would have been an only child. boys can be noisier and more physical, but my ds was a breeze compared to my dd.

[MrsTiddles]

THat's lovely that you'll hvae one of each.

Boys develop differently, they have less articulate hands than girls and this goes up til they are teenagers and its to do with nerve and muscle development.

They also can be more interested in the world around them than the parent in front of them, while the girls can be more attentive and eager to "communicate"

But what I say above is only what I've learned from books on development and seeing them to be true in my own two children, I'm sure there are exceptions, like the boys who play violins like maestros at age 4 and the girls who don't talk til they're 5.

They are lovely to have, boys as lovely as having girls. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

And toddlertime is a long time off!

[candyfluff]

i have 2 boys and 1 girl my boys are very affectionate and care so much for me and others girls can be a little "me,myself and i" but having said that i love them all equally

[mistressmiggins]

my DS (6) is loving and funny but I agree about the poo!

he has brought home some diagram he did on the computer and every other word is "poo"

I asked if his teacher had seen this but he says not

its in the bin! (but slightly funny)

[lizinthesticks]

DD1 tears around the place, likes fire engines, bees, flowers, tractors, slides, footballs, scented candles, and in the night garden. Etc.

In this sense she's pretty similar to the lads her age - i.e. 2. However, her boy toddler friends are definitely more clingy, more prone to whining and don't seem as physically active.

[lilyfire]

I spoke to a foster carer, who'd fostered over 100 children (I think a lot of small ones included) and she said boys are generally more affectionate. Mine are certainly very cuddly. I like their toys better as well.

[May2December]

Boys are lovely...congratulations!