To get annoyed (a bit) that everyone think dd is a boy...

[KeepOnKeepingOnAndOnAndOnAndOn]

... Admittedly I do not always dress her in head to toe pink shudders but she does have a pink - lined pram and is often in a dress of some sort. She is 1, but has very little hair (bless her) its beautiful white blonde and she is a beautiful baby obviously but I do understand lack of hair makes one assume - boy.

As I stated though, i dress her in fairly girly hear most of the time and she is in a pink pram. I don't care when people ask how old is he? But then when I correct them they get mortified with embarrasses me. I do it politely and sometimes not at all.

I just get frustrated as she is in girls clothes in a pink pram- wtf? I they just took one second to look a little closer than her head! Esspecially if they want to take the time to comment.

AIBU? Maybe I am being a but pfb ...

Ps I am not resorting to hair band, ear peircing or hair clips!

[Cakebaker35]

Not worth worrying about op. My dd had loads of hair from day one and even when she's had it in bunches people have asked 'how old is he'?!!! People are just a bit thick, not worth getting cross about.

[CuppaSarah]

DD has masses of blonde curls and is usually in very obviously girls clothes. Whilst admittedly she rarely wears pink, her red and purple dresses and girly t-shirts should give it away.

But she's always called a he by strangers, don't let it bother you. In a lot of languages theres a gender neutral way to refer to people. In English, male is the equivalent of neutral.

[parallax80]

Life's too short. Most babies look androgynous to anyone other than their parents. Anyway, if it's a random stranger you're probably not going to see again there's no need to bother correcting them.

On the other hand, I when I worked in a residential home aged 17 I was mistaken (persistently) for a man by one of the elderly ladies. She didn't seem phased, except for strongly encouraging me to get rid of my ponytail "because it made me look like a sissy". There was no persuading her otherwise, so in the end I agreed and told her every week i was thinking about it.

[enormouse]

Both my DSs are frequently called 'girls' or 'she'. They are very feminine looking though, especially toddler DS (lots of dark hair, long eyelashes, mostly unisex clothes). Baby DS not as much, but his babygros are a bit more on the boyish side.

I only correct people if there's a chance I'll run into them frequently. If it's a one off stranger gushing I just let them go with it.

[farewellfigure]

DS is 6. He has blond curls and a helper at an egg hunt over Easter kept called him her. DS wasn't bothered. We weren't bothered. We thought it was funny. If a stranger thinks my DS is so pretty he's a girl, so be it. He is very pretty! I expect he'll get more boyish as he gets older. Best just to let it wash over you really. You only need to start worrying if your family start to do it!

[littlepeas]

My ds is 5 and occasionally gets mistaken for a girl - he has longish hair and a lovely face - but he definitely looks and dresses like a boy! I think people often just glance quickly and latch onto one feature, rather than taking in the whole picture.

[DebbieOfMaddox]

DD1 is six with a shoulder length bob and still frequently gets mistaken for a boy. And almost everyone assumes DD2 (three) is a boy unless she's wearing pink or a dress. I don't bother correcting people.

[ephemeralfairy]

I was a fat, bloke-ish looking baby. In most pictures I am dressed in hand-me down dungarees with a short bruiser hairdo. My mum says that the neighbor would squeal 'jolly little chap isn't he??', she for her own wicked amusement took great pleasure in not correcting her, and then putting me in a pink frock as soon as I could walk. Much consternation and confusion ensued.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

Does it matter? At that age it is hard to tell sex. Besides they don't mind what colour you dress them in at all. One of the boys in my Waterbabies class worn a pair of pink swim shorts at that age. He has an older sister. I think there must be baby boys in pink pram and pink babygros. You stop caring when you have a second :)

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

Now DD is 3yo and I can't get her in anything but the girliest clothes. She refused gender neutral colours.

[TheCunkOfPhilomena]

Don't fret OP, my DS is 3 and still being mistaken for a girl. Reasons I have been given are: wearing red, wearing yellow, his hair (his hair is sort of floppy but not long), his eyes, his smile.

From this I have concluded that all people are nutters. Luckily DS can now choose to correct people if they call him a girl.

[catnipkitty]

DD 9 is a real tom boy, has very short hair (her choice) and prefers me to buy her boys clothes as hates anything 'girly' and pink etc. People often think she's a boy. She couldn't care less.

I wouldn't worry OP, but if you are worried then do something to make it obvious. Your choice really.

[AiryFairyHairyAndScary]

Sorry but YABU to worry about this. I'm sure no one does it on purpose and that they are just being friendly. It's a bit silly for people to comment that she is a boy though.

[Booboostoo]

Come on OP, YABU and you know it. If it really bothers you carry her around naked then it will be obvious to everyone she's a girl, but really who cares?

[weeblueberry]

11mo DD has long, curly locks and people still think she's a boy. Granted she's not a 'dress' sort of kid and is generally dressed in neutral or slightly boyish clothes but I still look at her and think people must look at clothing alone when they guess at a child's gender as opposed to what they actually look like. Because looking at her face she's physically very feminine looking.

Mind you if she was a boy she'd be an utterly adorable boho kind of boy! :D

[AmberLav]

DS was dressed head to toe in blue one day (fairly unusually, as he was often in unisex newborn stuff), and someone still thought he was a girl, so I just figure some people are blind/dosy... Meant I didn't really care when DD came along, and she was often in his old clothes, so they could be forgiven for being confused. At that point, I just did an airy "She has a big brother", and that generally reduced any embarrassment of the observer...

[Quintestinal]

Some cultures dress babies in pastel, regardless of gender, and you are as likely to find a little boy in pink, as in pale green, yellow or blue.

Mil sent us lots of pale pink clothing for our firstborn....

[ikeaismylocal]

My ds often wears pink and purple, he also has light nearly non-existant hair.

You can't tell the sex of a baby unless your changing it's nappy, why would you be annoyed that people don't have ex-ray vision to see into your baby's nappy?

Yabu people are only trying to be friendly to you and your baby, maybe your baby has what people assume is a masculine looking face.

[Woobeedoo]

Many people mistake my DS for a girl - when I smile and say he's a boy I'm told its because he has a large amount of hair and (sickeningly, enviably) long dark eyelashes.

Mind you, the donut who said "What a gorgeous girl" when DS was wearing a blue T-shirt with the words Little Man on it made me do a double take!

[manicinsomniac]

I wouldn't worry, she will look like a girl before she is old enough to care.

Plus, people on mn are always saying that their sons like pink, sparkly, fairy and tutu stuff and that their girls like car, dinosaur and corduroy stuff so I think (unless mn is a whole different world which wouldn't be all that surprising ) you might BU to expect people to use clothing as a cue.

[Goldenbear]

YANBU but I do really think it is down to hair often. DS is now 7 but was a very pretty baby and when he hit the 18 month stage was assumed to be a girl many a time. He has very long dark eyelashes and had blond curly hair at that time. He now has brown short hair and is never mistaken for a girl but even as recent as his Year 1 nativity play when he played an angel, it highlighted his pretty/impish features.

I have a 3 year old DD who was born with a lot of thick dark brown hair, grew quickly to curly auburn but she like her brother has inherited her Dad's long dark eyelashes and has never been mistaken for a boy- this is why I think it is a lot to do with hair. When she was 18 months plus the hair made her appear older than she was- so people would say. Again, like your issue, this would worry me sometimes as the expectations are too high. MIL is the worst for this and at family gatherings on her side of the family would try and force a friendship with 21 month older second cousin and was surprised when DD gravitated more towards the toddlers of the family- like she was at the time! My point is that it makes sense that you're bugged by this as she is very precious to you and you're naturally protective towards her however insignificant it may seem on the 'outside'.

[SueDNim]

I used to find it funny. Particularly the "he's gorgeous, what's his name?" comments, as I'd have to reply with DD's obviously female name. It still amazes me that people use the amount of hair on a baby to determine its sex, as it just doesn't work.

I'm careful to say "oh, what a gorgeous baby, what's your baby's name?" Though that doesn't always help me to work out whether it is a boy or girl.

[javotte]

18 m.o. DD2 has very little hair and is often mistaken for a boy. I don't mind.

When I was working in a boulangerie, I once served a woman with her 4 or 5-year-old child. The child had waist-long blond hair styled with pink ribbons, a pink T-shirt and leggings. I asked if the sweets she bought with her bread were for la petite demoiselle. The mother screamed at me that her child was a boy and she was sick and tired of people thinking he was a girl.

[Fenton]

Some people are funny aren't they?

I do take a careful look at a child before I commit to a lovely boy/girl comment.

And if there aren't any clues I will just say 'gorgeous'

Easy.

Eldest son would be dressed very obviously as a boy and didn't have much hair for ages, still got 'oh she's beautiful isn't she'.

Yes, HE is.

[ebwy]

threads like this one make me want to put my long-haired 3 year old and 1 year old boys in pigtails and see who goes off hair and who choses based on clothes

the 3 year old answers comments with "I a boy. Have penis!"