To be fed up with people confusing dd for a boy?

[Mumsiemummy1]

Fairly light hearted and aimed more at the clothes she is wearing than just general mistakes which are completely innocent.

I have never really liked dressing DD (9months) in pink, I don't really wear pink myself, and all of her newborn stuff was pink so i got very bored of it. She now wears lots of colours, including blue, black, green, red...all girls clothes just not pink.

Whenever we are out people talk to her as a boy, "hi little man", "you're a good little boy" etc

I just find it really frustrating that I have to dress her in pink for people to call her a girl.

Anyone else share this frustration.

[Collaborate]

Society has a set of rules that if you play by them the correct signals as to sex will be given off. It’s fine if you choose not to play by those rules but I’m sure it comes as no surprise that people will assume you’re giving off a signal when you’re not.

My niece is Spanish. All girls there get their ears pierced at birth - except my niece. She was constantly mistaken for a boy when a baby.

[thenorthernluce]

I don't dress my baby daughter in much pink and she's still just in sleepsuits, so no dresses worn yet. Lots of people assume she's a boy, which doesn't bother me and I just casually answer (for example) "she's 3 months". Babies are androgynous at this age, most of the time.

However, it really irrationally bothered me when she was born that the paediatrician who recussitated her at birth (ugh) kept calling her him/he, even though she was naked and didn't have a penis! Clearly, the fact she was ultimately alive and well after a hairy moment was paramount, but I remember getting silently cross at his mistake, for some bizarre reason!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Eolian

I've met a fair few adults over the years ago I can't actually tell, it's not a problem in regards to now I treat them as customers obviously. But it's that awkward moment when you go to say "can i help you sir/madam"...

Not helped when their friend calls them Alex or Jamie or Ashley cos you still have no idea.

[Shutupanddance1]

The ear piercing thing is quite common where I live as well and my DD gets mistaken for a DS all the time. A lady in boots here said to me 'why don't you get your babies ears done? Then she will look like a girl'

[BirthdayBeast]

I don’t think it is a pink thing though. When my dd was first born we went out shopping and I was repeatedly stopped by strangers who wanted to coo over a newborn baby. My dd was dressed in a pink spotty babygro and white and pink stripy cardigan. A number of people who saw her asked what “his name” was or said how handsome “he” was. When she was 18 months old we went out to a stately home and were wandering around the gardens together. Dd was wearing salmon pink jeans, white stripy top, salmon pink shoes with a huge flower on them and a flowery headband. A man walked past us and said “ah look at little Lord Fauntleroy”, his wife then pointed out that my dd was actually a girl and the man seemed surprised.

When I left hospital with my newly born ds recently, a nurse asked how old “she” was. My ds was wearing a turquoise babygro.

I just think some people aren’t very observant when it comes to how babies and children are dressed.

[PinkSquash]

DS1 was always called a girl when he was a baby, apparently his bright blue eyes and long eyelashes meant he must be a girl I used to get miffed but then I just laughed it off, babies are babies and they're all pretty similar when tiny

[PoorYorick]

I mistook a little boy for a girl once. He had beautiful long silky hair. I love long hair on men, so it's not that I have a weird issue....but long hair can make a face look more feminine, especially on a very young child. I asked his name and his dad said, "Liam." I said I was very sorry to have made the mistake, but he was still just as gorgeous. Dad was very nice about it.

[PoorYorick]

Or rather, I asked "her" name.

[dangermouseisace]

don't worry there is a year 6 at my kids school that I can't tell is a girl or a boy!

Kids just look like kids, babies are especially difficult.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I just think some people aren’t very observant when it comes to how babies and children are dressed

But kids wear hand me downs all the time and especially at nursery/pre school stage where quite frankly you buy whatever is going cheap in Tesco cos it's only going to get covered in paint. Clothes mean nothing.

And I think it's important to be careful how you react. Of someone bites someomes head off for a mistake then that person will think twice next time and instead of saying " can I hold him for you while you fold the buggy" they will sit there and not bother

I used to get a fair few older people who would stick fifty p in their hands and "get mummy to get you some sweets young man"

Again of they get grief they just won't bother and old people often love cooing over babies and small children and just start talking to you.

If they don't see much of their families and their grand kids live a long way away and they live on their own they probably just like talking to someone for a few mins on a bus. It's really no big deal when they have just tried to be nice.

[fartyghost]

I got asked all the time, I eventually said 'Oh, she's a girl but I call her

[lljkk]

If you want folk to guess gender right, then put child in obvious clothes or accessories. Purple dresses, yellow bows, white frills and lace. Don't have to be pink if you don't like pink.

Could have my DD's problem. People thought she was a plastic doll. Didn't even get noticed as a live baby.

[MiddlingMum]

lljkk that reminds me of the time one of mine had insisted on taking a life-sized baby doll out for a walk. Inevitably she'd got tired of carrying it, and was off running around in the trees while I had the doll tucked under my arm, half upside-down. A lady stopped me and told me off for holding the baby so carelessly. She was a bit taken aback when I showed her the baby was plastic

[Neverender]

DD was dressed in pink and pulled her socks off and an old man said, “Now, young man, where are your socks?” I just said, “She keeps pulling them off.”

[MyKingdomForBrie]

This happens to my dd (14mo) even when she’s in pink she does look like her dad! Doesn’t bother me but it is interesting!

[SpottyGecko]

Dd (13mo) has pretty frequently been referred to as a “he” by strangers.

Even when dressed in pink. She looks like a girl too.

I’ve always felt a bit bemused by it.

[goose1964]

I have 2 grandsons ,aged 9 and 11 months ish,iI think they both look like boys , but DH says he can't see the difference between the youngest and his mum at the same age

[tattiehat]

My DD (now 2) often got called a boy when younger even though she was in obviously girls clothes, she was a wee baldy for ages though!

Her hair has finally grown a bit but is very curly so doesn’t look long and she still occasionally gets called a boy!

[liquidrevolution]

I had this with DD when she was younger. I still dress her in bright colours as she is my happy rainbow girl. Bizarrely the older generation always seemed to get it right. Under 60s always got it wrong.

I was once told off in a supermarket for having a red pram. We bought it because we didnt know what we were having so kept it neutral but apparently its a boys colour .

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Age 12 - boy or girl? :)

[Sayyouwill]

@WaxOnFeckOff girl?

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

Yes, girl.

[HowDoYouWantToDoThis]

I had my 8 month old son sitting on my knee and someone asked me how old she was! He was wearing jeans and a pink and blue striped rugby shirt. The vaguest hint of pink and he MUST be a girl.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Nope - he did this shortly afterwards but now (4 years later) has hair down past his shoulders and a beard he was getting served in pubs 3 years after this photo!

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

It's not just the hair, Wax. He has a very soft face.