# The sex of the third child... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284 "2010-02-09T16:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/1 "2010-02-09T16:45:38Z")
Admittedly, this is going to be unscientific. But what poll on here claims to be otherwise? I’m looking for parents with three (or more) kids, the first two kids being the same sex. This can be your parents’ kids, your kids, your relatives, your friends. Just think of the first real example that comes to your mind. So you have the first two kids of one particular sex… ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/2 "2010-02-09T16:54:12Z")
Here are a few examples from my family My Parent’s: 3 Boys My case: Two boys One girl My Brother: Three Boys My Youngets Brother: One boy My Father’s side four Boys two Girls (3 Boys 1 Girl, 1 Girl, 1 Boy) My Uncle (Father’s side) three Girls My Aunt (father’s side) two Boys one Girl My Mother’s side: Two boys three Girls (Boys were the oldest) My Aunt (mother’s side) Two Girls One boy My Uncle (Mother’s side) Two boys one girl ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/3 "2010-02-09T16:57:07Z")
Basically, what I’ve heard is that if you have two kids of the same sex, the third kid will be of that same sex a disproportionate amount of time. Far greater than 50%. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/4 "2010-02-09T17:10:11Z")
Four examples in my family, where there at least three children and the first two were the same gender: FFF MMM - F FFM MMM - MFMMMFM ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/5 "2010-02-09T17:13:51Z")
The third child’s sex is independent from the sex of the first two. The way you’ve phrased the question, it should be the same or different sex 50%/50%. I answered for my sister-in-law’s kids (male, different) but then thought of me and my brothers (male, same) and my wife’s family (female, same). ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/6 "2010-02-09T17:17:16Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > The third child’s sex is independent from the sex of the first two. The way you’ve phrased the question, it should be the same or different sex 50%/50%. No, because it’s not entirely a coin toss. There are biological factors involved such as exposure to estrogen/testosterone. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/7 "2010-02-09T17:18:51Z")
My Mom: she’s got two older sisters, so FFF My sister: she had two girls, then had a third, so FFF My friend: she had three boys, then a girl, so MMMF ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/8 "2010-02-09T19:25:25Z")
Some examples from my family… Uncle Everett and Aunt Sally: Two girls and then a boy. Grandma Regina and Grandpa Chuck: Two boys and then a girl Grandma Alice and Grandpa Vito: Two girls and then another girl Uncle Sal and Aunt Lana: Two boys and then another boy So 50-50 ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/9 "2010-02-09T19:37:33Z")
I started a similar thread a while ago ([locked as it was zombified](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=390582)) and you can use some of the stats from there as well if you want… Third in our family was a girl after two boys. G ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/10 "2010-02-09T20:44:40Z")
The answer was based on my father and his siblings, but it would apply to many of his relatives as well. Curiously enough, my mother’s side of the family tends to get “female - same as the other two.” ---
**Author:** ![Heckity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Heckity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckity)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/11 "2010-02-09T20:50:50Z")
I know an extraordinary number of families of four kids where the first 3 are the same and the fourth different. Then there’s my sister who has five kids - two sets of twins M; M/F; M/M. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/12 "2010-02-09T21:38:32Z")
> [@Heckity](#): > > I know an extraordinary number of families of four kids where the first 3 are the same and the fourth different. When it comes to data like this, I’d think that “extraordinary” would be at least 500 families. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/13 "2010-02-09T22:05:11Z")
I’m the middle of three boys. My mother is the middle of three girls. My wife is the middle of three girls. My father-in-law has a younger brother who also has three girls (those two have an older sister who managed to produce male offspring). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/14 "2010-02-09T22:08:38Z")
My parents had 3 girls before finally getting it right with me! 😛 (Actually, I was a rhythm baby who drove my RC mom to the sin of birth control!) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/15 "2010-02-09T22:09:00Z")
Mine went boy, boy, girl, boy. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/16 "2010-02-09T22:13:48Z")
My father and mother Daughter Daughter Son His brother and wife Daughter Daughter Daughter Daughter My next door neighbors Daughter Daughter Daughter Daughter The neighbors on the other side Son Son Daughter My best friend’s family Son Son Daughter I have other friends whose families had all daughters or all sons. I don’t sense a pattern. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/17 "2010-02-09T22:18:41Z")
My sister: B, B, G Everyone else in the family has only 2. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/18 "2010-02-09T22:25:07Z")
Off the top of my head I know of four three-kid families. One is my mom and her siblings, the other three friends and their siblings. They go like this: girl-girl-boy boy-boy-boy (I know for a fact that boy #3 was a last attempt for a girl) boy-boy-girl boy-boy-girl ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/19 "2010-02-09T22:25:11Z")
I was the third boy of three, myself; so I voted for “Male same as the first two.” However, my kids are B G B, and then there seems to be another boy on the way. (Wasn’t my fault!) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/20 "2010-02-09T22:33:50Z")
X, X, Y is the sequence of my brats (now grown up). My parents had only girls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284.md?page=2)