# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/21 "2010-02-10T02:38:08Z")
Interesting trend that the first two being boys leads the first two being girls by about 2 to 1 (31 to 16 right now). ---
**Author:** ![Countrypolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/858c86/32.png) [@Countrypolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Countrypolitan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/22 "2010-02-10T02:41:59Z")
I’m the middle of three girls. Mom–middle kid, older brother, younger brother Dad–middle kid, older sister, younger brother. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/23 "2010-02-10T03:11:52Z")
I answered for me and my siblings (two girls, then a boy, then another girl-- I’m that last girl). My mom is the oldest of four, three girls then a boy. My father is the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister. My husband has two older brothers. That’s all I can think of that fit the pattern you’re talking about, and two have the third child being different than the first two, and two have the third child the same. Go fig. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/24 "2010-02-10T04:21:08Z")
Hey, I found something on this: > **[What are the odds of having another boy or girl?](http://www.in-gender.com/Gender-info/Odds-of-having-another-boy-or-girl.aspx)** > > If you have only sons or only daughters, it's likely some know-it-all has told you that the odds are against having a girl, or that you 'can't make' a boy. Statistics and a large population sample tell the truth. The Odds of Having a Boy or a Girl First two are boys – Odds are 53.3% the third will be a boy, vs 46.7% it will be a girl First two are girls – Odds are 54.0% the third will be a girl, vs 46.0% it will be a boy Thus, there is a shift from the usual pattern of births, which is 51% boys, 49% girls. The shift is fairly small, but noticeable just the same. ---
**Author:** ![TheBori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@TheBori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBori)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/25 "2010-02-10T20:50:35Z")
Me: 4 boys My brother: 4 girls My sister: 1 of each My parents: 2 of each (FMFM) (Note: eldest sister did not procreate) My wife’s parents: 5 of each (yes, 10 kids) My grandparents: 3 of each…on both sides…hmmmm ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/26 "2010-02-11T01:36:28Z")
My family: five girls, same father and mother My husband’s family: Three boys, same father and mother One girl, same father and mother (different father from the first three boys) Then two boys from the same father and mother (one of those boys grew up to be my husband) Me and my hubby: One girl in 1987 One girl in 1991 Decided we had enough children In 1997 _he_ decided we could try “one more time for a boy”. **mudgirl** was born in 1999, on Dec 29th, just a couple of days before ‘Y2K’ So for us, three girls. So, grand total: His mother: five boys, one girl His father: two boys, one girl My mother and father: Five girls Hubby and I: Three girls Now, to further feed your statistics (whatever they may be): My oldest sister and her husband: Two girls Second oldest sister Two girls Third oldest sister: One girl One boy Fourth oldest sister: One boy Do what you will with that data. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/27 "2010-02-11T02:13:01Z")
My mother has four sisters. There was a stillborn brother. One aunt has three boys. Another aunt had four boys. Third aunt has a boy and a girl. My mother has one boy and one girl. Of my cousins, they have in order: First cousin: M, F, M. Another cousin: one boy. Yet another cousin, brother of the above: a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284/28 "2010-02-11T02:48:10Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Hey, I found something on this: > > [What are the odds of having another boy or girl? : Ingender.com](http://www.in-gender.com/XYU/Odds/Gender_Odds.aspx) > The Odds of Having a Boy or a Girl > > First two are boys – Odds are 53.3% the third will be a boy, vs 46.7% > it will be a girl > First two are girls – Odds are 54.0% the third will be a girl, vs > 46.0% it will be a boy > > Thus, there is a shift from the usual pattern of births, which is 51% > boys, 49% girls. The shift is fairly small, but noticeable just the > same. Also see **BetsQ** ’s post in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=526096) - she got nearly the same result from a slightly different (large) data set [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sex-of-the-third-child/528284.md?page=1)