Superstitions surrounding babies and pregnancy

There are quite a few superstitions surrounding babies and children! Maybe it’s my Italian side but I can be quite superstitious also.

I touch wood for luck and have taken it one step further by also doing it if I think of a bad what-if scenario. I never put shoes – new or old – on the table. And you won’t catch me walking under a ladder.

I have a novella with HarperCollins out in November, Unlucky for Some, which is a little inspired by this side of me. Okay, a lot. The ultra-superstitious protagonist – and newspaper reporter – is handed a media assignment to ‘break’ some of the most common superstitions in the lead-up to Friday the thirteenth and see if it really does bring bad luck.

Would I do such a thing? Not on my life!

With this on my mind, I got curious about looking into some of the weird and wonderful superstitions surrounding babies and children.

I’m a mum to one-year-old twin boys so very interested in this topic. Following is some of the research I uncovered. I advise you to take the ideas with a grain of salt!

Apparently it’s not good to buy any items – clothes or equipment – for your bub before it’s born as it could tempt fate for something bad to happen. Although, I reckon it would just make those first sleep-deprived weeks at home even more stressful!
Following the birth, Mum and bub shouldn’t leave la casa for the first 40 days. Perhaps it’s to ensure bonding and to stop your bundle from catching any bugs out in public, but I’m sorry, I’d be climbing the walls!
When you’re preggers, if you’re craving an odd-shaped snack – and you don’t give into the craving – your bub may be born with a birthmark shaped like that food it was denied.
Nappies should not be taken out of the house after sunset. Yup, you’re meant to leave that smell lurking in your indoor bin overnight!
Craving sour food when you’re preggers? Then, according to Chinese myth, you’re having a wee lass. Hankering for sweet food? A lad’s on the way!
Babies should apparently only be weaned from breastfeeding in May, August, November or January, and always when the moon is full. Spooky. And weird.
Hair and nails should not be cut until your child turns one. And the first cutting should be done by a healthy, young man. Hmm… wonder if Ryan Gosling’s free.
When first driving your baby home, it’s bad luck to sit in the back with them.
Be sure to ‘toast’ your new baby with food, drink and celebration – and each guest should wish your little one good luck for the future. A baby should also be brought a gift on the first visit for luck.
Bit of a sexist one next, but I swear I didn’t make it up…! If a lady gets more attractive when she’s preggers, she’s having a boy. A woman who loses her looks is going to have a girl. This is supposedly because the girl is ‘taking’ her mum’s beauty and will later steal her makeup and shoes!
If you give away all of your bubba’s clothes or its cradle, you’ll be sure to have another bundle of joy on its way before long.

Have you heard of any other superstitions you would like to share?

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

32 Comments

- - ella12 said
  - 16 Jan 2018
    4:31 pm
Don’t think I’ve come across these before.

- - mom81879 said
  - 21 Nov 2015
    8:09 pm
That is quite a list! But surely no one actually believes any of these? I would hate to be superstitious, just makes life more stressful. I like Supernatural and the Winchester boys :)))))))))

- - Bonnie said
  - 16 Jul 2015
    10:28 am
I believe the first topic of having bad luck if you buy something for the baby before its born.. cause when I found out I was pregnant at 6 weeks an I told my best friend, she was so excited about the news she went out and bought the baby a gift… And so when I was about 4 months pregnant I had miscarried the fetus…this was heartbreaking for us and so I have always believed after that to not buy gifts before your babies arrival an I have passed this on to exspecting mothers as well….
- mom94125 replied
  
  18 Oct 2015 , 2:38 pm
  yeah i am not superstitious. i would say that it was just what happened, not that buying clothes really had any affect on whether that pregnancy continued or not. sorry for your loss but i have experienced this
- - talwin said
  - 26 May 2015
    5:18 pm
Never heard any of them! some are so so weird! “Nappies should not be taken out of the house after sunset”. Ya sure! lol

- - smiles said
  - 30 Apr 2015
    9:58 pm
Wow there are some weird ones there! And I would not survive 40 days at home!

- - mom94125 said
  - 11 Dec 2014
    9:10 pm
there are many that i had never heard of! also i will add a couple. if you carry high it is a girl and carrying low means a boy!

boys like to stay in the belly longer

if your nose gets wider, it is a boy

also these are more for determining gender but the ring test is a popular one!

- - stepmom107932 said
  - 08 Dec 2014
    7:31 pm
some of these made me laugh. how ridiculous. I do however like the one about getting a gift on the first visit, yay! more free stuff mum and dad don’t have to buy. im gonna have to remember that one…

- - kazh said
  - 04 Dec 2014
    10:37 am
Some very bizarre and impractical ideas there. Thank heavens I didn’t know about them when I was pregnant.

- - Momfunster said
  - 30 Nov 2014
    10:24 pm
This article gave me a good chuckle, however I craved lemon with two of my children…and they are boys….and the other boy I had no real craving but did consume a lot of chocolate milk?

- - Threelos said
  - 30 Nov 2014
    9:06 pm
Well I think I’ve disproven most of those! I craved sweet foods in all of my pregnancies but had both boys and girls. And if you didn’t cut bub’s nails til they’re one, imagine the scratches! They’d have claws!

- - jackiehansen85 said
  - 16 Nov 2014
    10:45 pm
Ha ha ha! Some of these are really funny!

- - tam_watters said
  - 12 Nov 2014
    3:55 pm
“..if you’re craving an odd-shaped snack – and you don’t give into the craving – your bub may be born with a birthmark shaped like that food it was denied…” So, I’m forgiven for pigging out on Big Macs? I’m happy to accept any excuse and this one will do!

- - mom60497 said
  - 07 Nov 2014
    6:21 pm
Neber heard any of them. I’m guessing they are from a loooooong time ago

- - mom82590 said
  - 04 Nov 2014
    10:52 am
No I have not heard of any other superstitions. I haven’t eaven heard of half of these.

- - cloverstorm said
  - 28 Oct 2014
    10:50 pm
I enjoy reading these, but I don’t believe in superstitions.

- - mom73211 said
  - 19 Oct 2014
    1:46 pm
I haven’t heard of any of this superstitions, some sound very odd, interesting read nonetheless

- - mom93821 said
  - 18 Oct 2014
    1:45 pm
Thanks for the interesting read.

- - rachkap said
  - 17 Oct 2014
    2:24 am
Some interesting thoughts here – thanks

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 16 Oct 2014
    10:03 pm
No I have not heard of any other superstitions. That list is quite long enough!

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 16 Oct 2014
    9:54 pm
I had heard the one about having a girl and the bub stealing the mum’s beauty. I did not look at all great during pregnancy and I had a boy lol