Then steer clear of bananas if you don't want to have a boy. Apparently, sticking to certain foods can improve your chances of choosing the sex of your child!

For a boy - you and your partner will need a diet that's high in potassium and salt. Foods which include bananas, broccoli, potatoes, apricots, peaches, dates, cornflakes, bacon, fish and meat.

For a girl - you should both have a diet that's high in calcium and magnesium and low in salt.  Good foods to try are milk, youghurt, nuts, seeds, soya beans, wholemeal bread, canned fish, leafy veggies and peas. According to obstetrician Dr. Jean Choukron, the diet's got an 85% success rate.*
And if it fails, start smoking (see below).

* We are currently looking for volunteers to try this one out. Anyone willing will get a years supply of Pampers*.

- Subject to availability of stock.
- I accept no responsibility for the outcome.

Sounds incredible, doesn't it!

...but according to a study published The Lancet magazine (no doubt you are all very familiar with this publication), the possibility of having a boy is reduced if the couple smokes more than 20 cigarettes a day during the days they are trying to conceive. This happens because the spermatic cells which carry the Y chromosome, responsible for the male sex, are more sensitive to tobacco which destroys them.

The scenario... baby is crying and you need just 5 minutes of peace and quiet to warm up the bottle.

Sound familiar?

Then read on for the solution...

(it's kind of difficult to describe this one without sound so imagine you are in the depths of the jungle with an African tribe).

Take baby in your arms.

Slowly chant in a deep voice (as many times as  necessary):

"UN-GA CHA-CA, UN-GA CHA-CA, UN-GA CHA-CA, UN-GA CHA-CA"

At the same time, slowly but firmly move from side to side stamping your feet in keeping with the chant.

Stare in the baby's eyes and blink as little as possible.

In no time the baby will have stopped crying and be completely hypnotised.

Credit for this ingenious discovery goes to Gussy Sandín. It worked on both his girls (both he and I tried it on several occasions). 

However, research has not been carried out on other babies so we are still in doubt as to whether it is genetic. 

Do let us know how YOU get on.

What's the best way to bring up a baby bi-lingually?

For perfect bilingual development, each parent should ONLY speak to the child in THEIR native language until the age of 5. 

If you must break this rule for whatever reason, you should tell the child. 

This is the most effective method to ensure the child can clearly differentiate 2 languages and not end up speaking a mixture of both (like his parents!). 

From the age of 5 onwards, the child will have no problem distinguising the languages and both parents can speak either language indescriminately.

Anne Marie & Maarten Casey/Jansen:

Bouncing baby Sean was born on September 6th 2002 at 19:59. He weighed in at 2.6 kg (5.12 lbs) and was 47cm long. For more pictures and a nose around Anne Marie and Maarten's house, go to http://homepage.eircom.net/~mjanson/Sean/Sean.htm

Marie & Phil Maher/Jones

Baby Tom Jones was born at 12.45 on December 10th, weighed 3.6 kgs and measured 52 cms. Click here for a photo.

Paul & Antoinette Colbert/Cooney

Baby Amelia Carmen was born on March 28, weighed 8lb 11 oz and measured
22 inches. Click here for a photo.

on special request from Anne Marie...

Cats are unlikely to attack a baby - injuries are more common once a child can grab a handful of fur. In rare cases, babies have been accidentally suffocated by cats - but only because prams or cots make warm places to sleep.

The biggest danger, however, is that your disgruntled puss will leave home. As the McDowell says, "Cats are prone to moving out if their nose is put out of joint, so make sure it gets fussed over"

Before your baby's arrival
Most cats detest the sound of a crying baby, so before the birth, try playing a tape of crying while stroking your cat. You could also ask friends with babies to visit. Keep the cat out of the room the baby will be sleeping in and teach him not to sit in the new pram.

Keeping a happy home
Handle your cat with care - if he is constantly turfed out of the room when your baby appears then it's likely to leave or turn on you - include your cat by talking to him or giving him a treat when you feed the baby.

If your cat tries to sit on your lap when feeding, firmly but gently encourage him to sit next to you instead. When your baby's in the pram or cot, use a cat net, making sure it's taut or your cat will simply use it as a hammock. Finally, many cats end up loving playing with children, but teach your child early on that cats are not toys.

Catty Remarks

According to Dr. Votaw, there is usually almost no trouble when introducing a cat to a baby. Yet old wives' tales abound. The most common one is that cats suck the breath out of babies, because they smell milk on their mouth. This is false," says Dr. Votaw, adding that more realistic reasons a cat may want to be close to a baby are "because it is curious and [because] it wants to get warm."

Since cats are jumpers, crib rails are no obstacle for them. Place a screen or taut netting over the crib to keep the cat from sleeping with the baby. (Remove the screen once the baby is able to reach it.)

Be aware that a cat might scratch or urinate on baby's belongings. This behavior in a cat can symbolize a number of things -- affection, a sense of possessiveness, or aggression (note, if your cat is castrated, it will not urinate to mark its territory)

In any case spraying is a habit you want to discourage; if you have this problem with your cat, keep him out of baby's room. When you must reprimand your cat, experts recommend spraying him with water from a plant mister or clapping your hands and shouting, "No!" (Note, if all else fails, spitting (cat-style of course) will do the trick).

Keep the cat's litter box out of children's reach; a number of infections can be contracted from animal waste. If the litter box is kept behind a closed door, and the cat is shown where it is, he will quickly learn ways to let you know he needs to use it.

Cat dander is the most common cause of pet allergies. To reduce allergic reactions and the spread of germs, wash your child's hands after she pets an animal. Bathing the animal weekly may reduce allergic reactions. If you have an older cat who doesn't take well to baths, brush-on products to reduce dander are available (this is a better option as it is not good to bathe a cat more than once every three months). If your baby often has a runny nose, or if allergies are common in your family, you might want to have her checked for a pet allergy.

Cats do not like loud noises, such as crying; rapid movements, such as baby's sometimes jerky limb movements; or the rough handling that toddlers are capable of. A toddler can learn to live peacefully with a cat. Mary Jo Mersol-Barg, a cat breeder in Michigan and the mother of three children, says, "Parents must be role models. Show the child how to gently stroke the cat." Make sure the child knows not to antagonize a cat, pat him sharply on the head, or hold him against his will.

Your cat may hide when the atmosphere gets too loud or wild; even if everyone knows where his hiding place is, teach your child to leave the cat alone when he has retreated there.