Should we “gender” babies?

Question

What are your thoughts on raising babies gender neutral? 
I personally think that can create more confusion than necessary. (Speaking as a woman with an older brother, I wanted to wear his clothes and be just like him when I grew up. I’m not transgender, I just wanted to copy my big bro). 
My baby boy is a baby boy, until he can tell me otherwise, so I’m going to dress him in baby boy clothes and use masculine pronouns when talking about him. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Accepted Answer

I think there's a misconception about what raising babies "gender neutral" means - it doesn't have to mean raising them with they/them pronouns and not referring to their biological sex. It can just mean that you don't let their biological sex dictate how you raise them... like, you don't forbid your son from liking flowers, princesses, pink, and unicorns, just because he's a boy. You don't restrict his interests because they're "girl things" - likewise, if you had a little girl, you'd let her play with trucks in the dirt if she wanted to, and wear overalls, and play sports... again, this is all if they want to. You also do your best to not guide them towards or away from so-called "masculine" or "feminine" interests or behaviors. Like, if you dressed your boy in "boy clothes" until he was old enough to talk, and then you took him shopping and he wanted a pink shirt with a butterfly on it, you wouldn't be like "no, that's for girls, you are a boy!" It's about respecting your kid's natural interests, whatever they may be.

Answer

Babies have no sense of biological sex or gender. My little girl was born with two X chromosomes; she’s a she. Until she can tell me otherwise, she will be my baby girl.

Answer

My daughters are my daughters unless they come to me one day and explain otherwise, if that day comes then I will refer to them with their preferred pronouns.
Right now I dress them in pink, I dress them in blue, they play with barbies, they play with cars, we don’t necessarily put them in gender specific clothes or buy them gender specific toys.

Answer

How do you plan on raising a boy differently than a girl? Besides pronouns...

Answer

my daughter is my daughter until/unless she identifies differently

Answer

I’d raise them gender neutral in the sense that I wouldn’t pick pink only or Barbie over cars. I’d let them pick what they like and choose to play with whatever they want to play with.
But If i had a boy or girl I’d refer to them as such until they told me otherwise.

Answer

If that’s what you want to do with your child; you are their parent and you know best! I won’t try and argue or tell you you’re wrong.
If I have a girl, I will raise her as a girl if and until she tells me otherwise.
If I have a boy, I will raise him as a boy if and until he tells me otherwise.
If my son comes to me and tells me he prefers dresses and dolls, I will love them and help him understand them self better.
If my daughter comes to me and tells me she prefers to be treated as a boy, then I will love them and help them understand them self better.

Answer

Personally I believe they're male or female when they are born, if I had a child I would gender reveal them as their biological gender. I would never force them to be someone they don't feel comfortable being. I would allow them to be who they want and if they feel like they want to be the opposite gender so be it but I want to make sure that's what they really want. I would only ever want the best for my kid.

Answer

I will raise my child using the pronouns of their sex. I will allow them to express themselves as they see fit because toys and clothes are not gendered. I will still refer to them by their sex and therefore their assigned gender until they tell me otherwise. Even if they are a boy that likes dress and dolls, I wont assume their gender is female or ask them because liking those things does not make one female. I hated those as a kid. Items dont have gender. So it's hard to explain. In most ways, yes I'll refer to my kids gender but let them do what they will to express themselves. Doesn't need to be that complex imo

Answer

I’m raising my daughter as a girl. She’s two and already says eww when we pass by the boy isle and she always asks for pink stuff. She makes me proud 😍🎀

Should we “gender” babies?

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