OLD WIVES' TALES

The Needle Trick

More often used to predict what a baby's sex will be after conception, this technique is also one you can try before you conceive. Suspend a needle from some thread and have someone else hold it about an inch above your hand. If the needle swings back and forth, a girl is in your future; if it moves in a circle, count on a boy.

For a variation of this, hang your wedding ring from a strand of your hair (or use your spouse's ring and hair). Rub the ring up and down your index finger a couple of times and then hold it above the top of your outstretched right hand. The number of times the ring swings around in a circle before stopping will tell you how many children you'll have.

• Keeping your cool 

• Your child is what you eat 

• The joy of sex 

• It's all in the timing...or the direction 

• Just plain way out there... 

• The Needle Trick 

• The Drano Test