Old wives tales exposed

MOTHER KNOWS ALL

Have you found yourself spurting out a bit of information that you thought was gospel because your mother told you it was so? Here we set the story straight on a few old wives tales and superstitions that you may have heard and believed.

Driving with bare feet is illegal

This might have been the case in the 60's we are not sure, but after talking with the NSW traffic police, it is confirmed that you can drive with bare feet.

Stands to reason that bare feet would be preferable to high heels anyway.

Pull out a grey hair and three more will grow

If this were the case, some men would be pulling out their hair daily to stop going bald.

As we get older, the hair follicle stop producing melanin (that provides hair colour), and the hair grows out white, once that follicle turns gray, that's it for that individual follicle. It may just be genetics that they all go at once.

It's ok to nurse your baby if you're not driving

Your sitting in traffic, dad's driving, mum in the back with the new bub who is crying her eyes out, as your not moving very fast, surely its ok to pick her up?

Unfortunately no, again back in the 60's when there were few cars with seat belts in the back seat, this would have been ok, but today all passengers have to remain buckled up, at all times.

Big nose…big…

Sorry, no, it's not comparable to the nose; however Wikipedia write that there is a weak correlation between the size of the stretched penis and foot size, as it is controlled as an embryo by the same genes that control the limbs.

You must stay inside for a month after childbirth

If your mum is Chinese (or Vietnamese) you were probably told that when the baby is born, the mother is required to "zuoyuezi" or stay in bed for a month in order to recover from the fatigue. In this month, she is advised to stay at home and not to go outdoors. Cold, wind, dirty air, and tiredness are said to exert bad effect on her health and thus her later life.

Although the plus side is that usually her mother-in-law comes and does all the house work.

Don't give your newborn compliments

Again a South-East Asian custom, you should never give a newborn baby good praise because it could invite the attention of demons and ghosts. In fact it is common to give them 'ugly' names for the first month or so.

Tip: If you are unsure what to say to an Asian newborn, play it safe and call them cheeky.

A big belly means a big baby

Not the case at all. You can just as easily have a big belly and have a small baby, as the other way around.

However, birth size has been linked to breast cancer, to read more on this report click here

New Years eve knickers

In Venezuela, there is a tradition for women as they believe that they will be lucky all year around for wearing yellow underwear on New Year's Eve.

Why not? Worth a go really.

Drinking coffee when you're pregnant gives baby birthmarks

Not true mum! However it this is a method of getting you to quit caffeine while pregnant, it's a good one. The Australian food authority warns that Tea, coffee and colas containing caffeine all reduce the body's absorption of iron, and depletes calcium stores, both essential for a healthy baby.

The Japanese also believe that to avoid the birthmarks on baby's body the pregnant woman should never look at fire.

A pendulum can predict the sex

The powers of the pendulum predicting if your having a boy or a girl being correct is 50/50.

Method: Holding a ring or pendant on a chain over your pregnant belly as still as you can. If it starts swinging back and forth it's a boy, and if it swings in a circle it's a girl. WAIT! it's the other way around?

Google "using a pendulum to predict the sex" and you will get a 50% saying one way and 50% the other. Helpful?

You're going to have a girl if…

If you get morning sickness.

Not true, but If you suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum, (extreme morning sickness). According to an article in the New York Times, studies conducted worldwide concluded, that women who suffer in their first trimester from this condition, in which symptoms require hospitalization, are upwards of 80% more likely to deliver a girl rather than a boy.

You're going to have a boy if…

You are craving salty foods while pregnant.

Mmmmmm Nope.

You're going to have a girl if…

Your nipples or rather your areolae are significantly darker.

Again, no evidence on this one.

You're going to have a girl if…

You crave chocolate and sweets.

That's guesswork again mum, but we like it.

You're going to have a boy if…

You're carrying in front.

Well where else would you be carrying it?

If you want a boy choose a man with lots of brothers

It's true the father does determine the sex of the baby, but sex selection is a somewhat random process. Basically, there's no evidence that, if you or your partner comes from a family with lots of boys, it will have any impact on the sex of your baby.

If you pull that silly face when the wind blows, it will stay that way

Well we have all worked out that, that one is not true mum, but we still love ya.

For more little white lies, take a look at our gallery 'Classic lies we tell our children' here.