Pregnancy Technicals

[Scalec]

I am fully aware that eating apples while pregnant in Sims will make the baby a boy, and watermelons for a girl. I have used this method quite a bit in my game play. But I'm finding myself really curious about a few things, and I was hoping someone may be able to answer these questions before I set an experiment to find out.

Does the prospective mother have to eat a certain amount of specific fruit to assure the sex of the baby?

Does each individual fruit increase the chance of a certain gender, or, assuming the above is true, is the gender 'dial', so to speak, just set on that gender?

If the mother eats equal parts apple and watermelon, is nothing assured? Or does the 'gender dial' set itself with the last fruit eaten?

[SeaUnicorn]

First question: As long as your sim eats them the day she finds out that she is pregnant.
Second question: Yes, the 'dial' starts at 50%-50% and each additional fruit increases by 10%
Sorry, I don't know the answer to your last question but I hope I helped 

[LivvieLove]

Does the prospective mother have to eat a certain amount of specific fruit to assure the sex of the baby?

Does each individual fruit increase the chance of a certain gender, or, assuming the above is true, is the gender 'dial', so to speak, just set on that gender?

If the mother eats equal parts apple and watermelon, is nothing assured? Or does the 'gender dial' set itself with the last fruit eaten?

There are a lot of factors that go into this. SeaUnicorn hit it on the nose with the 50-50 dial, however for your last question there are too many variables.

Pregnancy tends to "Lock in" after a certain point. Especially if you use a doctor Sim (level 7 and up I believe) to determine the gender of the baby. So if you were to equally eat an apple or a watermelon it could cause your results to vary. However with tricks or multiple births it can also lock in the second gender of the twin/triplet.
That's why it's difficult to test. If you have fertility treatment (or any variant of it - Extra Fertile from a Genie, the procreation elixir, etc) it will change the factors to that last test. Even watching kids TV/listening to the kids radio can change the factors of pregnancy and the chance that the fruit will affect the gender.
So, I suppose the answer is no, the gender will lock at a point, so it will be assured, however it depends on which fruit was eaten closest to when the gender was locked in (which I don't know when that would be).

As an example as to how I figured the answer to the last question: when you're aiming to have multi-gender twins/triplets (as they are a rarity in game on their own terms), most people will hear the chimes and start shoveling down one fruit or the other for the rest of the day. Upon switching to pregnancy clothing and having the first stage of the bump, they have the doctor determine what the baby's gender will be (thus, locking it in) and start eating the opposite fruit. That is how it is written to get multi-gendered children, so hopefully that goes (somewhat) into answering your last question.

[Scalec]

Thank you both so much for your information!

[Lysita]

You can also get multi-gendered twins/triplets without eating any fruit, although it is a bit more random.

[nomad]

Gender is determined at birth, the first baby can be locked in by the doctor. Any more in a multiple birth should be based on the fruit eaten plus a random factor.

Eating the same number of each fruit will be the same as choosing at random.

[maryquitecontrary]

A little off topic, but if you listen to kids music and watch kids tv at the same time for a while, then you are pretty much guaranteed triplets, twins for sure:)

[KRae]

I always have them wolf down 10 apples or watermelons as soon after they hear the chimes as possible. They get the stuffed turkey moodlet, but it's neutral. I've had mixed gender twins and triplets doing nothing to make it happen.

[Janna]

When I go for twins or triplets and I want to lock them in, I will at the twirl eat the 10 or more of whatever fruit is needed. 
Generally, I get same gender that I plan.  For twins or triplets, unless I need a certain gender, I just let it go and see what happens, it is probably a fluke, but I have had my sim eat seven apples, then eat six watermelons, then five more apples, then six more watermelons and had mixed gender twins, but like I said, it just might be luck of the draw, instead of my locking anything in.

I had read that the eating of the fruit had to be after the twirl, before and it won't work.  I have a couple of times had my sim eat the fruit before the twirl and not got what I wanted, the male or female baby.

As for triplets, that is pretty much a guarantee if you watch tv or listen to music, especially if you do both.  As for procreation elixir or the fertility treatment, I have never had any luck with the elixir.

[KRae]

I read the opposite, from Pam maybe, that it has to be before the twirl.

[Trip]

I almost always have my expectant mothers start eating fruit after the twirl and I never fail to get the gender I want.

[LivvieLove]

I read the opposite, from Pam maybe, that it has to be before the twirl.

I almost always have my expectant mothers start eating fruit after the twirl and I never fail to get the gender I want.

You're both right, sort of.
Eating 10 apples/watermelon before/after the twirl will eventually get you your end result. The only way you can lock in gender before birth is by having a doctor determine the gender of the child - and that's only for the first child (if there are multiples)

[Janna]

I guess that I have stuck with the after the twirl because I never seemed to get the ones I want unless I eat the fruit then.  I have tried eating six apples before the twirl, then six more after and I can't guarantee that it will be a boy, but eating 10 after the twirl and I get the boy (or the watermelon for the girl).

[LivvieLove]

I guess that I have stuck with the after the twirl because I never seemed to get the ones I want unless I eat the fruit then.  I have tried eating six apples before the twirl, then six more after and I can't guarantee that it will be a boy, but eating 10 after the twirl and I get the boy (or the watermelon for the girl).

Well the reason that may be is likely due to the fact that the apples/watermelons only affect the gender by a percentage.
You are never fully guaranteed 100% in game coding a boy or a girl. You start out at 50% and no matter how many apples/watermelons you eat it will only raise the chance to a percentage. Like 75% to 25% one or the other rather than 50/50. Therefore you still have a 25% chance that you will get the wrong gender than what you planned, but it is highly unlikely.

Granted those numbers aren't accurate, I can't read code, but I did read it somewhere on the forum previously. I believe someone discovered that eating 10 will cap out the percentage of either/or but it won't be at 100%, if that makes any sense. So I believe that means that so long as you eat 10 of whatever fruit before the gender is locked in (via birth/doctor) you should have a high chance of success at your preferred gender.  That can happen before or after the twirl or some variant in-between (2 at every meal time every day up until the birth has worked for me every time as well as just cramming 10 of each all at once - I've also completely forgotten until the last minute and practically shoveled them into her on the day she was scheduled to give birth and gotten my preferred gender - but that may just be luck). A lot of this would require someone who can read code and/or is willing to do extensive testings.

[chetanhaobijam]

I found this article while lurking in the guide. Hope this might help you.
And from my experience I would say that you should fed the desire fruit for the desire gender just after the 'Try 4 baby' action, i mean just after hearing the lulaby tune. Sims in medical career also helps in it by determining the gender of the baby. And if you want mixed gender twins, fed her the opposite fruit, e.g. If he/she determine the baby is a boy, fed her watermelon fruits and vice versa. And only three/six fruits are enough in my case. You don't need to fed her 50/60 fruits for it.