Influencing Baby Gender

[Dellena]

I didn't see a topic for this here (unless I'm blind - always possible ), but the following was added with the May 4th patch:

Sims can now influence the gender of their offspring!

    Strawberries and Pop music (one, the other, or both) seem to lead to more baby girls.
    Carrots and Alternative music seem to lead to more  baby boys.

I noticed the guide still says:

The gender of the baby will be decided by the game and the player cannot control the outcome - you can't eat watermelon or apples here. It will be a baby boy or a girl, and is likely 50/50.

So it could probably use a small update.

[Carl]

That is the most important edit from that patch, and I forgot, so thank you for reminding me. I edited it in right away.

[Dellena]

No problem, Carl.  Many eyes make short work.

[Carl]

It came from Sims Medieval, but sometimes I think it's really appropriate we named the top rank, "Watcher"

[Dellena]

lol  Indeed!

[oshizu]

Has anyone determined the quantity of fruit required to influence gender?
I've been doing 4 fruit per trimester and consistently getting the desired gender (with human sims).  Since we have a 50/50 chance of boy or girl, though, I can't tell if 12 fruit are enough or if I've just been lucky.

[Carl]

As for me, not yet. I am definitely going to have to explore the XML as well as do some old-fashioned testing. Eat 10 fruit, see gender, reload, eat 5... hope to come up with something concrete that way.

[Dellena]

I haven't eaten nearly that much strawberries/carrots on my sims and she's been consistent with the gender I want.  However, I'm also using the music angle as well.  Like working on the computer and listening to the appropriate music at the same time.  She's only eating a max of 6 fruit or vegetable with each pregnancy.

[Playalot]

In my dynasty my pollinator makes his conquests listen to pop for as long as the newly pregnant sim will stay at the dynasty house. So far I've been successfully getting female nooboos from these uncontrolled pregnant sims. The time spent listening to pop has varied from anywhere between 5 sim hours to all night during their overnight stay. I just use the 'listen to pop together' interaction and when the guest pregnant sim stops looking like they are listening, I turn the stereo off and then use the interaction again.
I don't know whether it's just been luck but it's been 5 out of 5 sims so far.
Side issue: despite leaving strawberries around everywhere, I have yet to see an uncontrolled sim eat one. I don't think sims even see fruit or vegetables as a food source unless directed.

[oshizu]

Oooh, that's so clever of you, Playalot!  Absolutely brill!

I have some odd news to share. I was playing a copy of a finished tournament challenge file and decided to have the pregnant sim have a girl:

• She ate 6 strawberries each in her 1st & 2nd trimesters (12 total, no music)
• But then, I realized since I'm playing a fun file that I wanted a son instead
• In the 2nd & 3rd trimesters, mummy eat 8 carrots total (all I had) and listened to alternative music for a couple of hours each day.
• She had a son.

I briefly wondered if, in the case the mum had twins, she would deliver a boy and a girl.  Then, I remembered that I rarely get multiple births anymore.
Still, the gender probability is 50/50 so I can't draw any conclusions, but I'm glad to have been able to override my initial mistake.

[Dellena]

It would be interesting to know the probability impact of the foods vs. the music.  My sims often listen to music for long periods of time while doing other things (all praise to multitasking in Sims 4!).  So they might listen to the station for several sim hours as opposed to eating a food which takes no time at all.  I think I'll continue to use both methods to be on the safe side on the gender selection.

[oshizu]

I'm wondering if prepared foods work as well as raw strawberries and carrots.
So I'm cloning strawberry cake since I've not been as successful as @Playalot in getting visiting ladies to "Listen to Pop together."

Has anyone experimented with this? Or had simply had success with this.
Throw the lady in a club and set a club activity to Eat, then choose "eat together." 
Ideas?

[Playalot]

I have not tried prepared foods so it will be interesting to see the results. I think what you do in the last trimester may be the key going from your post above about changing strawberries to carrots. Although I did this in a fun game and my sim still had a girl.

[Carl]

I'd love to know how this goes as far as the prepared foods. I wouldn't want to go through all those births if someone else already did it, so do please let me know the results!

[Rainbowz]

I heard you have to eat carrots and listen to the alternative music to have a baby boy in the Sims 4, but I can't find the carrots.