More than just seeing their baby completely healthy, many soon-to-be parents also look forward to finding out aboutbaby sex. Some favor having a baby boy while some look forward to having a baby girl. But can you reallyselect baby gender? Is there really a way to determinebaby sex?

To date, there remains no hundred percent accuracy in predicting baby sex. However, there are several simple selection methods which help couples in conceiving the baby of their preferred gender – without having to resort to geneticists. Below are some of the most commonly used gender selection methods:

The Shettles Method – The Shettles method was first introduced in the 1960's by Dr. Landrum Shettles. The method revolves around the premise that men produce two types of sperm – the Y (male) and the X (female). Dr. Shettles believes that the male sperm is weaker and smaller but faster as compared to the female sperm. Understanding this premise can help manipulate the gender of your baby. Furthermore, this method also believes that sexual contact done on a date closer to ovulation is more likely to conceive a boy and having sex about two or three days before egg is released can give you a girl.

The perfect timing – Perhaps the most important factor in selecting baby sex is the timing of sexual intercourse. Women should be very familiar about their menstrual cycle in order to for her to know when the perfect time of her monthly cycle is. This can be done easily by following natural family planning techniques such as tracking cervical fluid, charting basal body temperature and using an ovulation predictor kit  which can be bought from pharmacies.

Vaginal pH – Another important factor to keep in mind is the woman's vaginal pH. Too much acid can kill the weaker sperm which is the male and leave a bigger number of X sperm for fertilization; thus, favoring girls. Therefore, if you want to have a boy, the best time for sexual intercourse is when the vaginal balance shifts to alkaline about one day before your ovulation.

Sexual position -  The depth of penetration and the position of the sexual intercourse is also very important – this is because of the pH. A deep penetration allows the sperm to get closer to the egg giving the male sperm a good start. They say that the missionary position favors girls while a deeper penetration is more likely to give you a boy.

Sperm count – The higher sperm count favors boys. If you want to have a baby boy, men should wear loose underwear to give the testicles a much cooler temperature for the sperm to survive.  On the other hand, if you want a girl, it is highly suggested that the man takes a hot bath right before intercourse.

Food intake – Your diet also plays a very important role in conception. The minerals in your diet can affect  the environment of your egg and metabolism. If you want a boy, eating plenty of potassium-rich food like apricots, celery, bananas and meat can be a big help while eating magnesium-rich foods like soya beans, nuts and leafy green vegetables can favor a girl.