What's the best time of year to be born, or to give birth?

I can tell you the worst day…in my experience, it is Dec. 31…as it happens, my birthday.

The best people are born in February.

I think Halloween is the best time to be born
Cause that’s when all the cool people are born
and June 6 and July 17

I just came across a study (might be well known, was news to me) that children born in fall or late summer had healthier bones. (more vitamin D/sun exposure for mom) I suppose it depends on where you live and how seasons work, (or how much you go outside for that matter…)
but healthy bones is a certain plus.

That discussion you linked to is interesting; I had never thought about the whole thing about being 8–9 months pregnant during the summer and how hot it is. My mom didn’t seem to care; she was 8–9 months pregnant during the summer and it was Las Vegas, the second-hottest city in America.

But there are people born every day. Is there a preference you have specifically?

Spring. According to my wife who did not want to be really huge when it was really hot out.

Summer, and specifically late May/early June, according to professors who wish to take their three month leave when classes are not in session.

Winter, I suppose, for women who do not mind being in their first trimester during the summer.

You can hold it, Dominic…

To me, May seems like the appropriate birthing month. What with April’s showers bringing May’s flowers and whatnot. May was named for the goddess Maia, the goddess of fertility.
(for the record, I am a September baby)
May also has Towel Day.

I think the biggest thing is to try to avoid having the kid around a big holiday (like Christmas/New Years. Poor @gailcalled), or around someone else in the immediate family’s birthday. (My sister-in-law’s baby was expected to be due exactly on her birthday. She held onto that baby for an extra 2 weeks “accidentally”)

I’d also support not having the kid in August/September, so that your kid isn’t the runt of his/her class every year due to cutoff points (I graduated months before I turned 18. I didn’t feel like an adult for quite a while even though everyone else around me was. Minor psychological thing, but still).

edit: Oh yeah, and what Dominic said. Being very pregnant in the middle of the summer can’t be comfortable, god.

January…Everything begins when you begin a new year. I think it’s why I hate missing the first part of anything. But pregnancy through the thick of summer may not be very pleasant. In conclusion, January babies are superior to others in every way.

I loved having my babies in early March and mid-April. I was always an oven and walked around in the Boston snow without a coat most of the time.

There’s a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell that argues that kids born closest to 1 January end up with advantages over kids born later in the year, and that these advantages become more honed as kids grow up. Here’s a borrowed summary:

Gladwell explains why the relative-age effect (a compounding of some initial advantage over time), explains why a disproportionate number of elite Canadian hockey players were born in the first half of the year (popularizing the research of a Canadian psychologist). Because Canada’s eligibility cutoff for junior hockey is January 1, Gladwell writes, “a boy who turns 10 on January 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn’t turn 10 until the end of the year.” Since the differences in physical maturity are so great at that age, this initial advantage in when one starts playing competitive hockey helps explain which kid will make the league all-star team. And similarly, by making the all-star team earlier, the January 2 kid gets another leg up in more practice, better coaching, tougher competition, that compound that difference. Gladwell says it explains why by age 14, the January 2 birthday kid (who is only a couple days older than the December 30) kid is so much better at hockey. Gladwell says the solution is doubling the number of junior hockey leagues—some for kids born in the first half of the year, others for kids born in the second half. Or, as it applies to elementary schools, Gladwell believes that elementary and middle schools should put group students in three classes (January-April birthdays, May-August birthdays, and September-December birthdays) to “level the playing field.”

A friend of mine and I (both in the same PhD program) noticed that there were an unusually high number of birthdays among our colleagues in January and February. So I have some anecdotal evidence that this principle applies to academics too.

@nikipedia…..you are my new hero.

Okay, well I have a July child, and am about to have a February child.
My due date is February 20th, and silly me thinks it’ll be awesome to have Pisces, but that means not having the baby early…but I had my son a little early so I sort of expect it. Anyway, I just want a Pisces because I’m a Cancer, my son is a Cancer and my husband is a Sag…we’d all get along lol. I wanted a January baby, but that didn’t happen.

Okay, on to the pregnancy related side:
Summer babies aren’t bad to have. My son was early July, it was nice to be inside in the a/c all cuddled with him. It wasn’t a bad summer, so we’d go out pretty often. I was pregnant for all the Holidays, so the food was ten times more delicious. I couldn’t go and be in the sun that summer though because my son was too small and no one wants to get in a bathing suit after delivering.

This February due date thing…kinda sucks. I got pregnant in May and that means being in the “in between chubby and looking pregnant” phase that is also know as “the first trimester” People can’t tell I’m pregnant, but I obviously have some pudge going on. It’s hard for women to go through that phase, because your body is changing and you are becoming aware of a lot of things. But, it gives me some time to get back in shape before the summer.

School age wise, I loved being younger than everyone. With a July birthday, you are before the cutoff so you are almost a year younger than everyone…you graduate at 17, which seems quite exciting at the time. I think they may have changed the cut offs though, because my son might actually be an entire year older than everyone…which doesn’t make sense why they’d do such a thing. Minus on summer birthdays: no cupcakes or snacks to bring in to everyone to school, to celebrate your birthday. I hated missing out on that.

My husband has a mid December birthday. He says it always got jumbled in with Christmas, but his mother tried to separate it so he’d feel special..which I think is super sweet. I wouldn’t wish a December birthday on anyone though.

My next baby will be May or June…I’ve already decided. And if we have a fourth (if I feel like driving my husband crazy) then we’ll leave that up to fate.

Summer birthday parties are easier to plan than winter parties. You can have everyone outside during the summer and you have many more possibilities for activities.

Being in my third trimester during the winter was much easier than being in my third trimester during the summer. I get hot very easily and being huge during the summer was just miserable!

@jonsblond So does this mean the swelling ankles might not be so bad this winter?? I’m looking forward to that now :)

I had one baby in September and one in March. Both were “the best of times and the worst of times” ( with apologies to Dickens) to have a baby. Both Spring and Fall are nice times to take an infant out in. Winters are hard with kids no matter how old they are so that’s always a problem you’re not going to escape – although cocooning with an infant is vastly preferable to being snowbound with a 2 year old!. And with 9 months of pregnancy, chances are you will be pregnant through the summer at one end or the other. I think I felt that being very pregnant through the summer was easier, I took some pregnancy leave before the baby was born and went to the beach, whereas morning sickness in the summer is no fun. In terms of the child, it is easier for a child to start school if he or she is not one of the youngest. So for that reason, having a baby born in the late Winter or early Spring is ideal.

But mainly I think, you can’t really plan it exactly, and like the sex, whatever you get is lovely as long as the baby is healthy. Just don’t have a baby born on Christmas or Halloween. That must suck for them big time!

It’d be pretty bad to have a birthday close to Christmas (“Hey, here’s one gift that can be for your birthday and Christmas!”). I was just about to mention the hockey player thing, but @nikipedia beat me to it.

I wouldn’t want to be hugely pregnant in the summer. All I asked, though is that I wouldn’t have my first trimester in the summer (constant nausea + summer heat = misery), yet here I am, muddling through it. But, I think it would be nice to be able to take the baby out and about in the spring or fall. Ooh, or just in time for the holidays! How sweet would that be?

@casheroo Hopefully it will be easier for you. It was for me. My daughter was born Jan. 19th. I loved all the attention that I received during the holidays. Everyone wanted to help me and I didn’t feel guilty for eating all the goodies! Like you said, you’ll have time to shed the weight before summer comes around.

I always wish my birthday was in the Summer instead of March. I was jealous of the kids who had outdoor parties. As an adult, I still wish I had a Summer birthday.

My daughter was born in July…her mom hated being pregnant in the Summer.

An ‘aunt’ of mine had two childeren.
The first, my ‘niece’ was born on 29th of February.
The second, my ‘nephew’ on the 4th of May (Rememberance-day for WW2-victims).
She wasn’t happy.

My best friends had birthdays on Dec. 27 (also my father’s), 28, 29 and 30. We all hated them.

I did love having spring babies and being able to get outside and walk with them.

June… that way it’s only 6 months to wait until Christmas then after Christmas only 6 months to your birthday :) Happy Days!

I was born in May and my son was born in June. I much preferred to not have to be pregnant during South Carolina’s insufferably hot summers. This was not so much a plan on my part, but just dumb luck! Also, with a baby born in spring or early summer, they are not exposed to cold temperatures so young. By the time it got cold weather here, my son was six months old and seemingly more ‘durable’ than if he had been only a month or three. It also makes sense from a practical standpoint. Who wants to be have a birthday a week before or after Christmas? “Here, Honey, we got this for you for Christmas, but it’s kind of a birthday present, too.” Uh, no!

@gailcalled I would think February 29th would be the worst birthday…

@Vincentt : (Are you’re sure that you’re not secretly a native-born US citizen and living in Manhattan? What is it with you Dutchmen and your command of at least one other language?)

I had never thought of that.

I like being at the end of august because when youre still at school/ college, you can avoid seeing people through the summer, and then noone forces you to celebrate =P
But that’s a v. unsociable and pretty pathetic way of looking at it i guess…. =)

@gailcalled Why Manhattan? And I wouldn’t expect a US citizen to write colour…

@fathippo If you don’t like celebrating you’re doing it wrong =)

@Vincentt i guess i am, but it’s always too loud =P

My birthday is July 9 and I think that is an absolutely ravishing day to be born. However, my mother tells me it was in the nineties the weeks leading up to when I was born, AND I was 3 weeks late. Yow.

But, I get to have summer birthday parties. It doesn’t blizzard on my birthday, ever. I never have to go to school that day.

When it comes to age, I’m older than almost everyone I went to school with, but who cares? I got to stay home with my mother and be a happy child for an extra year.

Also, I share my birthday with OJ Simpson. Woot!

My brother was born on Christmas day. It was snowing and the roads were bad, and it was Christmas, and my mother was in labor…..............hum.

I had an April baby and an August baby. In my experience, being pregnant all summer was horrible. A winter baby is going to start walking the following winter, and you will be housebound – not a happy thought.

May or early june, so you’re not miserable in the heat of the summer.

I am partial to May… as both my son and I have May birthdays :)

@Judi: The year I gave birth we had record-breaking heat waves and hit 90•F in April and May! I was glad to be in the air-conditioned hospital the weekend I delivered! I feel bad for those who have their last trimester in the summer months.

I think Aquarius babies are awesome – I am biased obviously

I’m really glad I asked this question. It’s amazing how many people are voting for the late-spring birthdays! I didn’t expect such consensus. Especially interesting since I hardly know anyone with birthdays then, among my own family and friends (almost all are Aug/Sept or Jan). Nor did I realize how bad late-summer seems to be, in terms of the pregnancy – which exactly is what I had been thinking (for various reasons). All VERY good food for thought!! Of course, not to imply that one can plan entirely.

Out of curiosity, does anyone believe in the Zodiac signs? It’s somewhat a different question, but I’m wondering if anyone would plan (or attempt) to have a baby of one sign or another – or avoid any.

@Zina , I think they’re a crock

I like April or May. Far enough from Christmas, a good way to get summer toys and clothes, weather is usually good, and they still get to have a special day at school.

My daughter is born in late October. It is crazy trying to do her birthday and Halloween so close together. My mom is November and gets eclipsed by Thanksgiving. My dad is on Christmas and my grandfather is the day before Christmas Eve.

I think Zodiac stuff is silly, but I would still try to avoid having a Gemini. I have had too many bad experiences with them to want one as my own child. (No personal offense to anyone. Maybe they don’t get along well with Aries. lol)

@zina My hypothesis on why there are so many Aug/Sept birthdays?
That’s 9 months after winter. I think people screw to keep warm.

If the kid is born 12/31 instead of 1/1 you get to claim the IRS tax deduction for the full year. That’s worth quite a bit of cash – if you are paying taxes.

Personally, having been born in late summer, I will say it’s better to have a birthday during the school year rather than during the summer.

Teachers were fond of handing out homework passes, little tokens of appreciation and generally being more lenient on kid’s birthdays…plus, the class would (generally) sing to the birthday child, and the birthday child would often have a cake party at school.

Being on the outside looking in, I always hated not being one of those kids who had their birthday during the school year….also, having a birthday during the summer means that when you want to have a party, there’s a higher risk of the kids being out of town—that’s what summer’s for, right?

So any time from September to May, avoiding major holidays would be good, I would think. (And I also agree with many of the posters about being pregnant during the summer. That can’t be fun. Unless you have access to a pool. Then it might be okay.)

@evegrimm

Try having a birthday towards the end of August; my birthday has been the first day of school before, the second day of school, the day before school starts, etc. It sucks! Not the time people want to celebrate.

But I like when my birthday is. I like being younger than everyone and still being on the same level as them.

@evegrimm When I was in school, even though my birthday wasn’t during the school year, we still celebrated and got all the same homework passes and treats and erasers or whatever the kids with birthdays during the year had. I didn’t mind.

Not August/September and not December or early January. I agree with @DominicX it sucks to go back to school on your birthday, my sister and I both suffered from this, and early January, my birthday, means a lot of people forget. Not your family, but friends who just went through Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New years, aren’t gonna remember your birthday a few days into January. Unless you are actually born on New Years day, I guess they remember that, but then you have to share your birthday with a holiday.

I assume being pregnant sucks the most in the hot summer, and scary to be stuck in a blizzard not able to get to the hospital depending where you live. So maybe for the mother an early June baby is nice, but then your kid might miss having their birthday during the school year, which also might be good for the mother.

@JLeslie My birthday is Jan. 4th and I hated it as a child. Even now we are always broke that time of year due to Christmas and we never get to go out like I’d like to. I’m lucky if I get to order Chinese takeout for my birthday.

@jonsblond I should have mentioned that part also, people are done spending money on gifts by early January also :). And, even I am done eating out and being with bunches of people, and it’s my birthday. Did you figure out it was me on Augustlans post on fb? Or, was that your spouse? I get you both confused.

@JLeslie That must have been my husband. I go by my first name on fb. :)

My birthday is in November, and I happen to have lots of family and friends who were born between November and January. This whole period is a terrible time to have a birthday. People are so busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, that it’s hard to really celebrate. I favor spring and early fall. I’ve always wanted to move my birthday up a month or so to October. It’s a pretty time of year, and you’re in the middle of the World Series.

@tabbycat You just reminded me of something that I do enjoy about my birthday being a week after Christmas… football playoffs. I’ve had several birthdays when I was able to support my team and enjoy a great game. Good times, except for one playoff game. The Broncos played Jacksonville on my birthday and lost terribly. I left the sports bar with tears. I really like my team.

Many of the children adopted from Korea and some other countries are given Christmas day as their birthday if it is unknown, or at least back in the day they did it. I wouldn’t want my birthday on a holiday, I want my own day.

I’m late to this thread, but Malcolm Gladwell is full of it. It may be true of Hockey players, I don’t know, but among the general public there are numerous studies that show that babies born in winter are generally less well off financially and less well educated as adults. Lots of reasons have been suggested for this, and recent research suggests that at least some of it is because babies born in winter are more likely to have unwed teenage mothers (there are lots of theories about that too, my favorite being the “after prom effect”). But statistically speaking, it is better not to be born in winter. I think it probably doesn’t matter, but pregnancy is apparently very uncomfortable in hot weather from what I’ve heard, so take it for what it’s worth.

The very BEST time is nine months after you’ve conceived. Ahem!

@gussnarp Gladwell backs his book with sources – it is all based on research, not his mind you, but research from reputable institutions and from different countries. So can I have your sources for saying his are bull so I can read them both?! Thanks!

@zina Zodiacs are bullshit – it is based on hocus pocus and no science what so ever. i am simply amazed anyone buys into it.

Born? Maybe the spring, or fall. Give birth? I’d think most women wouldn’t want to aim for the hottest months of July and August.

@NewZen Actually, I think women don’t want to be pregnant in the record heat first trimester or last trimester. You are likely to have morning sickness in one, and be hot and uncomfortable in the other. So for the mommy to be I would say more like September October births suck, because you will have gone through Jun, July, August huge. Or, If you get pregnant in May/June then you are going through the hot months nauseaus (which is a Feb/March birth I think if my counting is correct. So the best time for mommy in my opinion is become preggers October/November and deliver June/July. But then the baby is born when school is out, which many people mentioned the child gets jipped on school parties.

@JLeslie: Which brings us back to May! LOL! I got prgnant in August, but didn’t have signs or symptoms until September. And as I noted above, I did have to deal with a few weeks of uncharacteristically hot weather… but in subsequent years, May was a great month for my son’s birthday party. The only issue was that it usually falls near Mothers Day so I had to plan around that.

@JLeslie Yes. I really think my July baby was easier weather wise—- but this baby (due in february.) ugh, being pregnant throughout the first trimester during the summer was awful (got pregnant in May) And you’re in that in between chubby or pregnant phase, so you are uncomfortable with your body in general.
July birth was okay with me, I got to sit in the a/c a lot and was big and pregnant and got to show off my belly with tight tank tops lol

@hearkat I’m thinking of having a May birthday for the next baby, of course if my body cooperates….but that’ll be years down the road!

@hearkat One month here and there depends on what part of the country you are in of course and how soon you might be morning sick, but I am willing to include May as a good month. :). August and September in South Florida are the hottest most humid months, 95 during the day and 80 at night. No break from the heat really. The rest of the country is cooling off in September.

I hear being majorly preggers through the hot summer months is a drag. Looks best to have the baby in March.