To improve the odds of having a girl in The Sims 3, have the pregnant Sim eat raw watermelon several times early in the pregnancy and avoid apples, which push the other way. The watermelon effect is a genuine base-game mechanic, not a fan myth, but it tilts the odds rather than guaranteeing a daughter. This guide covers the evidence behind it, how to get watermelons in time, which popular tips do nothing in The Sims 3, and how to set the gender outright.
Whether the Watermelon Method Is Real
It is. EA never documented it in any official help article we could find, but the game’s own code is the giveaway:
- NRaas MasterController, a long-running script mod, documents a pregnancy setting called the Gender Offset, which it describes as the value “normally specified by eating Watermelons or Apples.”
- A Mod The Sims download exists solely to remove the fruit effect. Its description explains that after an early patch, only raw watermelons and apples still count.
That puts watermelons for girls, and apples for boys, among the few Sims baby-gender tips that are real. What no official source gives is the exact strength of the effect.
Getting Watermelons in Time
Watermelon is harder to come by than apples, so plan ahead:
- Buy them. Check the supermarket’s produce first. Player guides list watermelon among store-bought ingredients, and buying ahead means the Sim’s inventory is stocked before trying for a baby.
- Grow them. Watermelon is an uncommon plant, so the gardener needs Gardening level 5 to plant it, per the community wiki. A Sim who already gardens can keep a steady supply. See our gardening guide for the skill route.
- Keep them raw. Sell or cook other produce, but hold the watermelons back for eating whole.
How to Do It
- Start the pregnancy with Try for Baby; our WooHoo guide covers the romance side.
- Eat raw watermelon from the inventory. Click it and choose Eat. Recipes do not count: the community wiki dates the change to patch 1.3, after which dishes such as watermelon pancakes stopped affecting gender.
- Eat several servings early. The community wiki says 3 or more watermelons per trimester greatly raises the odds of a girl. A long-time moderator on the NRaas forums adds that only up to five servings count, and only during roughly the first half of the pregnancy.
- Keep apples out of the diet. The same forum explanation says that eating both fruits cancels them out.
Myths That Do Not Work in The Sims 3
- Pop music on the radio. Playing pop for a girl is a Sims 4 mechanic that arrived with its Patch 17, per the community wiki. We found no evidence that radio stations influence gender in The Sims 3. The children’s station and kids’ TV are tied to the chance of multiples instead; our twins guide covers that.
- The mother starting Try for Baby. The community wiki lists the idea that a mother initiating gives a girl as a disproven Sims 2 rumor.
- Watermelon dishes. Only raw fruit has counted since patch 1.3.
- The Medical career check locking the result. A Sim in the Medical career can use Determine Gender of Baby on a pregnant Sim. The community wiki places it at career level 5, while a player guide says a higher rank is needed. Some guides claim the check fixes the gender; we could not confirm that.
Twins, Triplets and Guarantees
Fruit only shifts the odds, and with multiple babies, the community wiki notes the siblings can still come out mixed. NRaas’s documentation also treats the second and third babies separately from the first.
For a guaranteed girl, install NRaas MasterController with its Cheats module (setup is in our mod install guide). Click the pregnant Sim, choose NRaas, Master Controller, Basic, Baby, then Baby Gender. Per NRaas’s documentation, that sets the gender of the pregnancy’s first-born. If you also run NRaas StoryProgression, its Newborn Gender setting must be on Random for fruit to do anything, according to a moderator on NRaas’s forums.
Without mods, adoption is the only sure route. The adoption service lets you choose the gender directly; see our adoption guide. For a son instead, our guide to having a boy covers the apple side.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much watermelon should a pregnant Sim eat for a girl? The community wiki suggests 3 or more per trimester. Forum guidance from NRaas says only five servings count and only early on, so eat them soon after the pregnancy starts.
Does the radio affect baby gender in The Sims 3? We found no evidence it does. The radio method is from The Sims 4; see our Sims 4 baby girl guide.
Why did my Sim still have a boy? Fruit raises the odds but never guarantees the result, and eating any apples works against it.
Can I grow watermelons without skill? No. Watermelon is uncommon and needs Gardening level 5 to plant, per the community wiki. Buying it is the quicker option.
Is there a cheat code for a girl? Not in the base game. The only control comes from MasterController’s Baby Gender option. More family guides are on the Sims hub.