Life

October baby facts prove that this is a magical month.
Shutterstock
7 Fascinating Facts About October Babies

It really is the best time of year.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was elated to find out that my due date fell smack dab in the middle of October. The air would be crisp but not too cool, we could go for long walks admiring the fall colors, and I'd get to dress her up in an adorable newborn Halloween costume. She arrived right on her due date, and my October maternity leave was just as good as I had imagined. Trust me, if you're expecting an October baby, break out in a happy dance. Here are seven fascinating facts about October babies that will make you even more excited to have a fall baby headed your way.

My little October nugget is now almost 4 and in preschool (queue the 'Where does the time go?' head shake!). Yet, even though she's older now, my affinity for her fall birthday hasn't changed — in fact, it's grown.

Because of where her birthday falls on the school calendar, she just missed the cut-off for 4K. That means that she'll almost always be one of the oldest in the class, and research has shown that there are academic advantages to being older in school.

According to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, children who are comparatively older in their grade perform better in school and are more likely to go to college. So fellow October parents, maybe we shouldn't be stocking up on Yale or Harvard sweatshirts just yet, but the odds are in our favor that our brilliant October babies could be headed there someday.

In addition to academic prowess, there are so many more interesting things about October babies to celebrate — and not just because they’re likely to be a chill Libra baby. Here are just a few impressive facts.

1

They're Stronger

AleksandarGeorgiev/E+/Getty Images

If you're hoping to add another athlete to the family, you're in luck. Those born in the autumn have a clear physical advantage, according to a 2014 study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. And for babies born specifically in the month of October, their strength is, well, strength. The study found that October-born children, along with their September- and November-born counterparts, are often the strongest children among their peers. This advantage was noted in a school sports setting, where the age cut-off for certain grades lands in fall, meaning October babies are some of the oldest, and likely more physically developed, in their grade.

2

They're More Confident Academically

Being one of the older kids in the classroom (which October babies usually are) is not only a leg up in sports, but it’s also good for their self-esteem, particularly in the school environment. "We find that children who are older than their peers — and are thus more mature — have a significant self-concept advantage,” wrote the authors of a 2019 article in the Journal of Educational Psychology. “Furthermore, we find that this self-concept advantage contributes to university entry.” All around, when it comes to school, being one of the older kids has multiple advantages all stemming from further physical and mental development. You go, October babies.

3

They're More Likely To Be President

Your October baby might be a natural-born leader. Apparently, there’s something about having a fall or winter birth month that bestows a flare for the presidential on its babies. If we ranked the months by how many presidents were born in each, the top three are October, November, and August. October is tied with November at six presidents each, but it was ranked number one up until 2021 with the inauguration of November-born President Joe Biden.

What's more, these October-born Presidents are some of the most influential Presidents in our nation's history. John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Jimmy Carter all had October birthdays.

4

They May Be Happier

One of the happiest October baby facts? They might be, well, happier. When it comes to predicting your baby's future mental health, there's a lot to factor into the equation. However, if you're looking for encouraging stats, people born in the fall and winter are associated with a lower frequency of recurrent depressive disorders, according to a 2018 study in Medical Science Monitor. And further, a 2014 study on birth seasons and bipolar disorder by Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry found the smallest percentage of test subjects to be fall-born.

5

They Might Be Taller And Have Bigger Bones

kali9/E+/Getty Images

When you found out your October due date, you probably didn't celebrate the fact that you'd be getting maximum Vitamin D exposure during your pregnancy — but that is actually something to rejoice over! Some research suggests a potential link between vitamin D exposure during pregnancy and the skeletal development of the child. According to a 2009 study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, higher UVB levels during the third trimester are positively related to increased bone mineral density and bone size. Since then, further research has expanded on the importance of vitamin D exposure during pregnancy, and though this correlation has yet to be definitively proven, it’s certainly not a bad thing that you were pregnant during the summer months.

6

They Could Be More Likely To Live To Be 100

No matter when your baby is born, you want them to live a long and healthy life. But research has shown that October babies might have a leg up in the longevity department. One study that looked at the effects of a person's birth month on the chances of survival to age 100 found that those born between September and November had higher odds of becoming centenarians compared to their sibling cohorts born in March, according to the Journal of Aging Research. The research suggests that temperature and sun exposure during pregnancy and early infancy could be related to these findings.

7

The May Be Less Likely To Get Heart Disease

It's probably clear by now that October babies have a lot going for them (woot, woot!) but there's one more thing you can add to the list — October babies often have strong hearts. A 2015 Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association study found that, your birth month has an impact on your lifetime disease risk. The study found fall babies to be the least likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. A strong and healthy heart could also be a contributing factor to your October baby’s odds at making it to 100 years old and their impressive sports skills.

While these metrics are by no means a guarantee of your child’s future — some things are truly unknown — they provide further evidence that October is a very lucky month to be born. So go on and enjoy those fall birthday celebrations with pride!

Studies referenced:

Dhuey, E., Figlio, D., Karbownik, K., & Roth, J. (2017). School starting age and cognitive development. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w23660

Talarowska, M., Bliźniewska, K., Wargacka, K., & Gałecki, P. (2018). Birth Month and Course of Recurrent Depressive Disorders in a Polish Population. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 24, 4169–4174. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.907823

Sayers A, Tobias JH. Estimated maternal ultraviolet B exposure levels in pregnancy influence skeletal development of the child. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar;94(3):765-71. doi: 10.1210/jc.2008-2146. Epub 2008 Dec 30. PMID: 19116232; PMCID: PMC2742727.

Khoramroudi, R., & Botyar, M. (2018). Ultraviolet radiation and its effects on pregnancy: A Review study. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 7(3), 511. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_311_17

Mary Regina Boland, Zachary Shahn, David Madigan, George Hripcsak, Nicholas P Tatonetti, Birth month affects lifetime disease risk: a phenome-wide method, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Volume 22, Issue 5, September 2015, Pages 1042–1053, https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocv046

Corekcioglu, S., Oztav, T., Altinbas, K., Yavuz, K., Lordoglu, D., & Kurt, E. (2014). Is season of birth a risk factor in bipolar disorder? Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry, 15(4), 313. https://doi.org/10.5455/apd.151209

This article was originally published on