Are you looking for a fun way to reveal what the sex of your baby is? A few years ago people would simply cut into a cake to reveal a pink or blue filling, but people now are having whole gender reveal parties with plenty of fun decorations, snacks, and games. The increase in the popularity of these parties might have something to do with the hard economy, which gives people reason to look for new ways to celebrate, but in most cases people seem to be picking up the idea from others in their social media circles. If you are thinking about throwing your own gender reveal party, here are a few things that are popular for the occasion.
Gender Reveal Party Ideas
1. Send Invitations
Some like to send invitations six weeks ahead like you would for other parties, but others like to wait until they have had their ultrasound done. If you want to get the results first, then send your invitations two weeks in advance. You can print cute invitations at home from websites;you can also send out electronic invites if you are on a budget. Make sure your invitation includes a description of the event for people who have never been to this kind of party before.
2. Decide on a Party Theme
A lot of parents are adding a fun theme to baby showers and reveal parties. Upcoming holidays can be a great tie-in to the gender reveal theme, such as decorating pumpkins for a reveal party around Halloween or decorating with pink and blue shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day.
3. Let Everyone Take a Guess
Gender reveal pins can be a great way to go about casting a vote for the gender. Have guests note their choice on a chalkboard and then grab a pink or blue pin to wear throughout the party. You can also provide other accessories like leis, necklaces, or a temporary tattoo. Each will be in pink or blue.
4. Order Gender-Reveal Cakes
Many parents use dessert to reveal the sex of their child, such as cupcakes or a cake. To do this, tell your bakery to produce a cake that’s blue or pink on the inside depending on the results of your ultrasound, but keep the outside of the cake neutral. If you are having a multiple birth, you can order a sheet cake that is half and half and that you can cut open to reveal the sex of each child. You can also stuff cupcakes with colored filling to reveal the gender to each guest.
5. Make the Reveal with a Secret Box
If you don’t want to use dessert to reveal the sex of your child, then you can ask someone you trust to hide pink or blue clothes and balloons in a box. At the party, open this box in front of everyone and let the helium balloons float out to reveal the gender. Older siblings can help open the box so that they feel included in the festivities.
6. Use Gender Reveal Push Pops
Prepare gender reveal confetti push pops. Pass out the push pops and have your guests release them when you are ready to make the big reveal. The color of the confetti inside will let guests know which gender the baby is going to be.
7. Hold a Lottery
As your guests arrive, have them fill out a sheet of paper revealing their guess as to whether you’re having a girl or a boy with their name and then place it in a jar. When you make the big reveal, select a name out of the correct jar and offer the winner a prize like a scented soap or candle. You can also have a raffle to give away prizes to your guests at random.
You can also use scratch tickets to reveal the gender of the baby. Create tickets and have one lucky guest be the one to reveal whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
8. Debunk Old Wives’ Tales
Old wives’ tales that claim they can reveal the sex of a baby can be a great activity at a gender reveal party. Count headaches, make notes of strange cravings, or find a few other superstitions from your culture and try them out at your party. Then, when you make the big reveal during your party, you can make comments about which of the superstitions “works.”
9. Make a Documentary
Keep your camera nearby and ask a close friend or professional photographer to document the day. You are not going to have time to photograph the event or take videos because you will be mingling with guests. Later you can use these shots to put together a video or scrapbook that you can share with your new baby. Get your guests involved in the project by asking them to leave a message for the new baby.
Watch the video below to learn about a mom’s gender reveal party: