Gender Reveal Party Ideas

One of the most exciting parts of being pregnant is finding out whether you're expecting a little boy or girl, and a gender reveal party is a cool way to get friends and family involved. If you're planning to find out and share the gender of your baby before he or she is born, here's how to plan a gender reveal party, as well as some creative party ideas to make your reveal even more memorable and fun. And, once the cat's out of the bag, you can have some fun deciding on a name for your little one. Try our Baby Name Generator for inspiration.

Decide On a Gender Reveal Party Theme

Get creative and choose a unique party theme for your reveal.  Here are some ideas to inspire you:

• Bows or bowties

• Pirates or mermaids

• Touchdowns or tutus

• Quarterback or cheerleader

• Mustaches or lipsticks

• Señor or señorita

• “What will it bee?”

The best idea is one that suits your and your partner's personality, and which you can easily tie in with the invitations, food, and decorations.

Set the Date

Choose a venue, and pick a date. The date will have to be sometime after the mid-pregnancy ultrasound (which usually occurs around week 20), when the ultrasound technician will be able to see whether you're expecting a boy or girl.

Send Your Gender Reveal Invitations

Send your gender reveal party invitations about a month or two in advance. You can find printable invitations online, and some are even free. Many paper shops also stock invites, or you could design your own invitations to perfectly match your theme. You can also save time by sending an email, message, or simply creating an event on social media instead.

Besides the essentials like date, time, location, and RSVP details, specify if you'd like guests to wear an outfit to match your theme or to bring a plate of food to share.

Ideas for Gender Reveal Party Decorations

The most obvious option is having lots of blue and pink decorations. You can buy gender reveal party supplies and make food to match with the help of blue and pink food dye. For unique gender reveal party decorations, here are some ideas:

• No matter what theme you choose, you can hang a banner over the front door asking the question that's on everyone's mind: “He or she? Come in to see!” or simply, “Boy or girl?”

• One of your decorations could double as a game. For example, if your theme is señor or señorita, use a gender reveal piñata as a centerpiece.

• For the “What will it bee?” theme, you can provide little honeybee-themed sweets made from icing or cupcakes for your dessert table, or try using strips of black and yellow crepe paper as a decorative tablecloth.

• For the mustaches or lipsticks theme, place bowls of fake mustaches and bright pink lipstick on a table so that your guests can pop one on and be part of the decorations, too. This also works well for the bows or bowties theme.

Gender Reveal Game Ideas

You might be wondering what to do at a gender reveal party… play games, of course! In between catching up with your guests, one or two games will keep the party on track and on theme. Try one of these:

• Guessing game. Allow your guests to have a quick peek at your ultrasound image, and then ask them to guess the gender. Give a prize to all those who guessed right.

• Match the theme. Ask your guests to come dressed according to your party's theme, and give a prize to the best-dressed guest.

• Time capsule. Once the gender is revealed, ask your guests to write down their hopes, predictions, and advice for your baby, and then seal the notes in a box. This box makes a great gift for your child at his or her 16th You could also record the messages on camera to play back for your child in the future.

• Old wives' tales. You can find lots of old wives' tales online that claim to predict your baby's gender. (For example, if your partner is gaining weight, it's a girl; if he's maintaining his weight, it's a boy.) See what the old wives' tales predict for you, and then have a laugh as the real gender is revealed at the end.

• “Blue or pink, what do you think?” or “Wear your guess!” Before the party, ask guests to dress in blue or pink to match their guess. Then, once the gender is revealed, give a prize to those who guessed right.

The Gender Reveal Moment

Soon enough, the time will come to reveal the gender of your baby. Here are some ideas for creative gender reveals:

• Balloon pop gender reveal. Fill an opaque black balloon with pink or blue confetti; then when you pop the balloon, the flying confetti will reveal all.

• Balloon box. Pack a handful of blue or pink helium balloons in a giant box. Then, as you open the lid, the balloons will float out to reveal your baby's gender.

• Gender reveal piñata. Buy or make a piñata that's filled with blue or pink ribbons and glitter, and have your guests take turns trying to break it.

• Pass the package. Wrap a blue or pink baby outfit in layers and layers of gift wrap. Ask a helper to play music as guests pass the gift, stopping the music every so often. When the music stops, the person holding the package can unwrap one layer. Eventually the gender reveal surprise will be unwrapped.

• Gender reveal cake. What is a gender reveal party without cake, right? Delight your party guests by baking (or buying) a cake that has pink or blue filling. When you cut a slice of the cake, your guests will finally find out the gender. Another option is to bake cupcakes that will reveal the gender with the first bite.

You'll need to decide whether you want to find out your baby's gender alongside your guests. If yes, ask the sonographer to write down "boy" or "girl" on a piece of paper instead of announcing the gender during the ultrasound, and ask someone else to organize the gender reveal moment.

Finishing Touches

A nice final touch is to give guests a gender reveal party favor as they leave. This could include a bag of home-made cookies with blue or pink frosting, a bag of sugar-coated popcorn with a note saying “ready to pop,” a blue or pink candle, or a personalized mug decorated with “it's a girl/boy.” There are no hard and fast rules on gender reveal party etiquette, but it's a thoughtful gesture to send a thank you note to each guest within a few days.

Gender reveal parties are a lot of fun, and you can make yours as relaxed or as elaborate as you'd like. Enjoy this happy day with your family and friends.