Gender reveal parties are a popular trend among pregnant couples, and for good reason: they’re a fun and lighthearted way to get everyone together before the baby’s arrival! Before the big announcement, friends and family of the expectant parents can vote on whether they think the baby is a girl or a boy. The gender is typically revealed through a pink or blue surprise during the party.
If you and your partner already know the baby’s sex, you can use these ideas to surprise your family and friends. You can also designate a “keeper of the gender” to plan this part of the reveal, so guests can enjoy your surprised reactions.
Ready to reveal? Here are some inexpensive, exciting ideas for your gender reveal that are simple to pull off.
Say it with Sweets
Here’s a tasty way to reveal the baby’s gender. Bake or order a cake with pink or blue layers (ombre, anyone?), then cover in white icing. Get a video rolling when you cut the cake to reveal a pink or blue secret! This trick also works well with icing-filled donuts or cupcakes — just make sure none of your guests sneak a bite prematurely.
If you prefer store-bought sweets, open up a few Oreo cookies to reveal the icing layer, then roll it in sprinkles in the color of your choice. Close the cookies back up, then dip in melted white or dark chocolate. You can also color the word “he” in blue or “she” in pink on the wrapper of a Hershey’s candy bar. Add an outer wrapper of pretty paper to conceal the baby’s gender inside.
Balloon Bonanza
There are many fun takes on a gender reveal balloon. Hide pink or blue helium balloons in a giant cardboard box. Wrap the box in fun wrapping paper, and then surprise your party-goers with a colorful balloon sendoff!
You can also fill an extra-large black balloon with pink or blue confetti and helium. Tie the balloon’s string onto the back of a chair, then have the parents-to-be pop the balloon with a pin.
If you want to include children in the gender reveal, another cute idea is to have them sneak up behind you with a bundle of helium balloons in pink or blue. This is a great way to get less-enthusiastic older siblings a chance to be part of the excitement!
Powder Perfect
The powder cannon is a fairly recent trend in gender reveal parties, with inexpensive options available from big box stores. This reveal is fun to video tape if you want to include out of town guests via social streaming sites. Car enthusiasts might prefer to pack pink or blue powder in the exhaust pipe with a funnel or syringe. When driving away, an impressive cloud of colored smoke will appear.
You can buy colored powder for the reveal or make your own with cornstarch, water and gel food coloring. This powder is also fun to put inside balloons or condiment bottles for shooting in the air.
Messy Moments
The kids will love this one! Buy silly string in pink or blue and wrap the cans with paper and tape until the big reveal. Adventurous parents may like to stage a squeeze-bottle paint fight while wearing white t-shirts or painting on a blank canvas. The shirts or artwork can become a fun memento of the party.
Ready for a mess that’s actually fun to clean up? Fill a pinata with candy and confetti in your chosen color and let the kids go wild! You can make your own “pinata” with a cardboard box turned upside down. Fill it with balloons and toys, then attach a string to open it.
Sporty Surprise
Got an athlete in the family? You can buy a soccer ball, baseball, basketball, golf ball, hockey puck, or football that is designed to erupt colored powder on impact. Guests can cast their vote by writing their name in pink or blue on a “scoreboard” before the big reveal!
Easy to Clean
Looking to avoid a messy reveal? Try a gender reveal candle, which gently burns away a top layer to reveal the pink or blue wax inside. Color-changing straws give party guests a chance to get in on the fun right before their eyes as the ice water makes their drinking straw pink or blue. Let your friends light up gender reveal sparklers at the same time to start some colorful fireworks! Or see who is feeling lucky with a scratch-off card that reveals a boy or girl.
