Written by Aishah Eljirby and Stephanie Greenwald
We have rounded up 25 ways to announce the gender of a new baby. From balloons and desserts, to confetti and sports; the only “explosion” will be a burst of love.
Colored Cake or Cake Pops
If the parents-to-be want in on the surprise, this is a surefire way to have your cake and eat it too. Most bakers can custom color the cake hidden under sweet frosting. Obtain the Ultrasound results and hand them over (don’t peek). Cake pops are a fun way to get everyone in on the announcement and offer guests individually wrapped confectionery treats. 1-2-3 bite that cake pop!
Gender Reveal Balloon Box
Probably the most well known way to announce your baby’s gender is decorating a large box and having pink or blue balloons float up to reveal boy or girl to friends and family. Weight the balloons down so they float out of the box but not up into the sky; Mother Nature will appreciate it.
Baseball or Golf, Anyone?
Gather outside and take your best shot. Specially made baseballs and golf balls burst with pink or blue powder once struck. Hopefully the striker doesn’t miss or your baseball will explode in the grass. These are especially fun ways to announce for golfers and sports fans.
Gender Reveal Piñata
Who wouldn’t love acting like a kid again taking turns taking a whack at a candy filled Piñata. Prefilled with pink or blue treats and trinkets let your guests take out their frustrations and then enjoy the treats.
Confetti Balloon Pop
This gender reveal is a favorite among many new parents, select a black or dark colored balloon at the party store, give the ultrasound picture to the associate who will then fill the balloon with confetti. Once at the party, parents will pop the balloon to reveal the gender of the baby. Have your camera ready to capture the pop and the future parents’ facial expressions.
Colored Silly String
Have the parents-to-be stand in the middle of a circle with family and friends surrounding them armed with silly strings for the gender reveal. Let the countdown begin 3..2..1..and spray the new parents for their little one’s gender reveal. This one is best left to party planner so the color on the cans can be covered prior to the party.
Say it with Confetti
This reveal can be done in numerous ways. Give every guest–and the new parents–a concealed bag of confetti, or purchase mini custom confetti poppers from Etsy. Another great idea that has made its way to lots of parties is the large confetti poppers, where one good tug and the colored confetti will blast up for everyone to see! It’s festive, but uses compressed air so there’s no fire risk.
Holi Powder
Have you ever been or seen a 5K color run? During this run, participants wear all white and at each mark are doused with colorful Holi powder. A great way to host a Holi powder gender reveal is to have the guests and the new parents wear all white. During the festivities everyone gets equipped with a tiny black bag full of the gender specific powder. After the countdown everyone throws the powder in the air and at one another making an unforgettable gender reveal full of bright pink or blue colors.
Ribbon around the belly
This is an easy and inexpensive gender reveal idea. Momma-to-be wears large pink and blue ribbon tied around her belly. When ready to make the announcement cut the ribbon of whichever is not the gender so the correct stays on mommas belly.
Baby’s Ultrasound Picture
If you are a tech savvy person or love editing photos, why not upload the baby’s ultrasound picture and change the color to either a blue or pink hue. Or, add a pink bow for a girl and a blue bowtie for a boy. The picture can be printed and framed for the gender reveal or it can be printed on a large canvas that can be used in the nursery after the party. This party may also be done virtually by emailing all family and friends the surprise gender and having everyone open it through a zoom call.
Scratch-Off Cards
One of the cutest and simplest ways to a gender reveal is through a scratch off card. Everyone wins with this game and makes for a great keepsake in a baby book. They can be customized through Etsy shops or can be purchased at party stores.
Paint Squirt Gun
Equip guests with water guns full of either pink or blue paint. Have guests wear all white and either everyone can stand in a circle or have the parents in the center of the circle. After the countdown, everyone can squirt the water guns for a fun and unique gender reveal. For a fun twist, use various shades of pink or blue and paint a canvas for a keepsake.
Gender Reveal Mystery Play Dough
Playdough and slime are the hype these days amongst adults and kids. Mystery gender reveal dough is a great way to reveal with kids to make them feel part of the excitement. The dough will initially be white, but as little hands start to play with the dough, it turns blue or pink to reveal the baby’s sex.
Airplane Flight Gender Reveal
Aviation enthusiasts will absolutely love this exciting and adventurous gender reveal. Hiring a pilot to fly a small aircraft is easier than ever. The pilot can either attach a pink or blue banner on the aircraft. Another great idea is to have the co-pilot throw pink or blue balloons out the small window airplane or have the pilot expel colored smoke that matches the gender of the baby.
Fortune Cookie
Looking for something unique and different? How about a custom gender reveal fortune cookie. The party can be set with Chinese takeout, a Chinese calendar to read all about the baby’s due date, and even hand made Chinese lanterns to celebrate the occasion.
Pop the Belly Dart Board
Set up a large board and attach black balloons to it. Put pink or blue confetti inside one balloon and hand over the darts. Guests can each take a shot. Winner pops the Confetti filled balloon to reveal the gender!
Balloon and Confetti Drop
This gender reveal is fun and it can be done outdoors or indoors. Similar to the Balloon box, but inverted. The idea is to have the box filled with small balloons, confetti, glitter, and streamers. Attach a large thick rope or string to the box and hang it from a tree, pergola, or a ceiling. Then have a small string attached to the bottom of the box where it can be pulled, revealing all the fun things inside and the gender. This makes for a great Insta-worthy picture.
Mystery Bath Bomb
Bath bombs have been popular in recent years; many bombs today have cute little toys revealed or have a fun color change to them. Another fun way to find out the gender of a new baby is by a surprise bath bomb. Place a white bath bomb in a large pool, a clear tub or even a large flower vase to reveal the surprise color. Or it can be an intimate spa night with your spouse and be revealed for just the both of you.
Science Experiment
Whether you’re a science lover or have kids who love making experiments, then this different and unique gender reveal is for you! Invite family and friends to make a “hypothesis” on whether the baby is a boy or girl. The laboratory experiment can be a fun colored volcano. Or consider a drawing of the baby’s gender chromosomes on a large canvas for a reveal and a keepsake.
Scavenger Hunt
Have a little fun with your family and friends by having a gender reveal scavenger hunt. Come up with baby riddles and giggles that lead to a surprise baby gender. This would be a fun way to announce to the grandparents-to-be… hide clue cards around their house and have the final clue lead them to the reveal. The final clue is something so sweet, open the door where you get something to eat.
Intimate New Parent’s Dinner
At your ultrasound appointment have the tech seal the gender results in an envelope. Go out for an intimate dinner, parents only. Hand the envelope to your waiter. How about a blueberry cheesecake for a boy and the raspberry option for a girl. Then the waiter brings out the most delicious dessert ever! This is an intimate option but don’t be surprised if fellow dinners and staff share in your joy with applause and well-wishes.
Baby Outfit Gender reveal
A great way to spread the word on social media is staging a set up with an “it’s a boy/girl” onesie, accessories, and ultrasound picture and snapping some Instagram worthy shots to share.
Lights Up
Lights bring on such a joyous time during the holidays. It’s a fun gender reveal that can be done at any time of the year. Much like outdoor Christmas decorations, the outside of your house can be decorated in lights and then with everyone standing outside reveal the lights with synchronized music.
Holiday-Themed Gender Reveals
Easter
Host an Easter egg hunt with an extra treat inside one special egg. Whoever finds the egg makes the announcement! Another fun and messy option is hard boil 11 eggs and leave one raw. Color half pink and half blue, but make sure the raw one is the announcement. Then have the parents (or guests), break eggs until they find the raw one.
Christmas
Hang a new pink or blue stocking up and see if anyone notices. Wrap a gift for the grandparents with a non-gender neutral present. Maybe hair bows for a girl or suspenders for a boy.
Thanksgiving
A take on the cake pop reveal but more Thanksgiving appropriate; set a pie on top of a pink or blue announcement. After a piece is removed the color is revealed. You could also make a blueberry or strawberry pie to enjoy after dinner and see if anyone picks up on the pie colors.
Halloween
If you are lucky enough to be pregnant over this holiday you can get shirts with skeletons on the front. Momma’s shirt will have a pink hair bow or blue bow tie wearing baby sized skeleton to make your announcement without saying a word.
Seasonal Photo Announcements
These are great if you only want a quick social media post and don’t want any in-person interaction or party. Or, maybe you’ve already announced to your closest friends and family and want to share with all your followers too. Stage a photo-op and post away
Fall
Paint or carve your announcement on a pumpkin and display among fallen leaves.
Winter
Build a snowman and decorate with pink or blue accessories. For some added flair, use food coloring on the snow.
Spring
Use fresh flowers to spell out “boy” or “girl” or make a fresh floral arrangement to encircle the ultrasound results.
Summer
Lay out bathing suit trunks or a girly suit with pink or blue sunglasses and a pool float. Write “BOY” or “GIRL” in the sand or announce to the neighborhood with a huge sidewalk chalk drawing.
Almost all of these ideas can be revealed live or via Zoom. They can be as lavish or simple as the parents-to-be want. These ideas can be enjoyed by everyone in your circle or intimately just between the two parents. If the new parents don’t want in on the surprise, find a trusted friend to help set up the party and prep the reveal.
Remember to stay socially distant, use precautions to prevent the spread of viruses and encourage safe practices with your guests. And like everything else that has happened the past six months; be prepared for unexpected surprises. Most importantly, celebrate the parents-to-be and their new baby!
