A gender reveal is an opportunity to share the news of whether you are having a boy or girl. Some people choose to do this with close family, some make cute photo announcements to put on social media, and others throw a whole gender reveal party. Another popular option is to include the gender reveal as part of your baby shower.  

Should I combine a gender reveal and a baby shower?

There are positive and negative sides to incorporating your gender reveal into your baby shower rather than throwing a separate gender reveal party. Some of the most important things to keep in mind when you make your choice are:

Pros:

• Since you’re already gathering people together to celebrate, it can be easier to do the gender reveal at your baby shower than to plan a whole other event. Not everyone feels like party planning while they’re growing a baby!
• If you have people travelling for your baby shower or coming into town soon before the baby is due, it might be preferable to incorporate the reveal into that event so everyone can attend. 
• One event will always be cheaper than two, so for people on a budget it can be best to incorporate the gender reveal into the baby shower.

Cons:

• Baby shower invitations are often only extended to women, so if you’re planning a traditional baby shower you might want a separate mixed-company event for announcing the gender. 
• Baby showers are usually held later in the pregnancy, but parents usually find out the gender of their baby at the ~20 week scan. The sex can be determined even earlier with DNA testing. This can create a bit of a wait between finding out the sex and sharing the news.
• If the sex of the baby isn’t public knowledge until the baby shower, people will need to buy gender neutral gifts. If you’re hoping for some cute little dresses and headbands, you might want people to know ahead of time. 

A lot of it boils down to whether you want to have one party or two, and whether you even want to announce the gender of the baby in such a public way. You might prefer to let people know individually or pop an announcement online. Others choose to host an intimate family dinner where they announce the news, and keep the big party for the shower. It’s completely up to you. 

Will I know the sex before the gender reveal?

Another important consideration is whether you will know the gender before the reveal. Are you surprising family and friends with the news, or do you want the surprise as well? Either is fine, but you need to think about it before you go for your ultrasound. If you don’t want to know, ask the technician to write down the gender on a piece of paper and pop it in an envelope. You can give that to a close friend and ask them to plan the reveal part of the shower, or you can give it to any professionals who will be helping (e.g. give the envelope to the baker and ask them to put pink or blue frosting in the centre of the cake depending on what is written in the envelope). 

Ideas for the reveal:

When it comes time for the big reveal, how should you actually tell people? It’s trendy to find creative, fun ways to let everyone know. Some of the most popular ideas include:

• Cake – have a cake (or cupcakes, cake pops etc) filled with icing or candy of a certain colour, or have the batter dyed. When you cut it open (or everyone takes a bite), pink or blue will be revealed. 
• Balloons in a box – get a cardboard box filled with helium balloons that are either pink or blue. When you open the lid of the box, coloured balloons will fly out.
• Smoke or powder – businesses have sprung up online offering gender reveal smoke canisters or balls filled with coloured powder. Simply set the canister off or break open the ball (often people hit it with a baseball bat!) and smoke or powder will fly everywhere. 
• Paint – pick a shade of blue and a shade of pink for your nursery and have the paint technician fill a pot with the corresponding shade for what is written in the envelope. During the party, open the tin. Alternatively, some people like have a friend fill water guns with paint of the right colour. At the party, have the couple wear white and then blindfold them. Have them spray one another with paint, blindfolded, and then let them take their blindfolds off and see what they’re having.
• Confetti in a party popper – you can buy party poppers online that are filled with either pink or blue streamers, confetti or glitter. Have guests pop them and all will be revealed!
• Confetti in a balloon – have a party shop put pink or blue confetti inside a large helium balloon and then inflate it. At the party, stick a pin in it and let pink or blue shower over you. 
• Opening a gift – give a friend the information and ask them to fill a gift with girly things or boy things as appropriate. At the party, open it. Alternatively, you can create mini gifts to give to guests to open as a party favour. Inside, make sure everything is either pink or blue.  
• Pinata – a pinata filled with pink or blue goodness will add some suspense to the day, and be a great interactive way of sharing the news. 
• Scratchie – give all your guests a scratchie card and a coin or popsicle stick. Have them all scratch off the surface to reveal the gender beneath. These make great little keepsakes of the day as well. 
• Balloons and darts – fill balloons with different shades of pink or blue paint and pin them to a canvas. Then throw darts at the canvas to let the paint burst out to create art. This not only lets guests know the gender in a fun way, it can make a lovely abstract artwork for the nursery. 
• Silly string – buy (or have a friend buy) pink or blue silly string. Remove the labels and the lids, and let guests spray one another to find out the big news. 

Finding out if you’re having a boy or girl is always an exciting time, but sharing the joy with family and friends can make it even more memorable! Would you consider having a gender reveal as part of your baby shower? 

Image Source: BigStockPhoto.com (Licensed)