30 Unique Gender Reveal Ideas to Celebrate Your New Baby

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Finding out you're expecting is exciting, life-changing news. A few months into your pregnancy you can choose to find out even more news: whether you'll be welcoming home a baby boy or a baby girl.

My husband and I didn't have any big gatherings where we revealed the biological sex of our baby to family and friends, yet opening the sealed envelopes my doctor gave us together was such a special experience. I still remember crying when I found out my last pregnancy was a set of twins — a wonderful boy-girl pair.

If you choose to find out and reveal your baby's sex during pregnancy, we've rounded up some of the most memorable gender reveal ideas for your big surprise.

A gender reveal is when the expectant parents find out the sex of their growing baby. Usually, this would happen sometime during the second trimester.

You can typically find out the sex of a fetus as early as 10 weeks into a pregnancy with a noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT), chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis at your doctor's recommendation. What is really learned at this time is the biological sex of the fetus determined based on sex chromosomes tested in the mother's blood. If the embryo has XX chromosomes, it is determined to be female, and if it has XY chromosomes, it is said to be a male.

Ultrasounds may also reveal the sex around 20 weeks. If the sex is confirmed during an ultrasound, the technician or doctor is determining the sex based on fetal genitalia development.

Some parents-to-be opt to turn a gender reveal into a party. This can be combined with a baby shower, but often they're standalone events.

The gender reveal party tends to be a smaller, more intimate gathering for a group of five to 20 people — typically family members and sometimes a few close friends — and usually isn't a gifting event, says Renee Patrone Rhinehart, founder of Party Host Helpers. The baby shower, on the other hand, is typically a more inclusive event where friends and family members "shower" the parents to be with presents and items they’ll need once they bring their newborn home.

Large or small, there's really no right or wrong way to do a gender reveal party. Some couples are more comfortable finding out the news in a more intimate setting, while others want to share the thrill with all of their nearest and dearest at once.

If you're leaning towards a private reveal, you may consider something simple: opening a sealed envelope, biting into cupcakes with your partner and any future siblings, or opening a box of pink or blue balloons, for example.

If, on the other hand, you’re planning a big party, you’ll want to more carefully orchestrate the reveal. When setting the date, it's a good idea to leave a two- to three-week gap between the time of the anticipated results (whether via sonogram or blood test) to account for any minor hiccups — like your baby being in less visible position or the lab taking longer to process results.

And no matter how you're finding out your baby's sex, don't forget to remind your practitioner that you want to keep the news a surprise. Ask your provider to put the baby's sex in a sealed envelope. This way, you can pass it on to whoever is coordinating the big reveal on your behalf.

Finally, please use caution when considering fireworks, cannons, smoke bombs and any other potential combustables — you do not want to become one of those couples who end up on the news due to a failed gender reveal! Not to mention, they can have dire consequences.

Here, get inspired with gender reveal ideas for every type of celebration.

Looking for a gender reveal idea you haven't already seen all over social media? Try these clever ideas:

A gender reveal doesn't have to be an elaborate — or expensive — endeavor. Here are some simple and easy ideas for those who prefer to keep it low-key:

Hoping for a reaction in which everyone squeals "aww" all at once? These gender reveal ideas will do the trick:

Hoping people will see your gender reveal and think "how did they think of that?" These ideas are one-of-a-kind:

These festive ideas will really have people at your gender reveal party talking:

Large or small, there's really no right or wrong way to do a gender reveal. You can go simple — like cutting into a cake with colored frosting — or elaborate, like planning a whole scavenger hunt.

Involving a future big sibling or pet can make a gender reveal more special, or you can plan a party around a big surprise, like opening a themed gift or using a fog machine with colored lights.

You can fill a gender reveal box with helium-filled balloons, confetti, a special outfit or whatever else you feel like!

Tell your practitioner that you want to keep the news a surprise, and ask them to write down the baby's sex and put it in a sealed envelope. This way, you can pass it on to whoever is coordinating the big reveal on your behalf: a friend, baker, party planner ...

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