If you’re having a baby, you’re probably pretty well tired of hearing this question:
“What are you having?”
And while you’d like to respond with “ a hamburger and fries, please!” you’ll probably still have to tell them whether it’s a boy or a girl after your attempt at a joke fails.
We’ve thought of a few fun gender reveal ideas that make it easy to tell everyone where your newest family member falls on the outdated gender binary ;).
Picture Postcard with Pets
The standard kind of gender reveal: a picture of the family with the text “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” Simple, straightforward, and… okay, kind of boring.
How to spice it up? Well, only animals and children are guaranteed to steal scenes, and your child isn’t born yet. So have a photo shoot with Fido!
You can dress your pet up in all the traditional trappings of boy and girlhood. Maybe a baseball jersey and hat if you’re announcing a boy, or a tutu and tiara if it’s a girl.
If your pet isn’t the kind who likes to sit still or play dress-up, you can always hang a lightweight DIY sign around their neck revealing the gender of your baby. They’ll be just as adorable as always.
Scratch-Off Cards
Scratch-offs are fun. You get to use a coin for something other than its intended purpose, and sometimes you even win stuff.
The prize recipients of these cards will all receive? The gender of your baby!
Scratch-off Cards are surprisingly easy to make at home. They don’t require any special materials (unless you’d call acrylic paint “special”).
However, if you and your partner don’t have enough time to take on another project, you could always buy them off of Etsy.
Zoom Ultrasound Party
It’s always better to have a good doctor than a fun one, but if yours happens to be both, maybe you can have your far-flung relatives hop on a video call during your next ultrasound.
Sure, you might get a strange look from your OB/GYN, but it’s not like you’ll be crowding actual people into the examining room with you. It’s a little unconventional, but it’s also the perfect way to share this special moment with your closest friends and family!
Gender Reveal Shirts
Imagine the look on your family members’ faces when they check the mail and find not just your gender reveal announcement, but said announcement in the form of a shirt! They’ll be so pleased to show it off to all of their friends.
What that shirt should say and look like is up to you. Will you go with blue or pink? ‘Stashes or lashes? A simple ‘It’s a Girl!’ or a limerick revealing your new baby boy? The choice is yours. You could even individualize the shirts to reflect the recipient’s new status as an aunt, uncle, or grandparent!
Instagram Volcano
We live in a world where seemingly everyone has Instagram. And that means none of us are immune to doing something “for the ‘gram.”
No, this is not me saying you should do your gender reveal in the rainforest. But Instagram is a fantastic platform to show off your big news in an exciting way.
One of the coolest ways to do a gender reveal that I’ve come across is with a volcano.
It’s actually pretty easy to make, too!
How to Make a Gender Reveal Volcano
Grab a plastic bottle or cup. This is what will hold your pink or blue “lava.”
-Get some play dough and mold it over the bottle or cup into a volcano. Make it brown for geological accuracy!
-Carefully fill up the volcano (bottle) with warm water, then mix in the food coloring associated with your baby’s gender, a few drops of dish detergent, and– crucially– two tablespoons of baking soda.
–Start recording a video on your phone, and pour vinegar into the bottle. Vinegar interacts with baking soda, causing an “eruption!”
You have to admit, a boomerang of this would look pretty darn cool. If you want to be surprised, ask a trustworthy close friend or family member to make it for you.
Facebook Poll
Everyone’s got an opinion. That’s why you don’t go on Facebook anymore. The fact remains that it’s probably the only social network that Aunt Maggie and Uncle John are on, aside from OkCupid, but that’s another story.
Say what you will about the Social Network, but they’ve made it pretty easy to make polls. You won’t even have to scroll past your cousin Jamie’s latest political screed. Just be sure to close the poll so people can’t add options like “Chemtrail” or “Lizard person.”
Powder Ball
What better way to welcome the newest member of your sports-crazed family than with a sporty gender reveal? Gender reveal golf balls, baseballs, and basketballs are hugely popular ways to unveil whether your baby will be a boy or a girl.
These balls explode with blue or pink confetti when broken, which makes for a great photo op. Level up your gender reveal by taking a video of the non-pregnant partner swinging at the ball. Go for some slow-motion action to really dazzle the Instagram crowd.
Old Wives Tales Gender Reveal
If you like playing the long game, this is the reveal idea for you. There are a number of attributes once thought to be indicative of the baby’s gender– where the baby is “carried,” what Mom is craving, and what the baby’s heart rate is, just to name a few.
As the weeks go on, you could share these different “indicators” on social media, and stoke speculation about what gender your baby will be. When the anticipation is at its peak, you could reveal the sonogram and gender of your baby to the world!
These are just a few of the interesting ways you can pull off a gender reveal. Get creative and share the news with the ones you love!
Kyle Greco
About the Author
Kyle Greco is the resident writer at RushOrderTees, where he blends word nerdery with his love for T-shirts. A graduate of The College of New Jersey, he is interested in exploring the intersection of clothing and culture. In his spare time, he makes music, builds guitars, and cooks with his wife. He enjoys hot dogs, sports, and collecting too many hats.