9 Easy Gender-Reveal Party Alternatives

You’re just not into a big bash with pink confetti cakes or little blue trains hidden inside of a pi?ata. Not every pregnant parent loves the gender-reveal party. This is your pregnancy and your baby, and that means when and how you tell family and friends the baby’s presumed gender is your decision (along with your S.O.), and you certainly shouldn’t feel pressured into a party that you don’t want. If a gender-reveal party isn’t your style, check out these easy alternatives.

1. Video it. Your family and your oldest friends don’t live anywhere near you. Instead of throwing a party without them, or if you’d rather frame the baby’s gender as fun news than a spectacle, do your own private reveal. Video the info and text or email it to your nearest and dearest.

2. Send something. Go old school and send out a real paper announcement. Craft (or commission) cards with the relevant details to send to your closest family and friends.

3. Share pics. The doctor gave you the perfect little picture of your incoming kiddo. Get creative by sending a cute “Guess who?” to your friends and family. If you want to add a gender-reveal emphasis, you can ask everyone to reply with their guesses before you add the answer.

4. Serve dinner. Forget about an elaborate catered affair: It’s way more work than pregnant-you is up to. Instead of a major event, invite your closest loved ones over for an intimate dinner. You don’t even have to tell them it’s a gender reveal. You can casually drop the information, or theme the meal with blue or pink eats and drinks (such as blueberry cobbler or pink lemonade) and wait to see who notices.

5. Host a scavenger spill. If a formal party isn’t for you but you still want a gender-reveal event, why not share your baby news in a totally fun way? Stage a scavenger hunt that ends with a clue revealing your baby’s presumed gender. Split your friends and family into teams, hand out clues, and wait to see who the winner is.

6. Bring a treat. Your loved ones aren’t the only people in your life who are interested in your baby’s designated gender. If your coworkers keep asking, stage a simple share. There’s no need to turn the break room into a vision in pink or blue. If you simply hand out color-coded cupcakes, not only will your co-workers congratulate you, but they’ll also thank you for the midday snack.

7. Gift a portrait. This one works best for your absolute nearest family or friends. Enlarge the ultrasound pic, frame it, and gift-wrap it. Give it to your parents, your in-laws, or another similarly close loved one. Think of it as baby’s first portrait.

8. FaceTime your family. When a prerecorded video won’t cut it, a live face-to-face call mid-ultrasound might do the trick! Let those closest to you share in the joy of the news in real time using the magic of smartphone technology. (You can even make presumed gender guesses before the sonographer spills it.)

9. Do nothing. Yep. Nothing. There’s no rule saying that you have to share your baby’s presumed gender — even if you already know. Some secrets are best kept between the parents-to-be (and this one is pretty major), and some people would rather not put any emphasis at all on designated birth genders. Remember: Your baby, your rules!

Are you going to celebrate revealing your baby’s gender? Tweet us @BritandCo.

(Photos via Getty)