Baby showers, a traditional prenatal celebration, have some key differences from gender reveal parties. Primarily, the focus on gender reveal parties is fetal sex, while baby showers focus on the giving of supplies and items for the future infant to expectant parents.
What is this? Timing: Baby showers are usually six to eight weeks before the expected date of delivery, but a gender reveal party typically happens very shortly after you're able to discover the biological gender of your baby. The typical time to do this is around twenty weeks.
Many people still opt to have two separate events. A baby shower is a more general celebration of the baby. A gender reveal, on the other hand, is usually reserved for close family and friends. That being said, deciding on what order to have your celebrations or whether to combine them is a big decision.
In short, bringing a gift to a gender reveal party is certainly appreciated, but not required. "Gift-giving is a personal choice and so is the amount you spend on the gift," says etiquette trainer Suzy Lins. "Keep in mind that gifts don't need to be expensive to be thoughtful."
Often neither parent knows the sex of the baby, and this information is only known by a trusted friend or family member called a "gender guardian". In this situation, both of the parents get to share in the excitement of the gender reveal with their guests.
Who typically hosts the party? Typically, the expecting couple hosts the gender reveal party. We know — that's one more thing on your plate as you prepare for the new baby. But the good news is that, compared to the baby shower, it's typically a less formal affair.
A gender reveal party will usually include food, drinks, games and of course the reveal itself! Some ideas include opening a box to reveal pink or blue helium-filled balloons or biting into cupcakes filled with pink or blue icing.
Generally, traditional gender reveal parties occur between 20-24 weeks into the pregnancy, many parents opt for sooner dates, such as 16 or 17 weeks.
As a general rule, food is usually served at a gender reveal party. However, if you are not having a party and will just do the gender reveal announcement, there is no need to serve food.
Most often, the host pays for the baby shower. This is not always one person. For example, several aunts and cousins might cover the full tab of a shower at a restaurant, or a group of coworkers may help coordinate all the decorations, food and fun.
It depends, depending on the baker and the parents' preferences, but many choose to use cutting the cake as the big reveal moment. Inside, the frosting, the sponge itself, an extra filling like strawberries or blueberries, or even a fun spill of candy or sprinkles will showcase Baby's sex in pink or blue.
A baby sprinkle is a casual and smaller-scale version of a baby shower. It is typically held for parents who are expecting their second, third, or subsequent child. The term "sprinkle" is a play on words, as it suggests a lighter celebration compared to the more elaborate and traditional baby showers.
While traditional baby showers consist of women only, co-ed baby showers are becoming more and more common. However, if you're looking to throw a traditional baby shower and still have the dad-to-be attend, this is completely acceptable and appropriate as most dad-to-be's will want to thank guests before they leave.
For example, if you're hosting the party at home and have a small budget, you may need to limit the number of guests to six or eight. But if you're planning a picnic in the park, your guest list could reach 20 or 30. This number isn't surprising since you may want all your friends and family included.
Pacifier Hunt
Host a scavenger hunt for pacifiers similar to an Easter egg hunt. Hide the pacifiers around the party location—the guest who finds the most wins. Hide pink and blue pacifiers to give this game more of a gender-reveal twist. The guest with the most pacifiers of the correct gender wins.
It's fine to have a baby shower for a second or third baby. This party is often (cutely) called a "Sprinkle" instead of a shower since the family welcoming the new child likely already has many of the items needed (though not always!).
A diaper raffle is a baby shower activity where instead of a gift registry, guests are invited to participate in a game where they exchange packs of eco friendly diapers for a chance to win a prize. When guests arrive, they will be awarded a raffle ticket for each pack of diapers they bring to the shower.
Gender Reveal Shower Invitation Wording Examples
Either way, come and celebrate and find out whether it will be a new little lady or gentleman. Little boy or little girl? It'll be a surprise for us, too! Celebrating the newest addition to the [family last name] family and find out which will it be.
I've got you covered – today I'm sharing the best dresses for a baby shower! Typically, guests wear a color representing the gender of the baby to be born. Pink for a baby girl and blue for a baby boy.
Should you open gifts at the baby shower? Tradition would have you open all the gifts in front of the guests. But, times have changed and it's more common not to.
Giving the host a gift isn't required, but it is a nice gesture and the host would appreciate it. A bottle of wine, a gift card, or something personalized make great host gifts!