Pregnancy

20+ Unique Gender Reveal Ideas to Make the Moment Memorable

written by KATHERINE BALLESTA-ROSEN

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gender reveal ideas"
gender reveal ideas
Source: @raven.vasquez
Source: @raven.vasquez

When you’re expecting a baby, so many curiosities bubble up about the tiny being you’ll be bringing into the world. What will their interests be? What will their personality be like? Are they going to like pizza and ranch at least as much as you? And perhaps one of the more quintessential questions: Are they going to be a girl or a boy? 

Even with how progressive society has become around embracing more fluid gender norms and identities, celebrating the reveal of a baby’s sex still has its magic. For many parents, being less rigid about gender doesn’t mean not encouraging its existence. It just means not boxing children into a prescribed set of appearances, behaviors, interests, and expectations based on their gender. That’s why being excited to find out if you have a baby boy or baby girl on the way—who can grow up to be anybody and do anything—is still big news.   

And what better way to spread your excitement than with some fun-loving gender reveal ideas? Whether you’re trying to keep it low-key or hype it up with a wider circle of friends and family, there are tons of ways to make the occasion special. Keep scrolling for over 20 of our favorite unique and unusual gender reveal ideas.

What is a gender reveal?

Positive pregnancy test, check. Starting prenatal care, check. Another major milestone as you attend your appointments with your OB-GYN, midwife, or other pregnancy care provider is the opportunity to find out the sex of your baby. While it’s possible to do so as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy, it’s also more commonly determined by ultrasound sometime between the 18 and 22-week mark. Not everybody wants to learn what they’re having ahead of time, preferring spontaneity and surprise. Meanwhile, for those who do, it’s a happy revelation worthy of celebration.

Enter the gender reveal, a planned event (or private moment later shared) spotlighting the fresh news of finding out a baby’s gender. It often involves a big moment of reveal where the expecting parent(s) creatively announces if they’re having a girl or a boy. Think glitter, confetti, popping balloons, cakes or cupcakes, clever social media photos/videos, customized articles of clothing, and a whole host of other imaginative efforts to create cheer around the announcement.   

Some choose to do something quiet—for example, one partner might set up a gender reveal surprise for the other. Others are eager to share the occasion with an intimate group of family and/or friends and set up a gathering or party accordingly. Then, there are those who can’t wait to throw a big party that includes a wider circle of family, friends, and even beyond. One thing’s for sure: No matter how you’d like to celebrate, there’s a creative way to fulfill your vision for a memorable gender reveal.   

Low-key gender reveal ideas

Hoping to keep your celebration simple and sweet? Or maybe you’re just trying to set up a cute gender reveal between you and your partner. These are some low-key yet thoughtful ideas to get the ball rolling.  

Take a special photo or video to share

With a photo or video, there are a myriad of ways to incorporate pink or blue to signal your reveal. You could include a pink or blue dessert, baby blocks, balloons, or confetti. Maybe you blow pink or blue bubbles with bubble gum or create commemorative shirts. Or, you might opt to feature your sonogram photo adorned with a pink bow or a blue accent. Or eschew traditional gendered colors altogether and go with a neutral palette with the words “boy” or “girl” revealed.

Have a video-savvy friend or family member? You could even get really creative with your announcement like this unusual Disney-Pixar-themed gender-reveal. Whatever you decide, it’s a way to do something celebratory and socially engaging without all the bells and whistles of a party. 

unusual gender reveal ideas
Source: @claudia.redel

Incorporate your dog or other pet 

If you have a furry friend at home, they’re probably already attuned to the newest addition. Incorporate them into your gender reveal by dressing them up with a pink or blue accessory or equipping them with a pink or blue toy. Then, have them make a surprise visit to your unsuspecting partner for the big reveal.  

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Whiskers World
Gender Reveal Dog Toy
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Moonwake Designs
Gender Reveal Pet Bandana
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Write a surprise card or note

Creating a personalized card or note can be a charming way to reveal your baby’s gender to your partner, as well as anyone else you might like to send the news to. Etsy has a lot of lovely customizable options, or you could DIY using pink or blue craft materials. Some decide to include their sonogram with a pink or blue decoration as part of their card/note, too.  

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Twist Stationery
Gender Reveal Scratch Off Card
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Artisan Alley
Gender Reveal Card with Crochet Hearts
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Light a gender reveal candle together

Gift your partner a special gender reveal candle that you can light together. As it burns, the melted wax’s color changes to pink or blue to announce the big news!   

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Vulture Creations
Personalized Gender Reveal Candle
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Val Viola Candles
Gender Reveal Soy Candle
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Plan a surprise colored drink at a restaurant

Decide on a restaurant you can head to with your partner where they serve colored beverages on their menu. Find a way to connect with the bartender or waitstaff beforehand, and ask that they surprise you both at the table with a pink or blue colored cocktail or mocktail. Cheers to your new little boy or girl!

Gender reveal party ideas

Have your heart set on a sentimental party that’s more to the nines in nature? These festive and unusual gender reveal ideas to incorporate are sure to make for an unforgettable celebration.  

Play darts with balloons

Set up a dart board with a collection of black balloons, filling each one with either pink or blue confetti. Have guests take turns throwing darts at them, letting them know that the gender will be revealed when they’ve popped three balloons that explode with the same color. By filling at least three balloons with the color of your baby’s gender and only two with the other color, they’ll inevitably make it happen!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Rool
Gender Reveal Balloon Dart Game
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Morning Magnolias
Gender Reveal Balloon Dart Board
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Have a Squirt Gun Fight

For some action-packed fun, dress up in white T-shirts and fill squirt guns with water that has been dyed pink or blue with washable food coloring. Guests can stand by cheering as you and your partner engage in a gender-revealing duel, or, if you’d like everyone to be more involved, you can also provide them with their own white tees (or ask them to bring one they don’t mind getting temporarily dyed) and squirt guns.

squirt gun reveal
Source: @twomumstwobuns

Plan a Confetti Gender Reveal

Nothing expresses the thrill of exciting news like being doused with confetti. There’s no shortage of options for creating a blue or pink confetti spectacle to reveal your baby’s gender. Though a party confetti reveal is innocent in most cases, we’d be remiss not to mention the cleanup and to be careful with anything that ‘explodes’ given the gender reveal party wildfire tragedy that occurred back in 2020 using a gender reveal smoke bomb.

Source: Etsy | Poof There It Is Reveal

A Balloon Drop or Balloon Unboxing

What’s a party without balloons? Go beyond merely using them to decorate and arrange for a special gendered balloon bouquet to emerge from an XL box. You can either plan a balloon drop or unboxing with helium balloons for a picture-perfect reveal!

gender reveal balloons
Etsy | Tacky Nut Party Store
Girl or Boy Tassel Balloons

girl and boy balloons available

Shop now
gender reveal balloons
Etsy | Banzi Balloons
Mylar Balloons

boy and girl balloons available

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Fun Express
Gender Reveal Balloon Box
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Pop Fizz Designs
Gender Reveal Balloon Drop Bag
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Have a Gender Reveal Par-Tee

For expectant parents who love to hit the links, a gender reveal golf-themed party might be perfect. Grab specialized golf balls that reveal pink or blue powder, confetti, and streamers for an unusual gender reveal idea all the guests will be talking about. Not a golf fan? We’ve seen gender-reveal baseballs and soccer balls, too!

gender reveal golf theme
Zazzle
Golf Gender Reveal Par-tee Invitation
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gender reveal golf theme
Etsy | Poof There It Is Reveals
Gender Reveal Golf Ball
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Decorate Hershey Bars

You don’t have to be a diehard chocolate lover to use Hershey bars to your gender reveal party’s advantage. Announce your new bundle of joy’s gender by handing out Hershey bars with customized wrapping, or just color in the “she” or “he” part of regular Hershey bar wrappers with a pink or blue Sharpie!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Gorjo Designs
Personalized Gender Reveal Candy Bar Wrapper
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Target
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Candy Bars
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Sharpie
Magenta Permanent Markers
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Sharpie
Blue Permanent Markers
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Make it Holiday-Themed 

If your gender reveal festivities fall around a holiday, why not continue to spread the holiday cheer through your gender reveal? Whether you strike open a heart-shaped piñata for Valentine’s Day, brew up pink or blue confetti powder for Halloween, or serve mugs with gender reveal cocoa bombs for the winter holidays, there seems to be a creative twist for coupling your baby’s gender reveal celebration with every holiday.  

Source: @raven.vasquez

Create a Group Splash Painting

Think your guests might enjoy a little round of arts and crafts? Then, you might consider one of the most unusual gender reveal ideas we found.

Away from where everyone will be congregating, set up a large white canvas or sheet on a table (be sure you protect the table’s surface and floor underneath) and a few squeeze bottles filled with different shades of pink or blue. Put someone in charge of monitoring this station, and instruct guests to visit it two to four at a time. The person in charge ensures everyone gets blindfolded before being put in front of the canvas, and then hands them a squirt bottle to decorate it with. After everyone has had a turn, the final pink or blue-spattered masterpiece is revealed to the whole group.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | LERSVICVIL
Satin Sleep Masks
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Pinnacle Mercantile
Plastic Squeeze Bottles
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | GOTIDEAL
Large Stretched Canvases
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | icyfall
Twin Single Flat Sheet
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Colorations
Blue Washable Tempera Paint
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Colorations
Pink Washable Tempera Paint
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Break open a piñata

These aren’t just reserved for children’s birthday parties—plenty of adults are happy to take a good-natured cathartic swing at something when given the chance. Fill your piñata with all kinds of small pink or blue candies, favors, and confetti to shower guests with once the breaking news strikes.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Lewtemi
Gender Reveal Piñata Set
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gender reveal pinatas
Etsy | All Party Art
Hot Air Balloon Piñata
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | APINATA4U
Fiesta Themed Gender Reveal Onesie Piñata
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gender reveal pinatas
Etsy | The Piñata Mama
Stork Gender Reveal Piñata
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Gender reveal cake ideas

Part of the charm of many unique gender reveal parties is having a pièce de résistance, like a celebratory cake. These gender reveal cake ideas are not only tasty but will add that extra dazzle to your party.  

‘What will it bee?’ cake

Have a cake that’s all the buzz! The cake’s pink or blue filling can reveal the gender of your little honey bee who’s on their way.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Source: @_dippedbyd

Cakesicles

Want a cake favor that’s a little meatier than a cake pop, but more individualized than a cake? Serving some darling-looking cakesicles is a happy medium. Some choose to fill them all with pink or blue, others keep the filling neutral and have one to a few with pink or blue for more suspense. It’s up to you!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Source: @korsmocelebrations

Piñata cake

For an unusual gender reveal cake, a piñata cake is especially eye-catching when a bunch of festive fillings tumble out! Find your favorite layer cake recipe and cut a circle in the middle layer(s). After you’ve assembled everything but the top layer, fill the hole with blue or pink candies and sprinkles. Top with the final layer of cake, and frost the whole thing in a way that leaves room for surprise once it’s cut open.

Breakable heart

While it’s not technically a cake, having a giant piece of chocolate to break open to reveal pink or blue candies inside is at least as sweet. May it be the only heartbreaker at the party! 

gender reveal cake
Source: Etsy | Chocolates Unlimited

White mystery cake

You can’t go wrong with a classic and delicious white cake that has been stuffed with creamy blue or pink buttercream frosting. For a cute photo op, keep some champagne glasses on hand to cut into the cake with.  

Cake Pops

Cake pops are always a reliable and yummy way to spread some cake love. You can even create a more elaborate mystery with your gender reveal cake pops by only filling a couple (or only 1) with pink or blue centers. That way, people can’t say no to dessert and have to mingle as they dig in!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Source: @aledocakepopshop

Baby bump cake

Of course, there’s a gender reveal cake for those who appreciate a whimsical touch. Add a pink or blue cake ball as a baby bump to the top of your cake before it’s frosted and decorated. Then, when the big reveal happens, you can literally show everyone what’s inside your belly!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Source: @catspawmtl

Gender reveal gift ideas

Gender-reveal gifts don’t have to be something extravagant. Rather, bringing something touching but relatively inexpensive as a kind gesture can certainly show you care about the occasion. That being said, with so many great gifts being gender-based, how do you even know what to choose? Here are some adorable gender-reveal gift ideas to get you started.

Something soft for baby

From nap time to bath time, it’s always nice to have something ultra cozy and comforting for baby to cuddle up with. From a swaddle to a bath wrap to a blanket, there are lots of ways you can go.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Solly Baby
Swaddle

10+ colors available

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Pottery Barn Kids
Cotton Sweater Knit Baby Blanket and Bear Thumbie Set
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Elegant Baby
Elephant Hooded Baby Bath Wrap
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Amazon | Hiphop Panda
Baby Washcloths

10+ colors available

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A cute item for parents

Prefer to present the proud parents with something that’ll bring a smile? There are plenty of celebratory gifts to fit the occasion.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Get Merchie
Expecting Parents Mug

multiple colors and sizes available

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | The Luna Gift Co
Candle for New Parents

9 scents available

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Louis Borgenicht M.D.
The Baby Owner’s Manual
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Adam Mansbach
Go the F**K to Sleep
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A playful onesie for baby

With how many messes babies make, you can never have too many onesies. It also means less laundry! Plus, it can be precious to see your little one dressed up in one that has personality—like these.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | JBR Creative Co
Friends Onesie

sizes 0-24M

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Little Sleepies
Cookies & Milk Zippy

sizes preemie-3T

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A heartfelt card

It can be the words that count. If you’re not planning on a gift, bringing or sending a card to honor their gender reveal can be just as thoughtful.

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Onderkast Studio
So Storked For You! Greeting Card
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Wild Canary Studio
New Baby Card
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A book or toy for baby

Kind of like with clothing, books and toys for baby will likely abound. That doesn’t mean another catchy title or plaything won’t be welcomed, though!

unusual gender reveal ideas
Etsy | Bannor Toys
State Baby Rattle

all states and multiple colors available

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unusual gender reveal ideas
Babylist | Skip Hop
Farmstand Let The Beet Drop DJ Set Baby Musical Toy
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Emily Winfield Martin
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
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unusual gender reveal ideas
Nancy Tillman
On the Night You Were Born
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katherine ballesta-rosen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katherine Ballesta-Rosen, Editorial Intern

Besides being an avid reader and writer since girlhood, Katherine decided to kick her literacy-laden background up a notch by receiving her Master’s in teaching, and went on to teach English Language Arts to high schoolers for several years. As an intern at The Everymom, Katherine writes about topics such as maternal wellness, sex and relationships, and more.