The classic baby shower is now being replaced with the trendy gender reveal party. Thanks to ultrasound technology, many couples can find out the gender of a fetus as early as the 16th week of pregnancy if amniocentesis is ordered for genetic testing or the 18th week via ultrasound. Some parents must wait until later in pregnancy when the fetus is more developed to find out gender, but as soon as the gender can be determined a gender reveal party is in order.

Revealing the Themes for Your Party
Theme ideas for your gender reveal parties are limitless, but one of the hottest trends involves matching your theme to the current season or time of year. If your gender reveal party is planned in the spring, you can choose a baby animal theme with pink and blue baby animals. If St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner, think pink and blue shamrocks. If you are looking for a more grown-up theme, try the black and white party. All guests dress in black and white, but there are subtle hints of pink and blue thrown into the mix. Ask guests to rock pink or blue socks to match their guess for the sex of your baby.

Pink Foods and Blue Foods Abound
The food choices for your gender reveal party will heavily depend on the party’s theme, so start with the theme before moving on to the food. The reveal portion of the party is often hidden in cake or cupcakes filled with blue or pink cream. Some couples choose to fill all cupcakes or the entire cake, while other couples choose to fill just one slice of cake or one cupcake to keep the secret longer.

Inviting All the Right Guests
Your invitation list can be slightly more lax than it would be for a wedding or baby shower. Gender reveal parties tend to be suitable for all friends and family who know you are pregnant, but may be a few people you want to keep off the list. Not all gender predictions via ultrasound are correct, so it may be better to leave small children off the invitation list, especially your other children. It can be very confusing to tell a small child they are having a brother or sister only to find out the prediction was incorrect at birth.

Picking the Perfect Party Games
Party games are the heart of the gender reveal party. Choose games that allow guests to interact with each other and incorporate the colors pink and blue. In you want to reveal the sex of baby without using cupcakes or cake, try adding games with small prizes. Include a slip of paper in one of the prize boxes that reads the sex of baby.

Does a Gender Reveal Party Replace the Baby Shower?
Gender reveal parties do not replace baby showers in all cases. Having a baby shower is more of an intimate party celebrating mom and baby. Some couples choose to replace the baby shower with the gender reveal party, but it is all about preference, family and friends.

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