Letting the world know the gender of your baby can be as fun as you want. What’s lovely about a gender reveal is that it’s a party for the whole family. Gender reveal parties are a great way to incorporate older brothers and sisters into the new baby celebration.

The most important person at the party, other than the parents is the trusted person chosen to keep the gender secret and prepare the big reveal. Choose someone who can, actually, keep a secret. But the person should also have the time and skill to put the big reveal project together. Don’t forget to give your chosen person special kudos in front of all the guests.

Polynesian Gender Reveal

Whether you have always wanted to visit Fiji, or you just loved Elvis in Hawaii, a Polynesian gender reveal can be a lot of fun for everyone.

Invitations

Think about creating an invitation with a tropical theme. It might have palm fronds or pineapples on the front. There are plenty of fun gender reveal greeting you could use such as “A Hula Girl or a Surfer Boy, which will be (Name of parents) pride and joy?”

Decorations

There are a wide range of Polynesian decoration on the market from classy to kitschy. The big problem is trying to decide which is most appropriate for your look. For a more classic look, use a backdrop of real bamboo with plenty of greenery in front to give your party local a tropical feel. Use water features such as a small fountain to add ambiance. For a more casual approach, think silly. Purchase or make a cardboard Tiki bar. Make garlands of giant tissue hibiscus. If you have younger guests, consider filling a paddling pool with sand for a realistic beach experience.

Food

For your Polynesian themed party, think Luau. No, you don’t have to have a roasted pig, but you could have roasted hotdogs. Add pineapple and plenty of fruit salad. Be sure to serve your drinks in plastic coconut or tiki cups that your guests can take home as a favor.

Games

As the guests arrive, invite them to take either a pink or blue lei to show whether they think the baby will be a boy or a girl. As it comes closer to the big moment, you can keep a running poll on which side is “winning.” A tropical theme is also a great time to have a photo booth. Simply pin up a large poster of the beach and place a variety of vacation themed items nearby such as hula skirts, sunglasses, Hawaiian shirts and coconut bras. You can ask a guest to be the “official” photographer, or you can just invite guests to take selfies and ask them to forward them to the parents.

The Big Reveal

Before the party, make a paper Mache volcano, making sure that there is a sealed area in the center for a cup of baking soda. It has to be sealed so that the “lava” will rise and spew out of the top, rather than run out the sides of your mountain. Before the party, ask your trusted person to add red or blue food coloring to the baking soda in the center of the volcano. When the time comes for the reveal, ask the parents to pour a cup of vinegar into the top of the volcano, filling the cup of baking soda at the bottom. The chemical reaction between the acid and base causes the cup to foam while the food coloring dyes the foam to the appropriate color.

Urban Baby

Whether you live in a big city or just wish you did, think about having a Big City gender reveal.

Invitations

There are a wide variety of ways you can bring the urban landscape into your invitations. You could go with a standard cityscape around or behind your information. Or, for a more fun, and funky theme, consider using airbrushed lettering for graffiti. The words might say something like “is it a ‘He’ or is it a ‘She’? What do you think the baby will be?”

Decorations

Surround your party space with cardboard or paper buildings for a fun and cartoonish urban look. If you have the space, try drawing street lines with chalk on the sidewalk or driveway and add street signs such as “Baby Ahead.”

Food

Street fare couldn’t be easier. Set up your own hot dog cart with all the fixing’s. Make sure to have urns of coffee and offer it in cups with the guests’ name written on the side.

The Big Reveal

Throughout the party, have a Theater sign saying “Welcome Baby (last name)” sitting in a prominent place. However, leave it unplugged so that no one can turn it on prematurely. It can appear as though it is merely another decoration. However, before the party, the trusted person should place pink or blue light bulbs inside the sign, ready to be turned on. At the moment, plug it in and flip the switch, letting everyone know the gender of the baby.

Wild West

Most parents understand that things are about to change when they have a baby. But they have no idea how wild it will be. This reveal can be especially fun when announcing the gender of twins.

Invitations

Ranches, cacti and horses fill the bill for these invitations. You can open the invitation with the question “Will it be a cow poke or a school marm?” Invite guests to a “gunfight” at high noon, (or high four o’clock, whichever works best.) Then follow it with the particulars of the party.

Decorations

Cacti, wagon wheels and wide-open spaces are the order of the day. You can surround the party area with a “wooden” fence cut out of brown paper or cardboard.

Food

Food for a Wild West party couldn’t be simpler or have more options. Consider having a barbecue, roasting burgers and hotdogs on the grill. You can have chips and salsa out for guests to munch on before the meal.

Games

As your guests arrive, hand out pink or blue bandana so that guests can “vote” on whether they think the baby will be a boy or a girl. In the case of twins, double the number of scarves so that the guests can vote on the gender of each baby.

The Big Reveal

Deck the parents in cowboy attire and have them face off on opposite sides of the party area. Each parent carries a paintball or splat ball gun in their hands. Before the party, the trusted person fills the ammunition chamber with the appropriately colored paint balls. If necessary, the trusted person may need to cover the chamber so that no one can learn the details early. At the designated moment, both parents fire, either at each other, or at a target, letting everyone know the gender of the baby. In the case of twins, each parent can carry the color of the gender of that baby.

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