April Showers Bring May . . . Babies?
We’ve all heard of the traditional clichés around spring: “April Showers Bring May Flowers,” “Spring Fever,” “Spring Cleaning,” “New Beginnings,” “Allergy Season,” and the list goes on and on! Essentially, spring is a time for change, sprouting buds, the arrival of new life, new emotions and all-around rejuvenation.
Do you know what’s not rejuvenating? Babies. Yes, they are new, and they smell heavenly (after a bath), and they are precious in that all-consuming way: the one where you can hardly wrap your mind around the concept that this tiny little individual grew inside of you, your wife, your sister, your mother, your aunt, your cousin, your friend, etc.
So, maybe they do drain all of your energy, have endless dirty diapers, and scream through the night to the point that you forget what the meaning of, “a good night’s sleep” is. But they are cute. As cute as the baby animals that welcome this season each year: the baby ducks who waddle behind their mothers as they navigate a new world, the calf who wobbles slightly to the left, then slightly to the right, before he stands firm and proud next to his mama, the little lamb who shakes off her slumber and stomps around her new home, and the tiny piglets who roll around in the spring mud, soaking in their rain-induced baths.
At this point, is there really a difference between Spring Fever and Baby Fever?
I think not.
Animals prepare for the arrival of their little ones in the traditional ways that have been groomed by their histories, adaptations and lineage. Humans, however, are constantly coming up with new ways to celebrate their greatest accomplishment. The birth of our little ones is a joyous occasion, so why not use it as another excuse to host a party?
Have you been on social media lately and stumbled across a short video clip of your friend from high school, standing next to their partner, in front of a box that opens to reveal pink balloons? Or what about that picture of a half-eaten cake, displaying its bright, blue, spongy interior? Gender Reveal parties and tricks seem to be the latest trend in pre-baby/pre-shower events.
These types of parties are usually limited to immediate family and closest friends, because just as I’m sure everyone on your Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are excited to learn about the newest addition to your family, I’m sure they will be just as excited to hear about it on the various social platforms that your relationship stands on.
As this trend continues to grow, people are putting their creative powers to the test, and have come up with some amazing ideas to share this special moment with their families. For those of us who are ordinary human beings, I understand that preparing for a baby is hard enough, without the added pressures of having to become our most creative selves during this time. In light of this, here is a list of the most unique and fun gender reveals I’ve seen so far!
Before I begin, I would like to note that the following gender reveal ideas suggest using the colours pink for girls and blue for boys. This is strictly for traditionalist’s sake, and there is no reason for anyone to follow these instructions to a T. Pink, Green, Blue, Yellow, choose the colour that will best represent you and your soon-to-be little one!
1. Balloons in a Box
Simple, yet effective and fun! This gender reveal is super easy to do, and you can make it unique by decorating the outside of the box however you please. I’ve seen wrapping paper covered with different question marks, cute little phrases such as, “He or She, What Will It Be?”, or the ever-adorable, star-studded, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How We Wonder What You Are”.
This trend has become so popular, that a simple Google search will lead you to endless places where you can purchase a pre-made box—for those who aren’t feeling their craftiest self.
Check out Etsy.com for some absolutely adorable ones!
On the Danforth: The party supply store, It’s My Party, on Danforth Avenue has a great selection of baby-themed balloons that will make the perfect choice for your balloon box reveal!
2. The Mystery Cake or Cupcakes
Unable to avoid the obvious pun, this is definitely one of the sweetest methods for gender reveals. Working at a bakery, I’ve watched customers come in with envelopes from their doctors and act as if they are holding the most top-secret piece of information they’ve ever had the responsibility of caring for. You can’t help but feel the greatest sense of pride in knowing the gender of someone’s baby and imagining the look on their faces, when they cut into their cake, or bite into a cupcake, to reveal life’s most precious surprise!
What I love most about this idea is that you can customize the outside appearance of the cakes and cupcakes however you like. Gone are the days of all-pink or all-blue cakes. You can design your cake to match whichever theme you’ve chosen for your party. Contemporary designs such as: naked cakes, rustic cakes, woodland cakes, cakes with succulents or fresh flowers, drip cakes and more, can now make an appearance at your next gender reveal party! The opportunities are endless and are well within your reach . . . all that matters are the shades of colour that peek through the buttercream the second you slice into that cake!
On the Danforth: The Danforth is home to endless mouth-watering bakeries, and I’m sure any one of them would be happy to accommodate a custom dessert to honor this special occasion!
Be sure to check out The Serano Bakery on Pape Avenue, or Don’t Call Me Cupcake on Broadview Avenue, the next time you need to order a special, color-coded treat!
3. Confetti or Smoke Cannons
Whether you want to save this special moment for you and your mate, or you want to equip all your loved ones with a confetti or smoke cannon, this is definitely one of the most fun options for gender reveals! As popular as this trend has become, I’m sure you can check out any local party store, and they should have some available. If not, the wonderful world of web offers endless sites that carry these products, especially Etsy.com.
Friendly Reminder: Be sure to take this part of your event outdoors, or you’ll be finding paper confetti under the rug, in your coffee and attached to the dog for days to come, and you don’t want to risk turning that lovely white rug (that you may or may not regret purchasing in the next 4-5 months!), a charming shade of pink or blue from the coloured dust!.
Fun Tip: For even more fun, combine the confetti and the smoke to put on the show of a lifetime! Make sure to have someone ready with the camera, you’re going to want to capture this moment.
4. One Balloon, Two Balloons, Three Balloons, More!
http://www.outofmybubble.co.uk/he-or-she-gender-reveal-balloons-boy-or-girl-baby-shower-confetti
Nothing says party time like balloons! Don’t be surprised to see that many of these gender reveal ideas involve a whole lot of helium, and some very large balloons!
This idea can be done in two different ways. The first is very similar to the confetti cannons—you just take something sharp and pop! out flies the coloured confetti, surrounding you and your smiling partner in a sky of pink or blue! There are many Etsy shops where you can order a DIY package for this, or just head over to your local arts & crafts store, pick up some confetti (or try cutting up tissue paper into different shapes and sizes to make your own!), then use a funnel to fill your balloon with the confetti before it is inflated with helium.
The second option is to have a very large balloon—preferably black, possibly with a cute slogan on it (as seen above)—and fill it with much smaller balloons in the colour of your choosing! I recommend heading over to your local party store or balloon shop for this, as the balloons must be inflated with helium in order for this to work. Or you can try this at home by renting a helium pump and tapping into your most patient and creative side!
5. Splatter Balloons
This one calls on you to put those dart-throwing days of your youth to the test! This gender reveal idea really knows how to build up the suspense. Listen as your friends and family shriek with anticipation after each toss of the dart or shot of the arrow.
This is a very fun and easy DIY gender reveal. All you need to do is head over to your favourite art store or home hardware store, pick up a blank canvas, some paint—I love the idea of using different shades of the same colour as shown in the first picture!— and fill up as many black balloons as you’d like! This is the type of reveal that you can get your friends involved with, or perhaps the grandparents want to take a shot at it? Then all you need to do is secure the balloon(s) to the canvas and you’re ready to begin!
Friendly Reminder: This is another gender reveal activity that I would highly recommend doing outside! Of course, you can always clear some space in your home and lay down a tarp if the whole family isn’t thrilled at the thought of moving this party outdoors during the cold Canadian winter!
Fun Tip: This gender reveal activity will make for a great piece of art work to hang in your newborn’s nursery!
On the Danforth: Check out Midoco Art and Office Supplies at 146 Danforth Avenue if this is the gender reveal activity for you!
6. The One For the Sports Fans
Golf balls, baseballs, basketballs, footballs . . . basically any sports ball you can think of can now be turned into a fun gender reveal activity. Remember that fun dust that we had shooting out of the canons from earlier? Well, the same rules apply here.
If you and/or your mate are huge sports fans, this is definitely the gender reveal activity for you! Make sure someone has a camera ready, and that you or your partner are post-workout, post-protein shake, and on your best game, because you’re not going to want to miss this one.
My favourite sports-themed reveals are the ones that both you and your partner can do together. The baseball toss is my top pick for this: one of you will be the pitcher and the other can send that ball flying into the air! Watch in glory as it releases a response of applause, excitement and smiles all around.
Check out poofthereitis.com for their wide selection of sports-related gender reveal items!
7. Splish Splash Reveal-Bombs
Though this particular activity may not work best at party, it would certainly make a great gift to send home with your family and friends!
When I first came across this gender reveal activity, it was done in the most perfect way possible. The family videotaped their first child taking a bath, and caught the moment when the child placed the bath bomb beneath the water and grew exuberant as the water changed from clear to pink before his eyes, indicating the arrival of his baby sister!
Filming this and sending it out to your family and friends is a great idea for a gender reveal surprise, without the added stress of hosting an event. I recommend this idea for families and friends who don’t live close to one another; it’s a tremendous way to share this intimate and most cherished moment with your loved ones!
Gender reveal bath bombs can be purchased on Etsy.com , or you can make it a fun DIY activity!
8. The Smoke Show
Here’s a fun and harmless way to play mechanic for a day and have some fast and furious, engine-revving fun while revealing your special news to family and friends!
I love the idea of having your little one drive around in a toy car and catch the look on their face when they realize there’s a little brother or sister on the way.
Fun Tip: Expecting twins? There’s even a way to make the smoke change colours as you continue to rev the engine. Pink smoke turns to purple, purple turns to blue, and voila! You just found a fun an exciting way to tell your family that not only are you having twins, but that you’ll be bringing home a baby boy and girl!
If you’re concerned about any possible damage that you can bring to your car for this type of reveal, Poofthereitis.com has come up with a wonderful solution! Their “simple black tire pipe” eliminates the need for putting any powder in the exhaust, and you get the exact same results!
9. Egg Roulette
This has to be the most entertaining gender reveal activity that I’ve come across! We’ve all heard about a little game called Russian Roulette, well this baby-themed twist will have your guests cracking up as they watch this activity unfold.
Here’s how you play: Have someone who knows the sex of the baby purchase a carton of eggs. They are to dye half of the eggs pink and half blue. All will be hard-boiled, except for one.
You and your mate take turns choosing an egg and smacking it against your own (or each other’s) foreheads. The winner may end up with egg on their face, but there is a 100% guarantee that the result will be worth it!
10. The Themed Reveal
Type in “gender reveal ideas” on Google, or Pinterest and you will be scrolling for hours. As I mentioned earlier, couples have gone to the most creative lengths to come up with a fun way to share this moment with their loved ones.
Often, this has led to some gender reveal activities that are very specific to each couple’s likes and interests.
The most amazing one I’ve seen so far is the one I present to you now. The Sorting Hat gender reveal is a creative way to tell your friends what you’re expecting, while expressing your love for Harry Potter. I know there are many of you Harry Potter fans out there, so be sure to put this one on your to-do list.
Even if one of your guests (strangely) has never watched Harry Potter, they’re sure to laugh along and feel the buzz that will spark when you bring out this activity!
Fun Tip: Have you or your partner do a voice-over or attempt to make your own recording of the Sorting Hat’s voice, to add a little more suspense and a lot more fun to this reveal!
My Final Tip:
If you love these ideas as much as I do, be sure to follow @genderrevealvideos on Instagram, and you will experience hours of joy as you watch families reveal to their loved ones their most precious news!
You May Also Like
Barre Fitness: How to Look and Feel Your Best
9 things that you will win and lose when having a cat
