Deciding whether you'd like to know the gender of your baby at your 20-week scan is a huge and very exciting decision for all parents-to-be.
While you might have been trying to guess the gender with a Chinese Gender predictor chartsince you found out you were expecting, some like to keep it a surprise for the actual day of arrival. Once you know, it can be easier to firmly pick a baby name and nursery décor.
If you do decide to find out if you're having a boy or a girl, how about having a gender reveal! There are so many ways to find out and reveal the gender of your baby, and it's becoming increasingly popular to invite friends and family to some sort of party or announcement on social media to let everyone know your news.
There are lots of creative and personalised gender reveal ideas too, from cakes and balloons to thoughtful gifts and Piñatas.
The best gender reveal ideas
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Before you're ready to pop, let everyone know the gender of your baby with this giant gender reveal balloon. The pack contains 1 balloon, 4 tassels (2 of each blue and pink) and blue and pink confetti to fill the balloon.
If you'd like the gender reveal to be a surprise to you and your partner, ask a trusted family member or friend (someone you know won't blab!) to fill the balloon for you. You can ask your sonographer to contact them with the sex of the baby, or ask to be given the results in a sealed envelope that you can pass on to them.
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"He or She, What Will it Be?" This balloon drop bag kit includes pink and blue balloons, ribbon and bag. Simply blow up your balloons, fill the bag and thread through the ribbon to close. Then you can simply whip the ribbon away!
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For the footie fans, how about a penalty shootout to find out the gender of your baby! This plastic football can be filled with pink or blue powder and will explode when kicked.
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A confetti cannon is a great way to reveal the gender of a baby - you could even buy a few and send them out to your nearest and dearest as a lovely way of letting them know whether to get you pink or blue baby clothes!
Just make sure you order the right colour! (link is for blue cannon)
www.etsy.com
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This is another lovely idea to send out to family if you're not going to be able to see them to announce your news in person - perhaps you could all join a video call and scratch at the same time so you can see their reactions.
www.etsy.com
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How to play this game: Throw darts to pop the balloons. Once you pop 3 pink or 3 blue balloons you will find out the gender of the baby!
To set up:
1. Unfold and tape back off the white board.
2. Inflate 11 of the white confetti filled balloons.
3. Inflate and tie 3 of the Blue filled confetti balloon and 2 of the Pink filled confetti balloon for BOY
or
Inflate and tie 3 of the Pink filled confetti balloon and 3 of the Pink filled confetti balloon for GIRL
4. Insert balloon in hole and clip balloon from the back.
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Set off your gender reveal with a BANG using this confetti-filled gender reveal smoke cannon!
www.gingerray.co.uk
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This gender reveal pinata is a great way to reveal the gender of your baby, sure to be a magical highlight to your baby shower celebrations. Hang the pinata in an open space so you have enough room to hit the pinata and release the confetti inside revealing the baby's gender.
www.etsy.com
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These beautiful gender reveal themed cake pops are made-to-order; with your choice of white or chocolate cake and dipped in coordinating colored chocolate per design/theme. All cake pops are sold by the dozen (12).
www.marksandspencer.com
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Another popular gender reveal idea is using a cake to share the news. This gorgeous sponge cake from M&S is filled with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream with pink or blue chocolate buttons in the centre for the grand unveiling. It's finished with white and yellow sprinkles and topped with a cute duck-shaped plaque, which can be iced with your own message. Totally adorable!
www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk
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Patisserie Valerie also has a beautiful four-layer gender reveal cake. The sprinkletti chocolate bubble balls hidden in the centre will show their baby pink or baby blue colouring when you cut a slice.
www.etsy.com
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Once you've got a cake sorted, how about finishing it with a topper? We love this stylish topper, perfect for a neutral cake. There are lots of different colours to choose from.
www.etsy.com
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We love the idea of the anticipation as this gender reveal candle burns down to see if the new addition to your family is going to be a boy or girl! It comes in a variety of scents including baby powder. The reveal can vary from 1.5 hours to 2 hours. It is a magical experience waiting to see the blue or the pink!
www.etsy.com
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These gorgeous eggs come in their own little boxed nest, with a hidden message inside. Crack the egg open to find out the baby's gender. (Eggs are chicken eggs) You can pick the colour of the egg, the ribbon, and also personalise the message inside.
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This party supplies kit includes: 24x Star Cupcake Toppers, 1 x Gold Star Tablecloth, 1 x Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Banner, 1 x Little Star Banner, 1 x Girl or Boy Banner, 2 x Star Foil Balloons (Light Blue, Pink), 4 x Light Blue Latex Balloons, 4 x White Latex Balloons, 4 x Pink Latex Balloons, 4 x Gold Latex Balloons, 4 Gold Star Confetti Balloons.
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if you're not a fan of the whole blue and pink theme for gender reveals, how about this fun bee theme? You could even fill the bee balloons with confetti for your reveal.
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Perfect decorations for cupcakes and food at a baby shower or baby's gender reveal party. Perhaps get your guests to guess, then you pick the correct cupcake to reveal your baby's gender.
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These cute designs are perfect for a gender reveal party! The set comes with enough for 16 guests.
The UK's biggest gender reveal
Of course, 2020 was a bit different. Usually, couples would be celebrating their gender reveals with friends and family, but as coronavirus restrictions prevented this, Radio City teamed up with Joie Baby to create a truly unforgettable experience for one local couple.
Following an on-air competition launched by Leanne & Scott on the Breakfast Show, Nicola and John were chosen to have the UK’s biggest gender reveal just for them.
Mum-to-be Nicola said: "Myself and my husband John have been trying to have a baby for approximately 11 years. We went for all the tests which came back clear but we still couldn't get pregnant. I am a mental health nurse, which is a demanding job, so we thought it could simply be down to stress. We came to the sad conclusion that it was never going to happen, which was devastating. In July 2020 I started feeling unwell. At first, I thought it was Covid, IBS or early menopause - which would have cemented us never having children together. Then John suggested I do a pregnancy test. I nearly fainted when it was positive!
"Due to my work I haven't been able to see my family much this year, so any sort of celebration in person was out of the question. That's why I entered the competition for the UK's biggest gender reveal. It was also amazing to be able to have something John could get involved in, since he's not been able to attend any scans with me, I really didn't want him to feel left out of the most important event happening in his life. It meant the world to us to see the Radio City tower lit up for our baby!"
The question on everyone’s lips on the night was…will the Radio City tower will be lit pink or blue as the couple who won the competition finally found out if they were expecting a boy or a girl...