the big reveal

Creative ways to announce your baby’s gender

Ready to pop. Fill a balloon with “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” confetti and glitter reflecting the color of the baby’s gender. When you’re ready, pop the inflated balloon with a pin. For a personal touch, write the possible names on the balloon as shown here.

Hand-painted announcement. For a fun photo op announcement, have the dad-to-be color his hands with pink or blue paint, while mom wears a white tee or tank top. If you have a sibling-to-be, include their hands too.

Push and pop. When it’s time for the big reveal, gather your guests and hand out these poppers. Leave the caps on, and don’t hold back – a big push works best – then watch the blue or pink confetti fly! thegenderreveal.com.

Baby on board. Not into parties or live away from friends and family? Simply announce the gender of your baby with a card or postcard. Personalize it by posing with props showcasing a favorite hobby like the snowboarders shown here.

Box o’ balloons. Fill a box with pink or blue helium balloons. (If outside, tape the strings of the balloons to the bottom of the box.) Seal the box with tape. Decorate the box with question marks and/or splashes of color — whatever you like. In front of family and friends, open the box and let the balloons that float out of the box reveal the gender.

Cut the cake. Ask your ultrasound technician to write ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ in a sealed envelope, take it to a baker and they can put blue or pink food dye in the cake mix so when the cake is cut, the baby’s gender is revealed. Consider decorating the outside of the cake with neutral colors, question marks or go with a theme like this local mom. A dark, mossy forest was the perfect setting to photograph this Alaska-style gender reveal. Dad wanted to tie in his love for the outdoors and hunting while mom wanted to incorporate her girly, elegant style . See more of this shoot here.

Before-and-after balloons. Buy a bunch of blue and pink balloons — or whatever colors you prefer — and fill them with helium. For the “before” shot, hold both sets of balloons and for the “after” shot, hold the colored balloons that represent your baby’s gender. For a personal touch, choose a special location. Local mom Lori Lester wanted to capture how much she and her husband love the beautiful mountains that are practically in their backyard. “Powerline Pass is one of my favorite places and on such a sunny day, holding the balloons against the mountain backdrop turned out to be a great combination!”