How many gender reveal parties have you been to where the eager parents-to-be cut the cake to reveal a pink or blue filling? Or opened a box to let loose pink or blue balloons?

"The best part of these parties is the 'it’s a boy!' or 'it’s a girl!' moment, but color = gender isn’t the only way to go these days. Here are a few new gender reveal ideas to get your imagination going in a different direction."

RAINBOW PARTY!

Have a rainbow gender reveal party, and focus on the fun and joy that your little one will bring, not just the color of their onesie.

Rainbow-Filled Rainbow Cake: Instead of cutting the cake to reveal pink or blue filling, make a rainbow cake and fill it with skittles, but have a little piece of paper naming the baby’s sex. This is sure to get a reaction! Bonus points for decorating the cake with skittles, too.

Invitation wording: “Red, purple, yellow, blue, no matter what you are, we’ll love you! Join us as we discover the sex of our baby”

Guess the Sex game: Instead of pink vs. blue, use jars for male or female, and have guests put rainbow jellybeans in jars to mark their prediction.

If gifts are encouraged, ask for them to be rainbow-themed, like these gender-neutral pieces: https://www.mitzaccessories.com/collections/rainbow-pattern

If rainbows aren’t your thing, and you want to build a bit more anticipation and suspense towards the gender reveal, try a Parent vs. Parent theme!

PARENT VS. PARENT:

Choose a theme that means something to you and your partner, with the Mom or Dad’s pick representing the sex of the baby:

Star Wars vs. Star Trek

Jets vs. Giants (or each partner’s favorite team)

The country of each parent’s origin

Baseball vs. Hockey (or each partner’ favorite sport)

All of these themes lend themselves to great ideas for cakes, decorations and invitations:

Ask guests to “Dress your Guess” according to the theme

Get stickers made for guests to wear: “Team Mom” or “Star Wars Baby” or “Go Giants!”. Try stickeryou.com for easy, customizable stickers.

What about the big reveal moment?

Sparklers in the team colors

Unroll a country or team flag

Unwrap the winning team or sport jersey (baby sized, of course!)

Have someone make an entrance, in costume, for the winning side (Chewbacca? Is that you?)

By making the gender reveal party about more than just “pink or blue”, you have a chance to make the party about what really matters – the excitement and joy surrounding a new baby, and the family that is going to care for them, no matter if the new addition wears pink, blue, or any of the other colors of the rainbow.

MORE READING ON GENDER REVEALS...

The Very Weirdest Gender Reveal Ever by Jordan Reid of Ramshackle Glam

DIY Gender Reveal Box from Simply {Darr}ling

It's a...boy or girl? from Discovering Parenthood

Our Gender Reveal from Raising Jay & Abel

Gender Reveal with Freshly Picked from Pink to Tango

We're Having a... from Hey Erin Nicole

Patriotic Gender Reveal from Lady & Laura Kate