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I need you to pause just a little bit as this is quite important. If you look at the reality of it, we may only get one chance to experience pregnancy in our lifetime. Maybe two, maybe three? Whatever your situation, the miracle of getting pregnant and then creating your own unique way to have a gender reveal to share the sex of your baby is something only momma can do.
Yes, your whole family and close friends want know about your baby and help you spread the good news, but this is your choice. Don’t be shy to be selfish, but also do not be afraid to ask for help either. Again, this is your song you get to write.
When do you find out the sex of your baby?
The doctor will do an ultrasound photo between 16 to 20 weeks. It is highly likely the sex of the child will be known during the ultrasound and they will tell you if you want to know. Are you ready for the news? Some people choose to wait, and others want to know the gender of their baby so they can begin planning their nursery, prepare older siblings for the new addition, etc. The choice is yours.
When do you reveal the gender of your baby?
There is no rule of thumb or societal expectation that I can find. Believe me, I’ve looked! I searched thousands of pages. Of course people want to know, but you surely do not need to feel any pressure to do a big reveal. Let this happen when you have determined you want to know the sex and are ready to move forward.
What is a themed gender reveal?
When you are pregnant your creative juices are flowing for sure. Sometimes a little too much. It is common to have a themed baby shower, one you or your BSH (Baby Shower Hostess) may pick with your help. Many mothers-to-be love to pick a theme to reveal the sex of their baby because it is a fun idea to capture this once in a lifetime moment. Of course the options are endless and there are wonderful ways to have a perfect time.
Whether it is the same person who will be your BSH someone else, you will need to choose a trusted friend or family member to be the owner of the special news and help in the execution of your reveal plans so that your reaction is genuine surprise when you find out.
That trustworthy person will be the one you hand a seal envelope to so that they can plant the pink or blue pumpkin, choose the right color smoke bomb or whatever the special way is you choose do reveal this special news. You want to be surprised right along side your spouse and family and friends. Capturing that genuine reaction is such a special memory to make.
Let’s think about the timing….
The first day of autumn season is usually either September 22nd or 23rd. Halloween is October 31st. If you are in the United States there is also Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November. The end of autumn is technically December 21st or 22nd or maybe whenever it starts to snowing in your location. You may have a few other important dates to note too.
Alright, let’s recap… 16 to 20 weeks to learn of the gender… The excitement and endless asking will be certainly bothering you, so I highly recommend not to keep this top secret news over a month to keep the stress low. Or.. stated another way: one month is ONE NINETH of your pregnancy! Pretty good chances you will give in!
Those that conceived around mid-June to mid-July have the best opportunity to plan their Halloween gender reveal!
Now don’t worry if you fall outside of this date range. This is still a very joyous event…… Us momma’s love to plan because we are bringing a new person into the world and we have to get things ready.
If your timing does not work out perfectly for a Halloween gender reveal, an autumn gender reveal or fall gender reveal is just as rewarding, or any other fun holiday that works with your timing. I just wanted to make sure you considered the timing.
(On a side note, there are many, many pregnancy calendar websites out there that help you do some planning. Some recommendations are kidhealth.org and americanpregnancy.org.)
Next thing is your audience….
Big news is best shared in a way so that everyone knows at the same time because no one wants to be left out. Easier said than done of course. You can tell as many people or as little people that you wish. Just remember that people do care about you!
Here is an easy method of getting out the word:
- Make an announcement via social media that you will be doing a gender reveal to all your peeps on a certain date. Get them excited and talking!
- Prep those you hold dear and want to be there when you make the announcement. Keep in mind you probably need to start thinking about who and preparing to ask someone to be your BSH (Baby Shower Hostess). This will be a great time to ask!
- Have someone prepared to take photos and post them on social media if you choose.
Another method:
- Create an invite to the gender reveal / fun pregnancy announcement using a free website such as canva.com.
- Make a private Facebook group that can be used for the gender reveal, baby shower, birthing update, etc.
- Don’t forget you can make it virtual and live stream through Facebook.
Recently, we experienced a loved one that needed to go into assisted living. Since their tech abilities are very limited or non-existent, we wanted to share the news in a way that was special for them. We found a very unique way with these Little Pumpkin Gender Reveal for Out-of-Town Family and Friends to share the news!
Or just keep it simple and make it an intimate family affair, then you can reach to that extended family member that lives across the country the perfect way via social media, Instagram or Facebook. So many options for you to consider.
Now that the admin stuff has been covered, the good stuff: decor ideas and cute photos.
Halloween Theme Decor Ideas
Halloween Decoration Kits
The amount of decoration kits on the market is quite impressive and extremely economical. Below are some from Amazon. Even your local grocery store will have great selection.
Cauldrons and Smoke
A very cool way to reveal the gender is the smoke filled cauldron. There are a few ways to make smoke either dry ice or using a smoke bomb, I recommend using a colored smoke bomb from shutterbombs.com. Be careful as many of the products will need a fan to help disperse the smoke.
Keep in mind this is definitely an outside activity!
As a true Halloween basic, a hollowed-out large pumpkin jack o lantern with colored smoke bombs could be used to display the gender color is a great option. This could be done during daytime or even lit up at night. You can basically have a halloween party and choose to have party guests come in halloween costume or not. Pumpkin carving could be part of the party activities.
Other Reveal Ideas
Bury a small pink or blue small pumpkin either in a leaf pile or pile of pumpkins for a cute fall reveal. Another cute idea is to get young siblings involved by having them dig through to reveal the colored pumpkin for a cute gender reveal
A fun way to reveal baby’s gender could be to have your trusted confident place a small pink or blue pumpkin inside a hollowed out big pumpkin and put the lid back on for you, the expectant parents, to open and reveal the new little pumpkin! You could also open a hollowed pumpkin to reveal blue or pink confetti or streamers
You can always go with the tried and true cake reveal method. You could even have a local baker make a pumpkin cake using two bundt cakes put together and it could be pumpkin spice cake! The inside could have the pink or blue frosting to reveal the baby gender when it is cut open.
If you and your spouse are big Harry Potter fans you could choose to use a sorting hat to have a creative way to gender reveal! The hat could mysteriously (someone has the hat on a string) land on either mom or dad’s head or even on a large pink or blue pumpkin!
There are so many great ways to have a reveal party, whatever you decide will be fun and suit your personality!
Halloween Board Games
A great way to entertain your guests and have some fun are these simple, printable board games. These types of activities are very under-rated and they are very fun to keep people engaged. Check out these games from WithLoveKimmythrough Etsy.
Halloween Theme Spooky Food Ideas
Ghoul or boo-y: this could be a fun theme to really capture Halloween, with lots of decorations and food items of ghosts and ghouls. Here are few hits from some of the biggest brands you will find in your local grocery store.
Eye of Newt
If you are looking for something… well different but tasty.. this recipe from Betty Crocker will surely make your guest ask “What in the…” Simply a creative mixture of mozzarella balls and carrots….
Cornbread Mummy Dogs
Tightly wrapped, easy to make, Pillsbury really creates some amazing foods. Better make 2 batches because the boys are gonna love these.
Witchy Chip and Dip
When I was looking for unique Halloween food presentations I found this one and loved it. If you are vegan or just want some healthy options for your guest, Ronna Farley created this masterpiece which you can read about at instructables.com. Well done Ronna!
Mini-Mummy Pizza
I know you are sensing the mummy theme here. WholeFoods put this recipe together and they even added a link to shop via Amazon. Everyone loves pizza! Talk about easy…
Halloween Theme Sweet Food Ideas
Halloween Cake Roll
Rolls and autumn go hand in hand. Pumpkin rolls, cake rolls, these can satisfy any sweet tooth. The base is literally a package of Duncan Hines Classic Devil’s Food Cake Mix. If you really want to get creative you can change the color of the filling!
Oreo Halloween Cookies
If you need an easy filler or quick fix, Oreo’s has you covered. I do not see these very often in our grocery store, but Amazon has you covered!
Frightfully Easy Ghost Cookies
Alright… cookie ghost are cute for sure. The reason that I am showing you these is that they are easy to make using peanut butter filled cookies. If you have a younger helper they will really enjoy dipping the cookies into the candy coating.
Monster Eyeball Sugar Cookies
Last but not least: sugar cookies. Hard to put down a really good sugar cookie. You will need to get the Halloween sprinkles because you will need these sprinkles in the near future anyway for this time of year!
Capturing Cute Photos
Funny thing… my current phone is only one version newer than my husband’s and for some reason he keeps thinking that my camera is 100 times better than his. Well, it isn’t. I just took some time to learn how to use all of this amazing photography technology that is in my pocket.
Seriously mama-to-be, if there is one skill to learn….. LEARN HOW TO MAKE GREAT PHOTOS! You are about to take millions of pictures to capture the moments that happen only once. And remember these little buggers will need some material for their wedding! But also, every so often invest in a photo shoot, you won’t regret having those professional photos for Christmas cards etc.
Invest In Your Photography Skills
There are many websites out there to learn how to get better at taking pictures. We even have a useful post where you can start. The next step is to take an online course through udemy. The courses we have taken have gotten us up to speed quickly. And better yet… if you get a membership you can find the right instructor for you. (Mom hack: check your local library’s website as you may have free udemy access through your library card!)
But also, don’t be afraid to assign the photography task to a family member or friend, because capturing your genuine reaction is the most important part! Also, side note, do splurge every so often for a professional to take some photos of your family, because let’s face it mom – otherwise we are not in the photos very often…and um, Christmas cards!
Perfect Settings Are Not Far Away
It was not until we had a baby that we discovered a whole new world of farms, wineries, flower growers, vegetable farms, etc. Most of us live within driving distance of a rural area and many of these farms are acreages that are in pristine condition for you to visit.
Many of our first photography shoots were hosted at a pumpkin patch. A very pleasant drive, nice perfect photoshoot, and then we get to pick out pumpkins and feast on many pumpkin favored goodies. So, please, search for a local beautiful farm and visit them!
Please let me know in the comments how your planning is going!
