Baby Shower vs Gender Reveal Party

So, you’re going to have a baby. Congratulations on being a new mom! It’s just the perfect reason to throw a party and share the excitement with your family and friends. The next question is a Baby Shower vs Gender Reveal Party!

Many first-time moms will have a Baby Shower or a Gender Reveal, and some may have both. So, which is which? And which should you have? If this is what you’re wondering, don’t worry. Here are our thoughts on a Baby Shower vs Gender Reveal Party to help you decide!

Baby Shower vs Gender Reveal Party: What’s the Difference?

A Baby Shower is an occasion held in honor of you as a mother to celebrate the imminent arrival of your new baby. On this occasion, your friends and family will give you baby gifts.

On the other hand, a Gender Reveal Party is an event where you reveal the biological sex of your baby to family and friends. Often, the reveal will also be news to you as parents as you will enlist the help of a close friend or family member to plan the reveal and keep the baby’s gender a secret.

Baby Showers have been going on for decades while Gender Reveals are relatively new. Another major difference is in the planning process. For Baby Showers, though you can be involved in the planning as the expectant mother, friends and family will usually go all out to surprise you. In most cases, your best friend will plan the event, book the venue, and take care of all the expenses with the help of other friends without involving you.

It’s different for Gender Reveals. These are usually organized by the expectant parents, who also decide who to invite.

Furthermore, gift giving is the main idea behind Baby Showers. With Gender Reveals, your guests won’t be able to purchase gender-specific gifts. If you choose to have both parties at the same time, people will be forced to bring unisex gifts.

Finally, Baby Showers are generally women-only events while anyone can be invited to a Gender Reveal Party.

Can you have a Baby Shower and a Gender Reveal Party?

Yes. Many parents these days choose to have the best of both worlds; a Baby Shower for the mom-to-be and also a Gender Reveal.

Here are some interesting statistics from a survey conducted by WeddingBee.com:

This survey shows that while many people still prefer Baby Showers, Gender Reveals are becoming more popular. Additionally, most parents prefer to have a single party for their baby; either just a Baby Shower or a combined Baby Shower and Gender Reveal Party.

If you choose to do your Gender Reveal and Baby Shower as a party, you need to be careful with your guest list. If it’s an all-girls event, try to find a way to consider the father-to-be.

Why Have a Baby Shower?

Baby Showers are usually held about six weeks before the due date. This gives your guests time to share their excitement with you and also to offer you and the baby gifts and good wishes before the birth.

Usually, they last about two or three hours. It was just enough time for the guests to eat and give gifts and it didn’t take long for the mom-to-be to feel overwhelmed.

You may also decide to have a Baby Shower after the baby is born. This usually happens if you don’t want to reveal the baby’s gender and don’t want gender-neutral gifts.

Things to Consider When Planning a Baby Shower

• Carefully choose the date and time to hold the party.
• Establish the guest list and the budget.
• Choose a venue that will be convenient for the mom-to-be as well as guests.
• Send the invitations in advance. Guests must receive invitations six weeks prior to the event date.
• Adjust the menu and decor.
• Organize the day’s activities.

Why Have a Gender Reveal Party?

Gender Reveals are a thing now because technology has made it possible to know the gender of a baby before birth. The party is usually held before the baby shower, at around 20 weeks of pregnancy.

It symbolically uses the color blue to represent a man or pink for a woman. The color is usually hidden in a piñata, a cake, balloons, or something similar. The party will also have lots of gender guessing games and activities.

Alternate gender symbols are bows and bow ties, bucks and does, or softballs and baseballs. Here are some other ways to reveal your gender:

• Painting the baby bump blue or pink
• Popping balloons out of a box
• Spraying a silly string in the air in the color of sex
• A creative family portrait
• Using confetti
• Gender shows flame or color bombs

Why Should You Have a Baby Shower-Gender Reveal Party?

You may choose to combine your Baby Shower and Gender Reveal Party into one event for a variety of reasons:

• If you don’t have enough time to plan them separately
• Maybe you live far away from your family and friends and you don’t want to bother them by traveling twice for events
• You want to have an unforgettable event so you decide to combine the two to better manage your resources
• If you feel that holding two parties for yourself is too demanding on your friends and family

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, whether you decide to have a Baby Shower, a Gender Reveal Party, both of these or a combination of them is completely up to you. This is your baby so you can make this decision! Find out what works for you, and when that time comes, make sure to make it memorable. Take lots of pictures and videos, you are going to treasure them for the rest of your life!

We hope this Baby Shower vs Gender Reveal Party post helped you figure out what you need to go for. Good luck!