August is my birthday month, and I’m in plenty of good company, as summer and early fall are the busiest months of the year for maternity wards. Therefore, the odds are decent that you might be getting invited to a baby shower in the next month or two.
And based on recent trends, you might also be getting invited to a gender reveal party. Are you familiar with this concept? It’s an event where the parents learn if their baby is a boy or a girl, and they usually learn in a festive and fun way in front of all of the guests (by slicing a cake and the inside color is telling, or opening a box that has pink or blue balloons inside, etc.). These types of parties weren’t a thing even in 2012 when I was last pregnant, but now they are a fairly common occurrence.
And yet, they are a bit of a head-scratcher to attendees because the jury is out over whether or not gifts need to be brought to a gender reveal party. I’ve actually never attended an event, but my understanding is that it’s not at all expected. If you are invited to a gender reveal party, then the couple simply wants to share an important moment of their lives with you.
With that said, though, the only time it’s considered rude to bring a gift to a gathering is when your invitation explicitly asks you not to do so. Otherwise, it’s always a very nice gesture! Here are a few perfect gift ideas for a gender reveal party (and a few to avoid). I hope they help you when your invitation arrives, because if you haven’t been to one yet, you will within the next few years!
Gifts to Avoid
Gender neutral stuff. If parents are having a gender reveal party, it’s a safe bet that they are interested in having their nursery filled with items in colors other than yellow and green. Take a pass on these items and keep reading if you aren’t sure what else to get when you don’t yet know the baby’s gender.
Newborn onesies. You may also be tempted to buy some white newborn onesies. These are not a good idea at a gender reveal party OR at a baby shower because babies outgrow them SO quickly (and some babies are born large enough to never even wear size newborn). Between consignment sales and hand me downs from family and friends, there is a 90% chance that the couple has more than plenty when it comes to newborn and even 0-3 month clothing, so just skip it.
Gifts to Bring
Diapers and Wipes. It makes no difference if the baby is a boy or a girl; either way, the parents are going to need some diapers and wipes! Any parent will appreciate having a head start on diapers and you will love getting such a great deal on them. I found a killer price for a bundle of wipes and these diapers are currently 25% off with subscribe & save.
Good Advice. Since gender reveal parties don’t mandate gifts, you could certainly offer a different type of gift to the couple: helpful advice that has served you well as a parent. This could mean that you gift them your favorite parenting book (Parenting with Love and Logic is my pick!), or share your secret to reducing meal planning stress (eMeals is what I use), or just give some pro tips for making future trips to the store with kids less difficult (such of the importance of stocking up on diapers and wipes in advance!). For example, at Sam’s Club you can opt for free shipping on lots of items, including those Pampers or Luvs diapers and wipes that will be needed. No need to head off to the store at all!
If you forget to order in advance, you can opt for Club Pickup, which means your items will be waiting for you once you arrive at the club. Or if you are the kind who liked to go inside and shop, use the Sam’s Club Scan & Go app to scan the bar codes of the items you want while you shop, pay for your purchase through your phone, and completely skip the checkout line. I used it while shopping with my girls yesterday and LOVED it, especially because they were bickering with each other the entire time we were shopping. Mama needed to wrap up that trip fast! 🙂
They had to spend the last 7 minutes of store visit in silence. Stinkers!
Gift-Giving Etiquette One final thing to keep in mind is that since it is unlikely that every attendee will be bringing a gift, be sure to exercise some subtlety in your gift presentation. Options include waiting until the end of the party to bring in your gift from the car, or slipping the gift into a side room. If you’ve ever been to a party where someone brings a gift and that someone isn’t you, then you know how bad it feels to wonder if you made a faux pas! Be a good party guest and avoid passing on that feeling, if at all possible.
Have you ever been to a gender reveal party? Any other great ideas for useful gifts for the new parents? I’d love to hear!
A gender reveal party seems most appropriate for close family and friends only, so hopefully that would minimize the gift-giving anxiety.