It seems the latest US craze is about to hit Britain with “Gender Reveal Parties” topping the list of themed events. Hey, it even made it onto BBC Breakfast this morning!
So what is all the fuss about?
A Gender Reveal party is an excuse to bring friends and family together to find out as a group whether the expectant parents will be having a boy or a girl. It seems in most cases even the parents do not know the flavour of child, with the sonographer’s findings being sealed inside an envelope and shipped directly to the bakery!
In a nutshell the gender of the unborn child is concealed inside the iced celebration cake (or cupcakes), with all eyes on the expectant parents as the cake is cut and a pink/blue centre is revealed.
You only need to watch a few clips on You Tube to witness the levels of mild hysteria enjoyed in the States at Gender Reveal events.
In the past the first question expectant parents would be asked due date, but with a reported 60% of parents choosing to know the gender of their baby before they are born it is now as likely to be “Is it a boy or girl?”.
Potential pitfalls
What if the bakery was to accidentally muddle up two gender reveal cakes? What if the sonograper gets it wrong at the scan? It is not unheard of.
My son’s nursery assistant was expecting a baby in February and decided to find out the gender of the child at her 20-week scan. Cue oohs and aahs from all around when she revealed to us she was expecting a baby girl. Then came the whirlwind of spending on all things pink – snowsuits, rompers, bedding, pram accessories – you name it she had it. The room was, of course, decorated girlie pink and we all waited for news of the pre-named baby girl to arrive. Only when the big day came it wasn’t a girl – it was a bouncing baby boy…
I found this amusing little anecdote on the Internet, observed by a customer in the queue of a US bakery store. It went something like this…
Expectant Father: “Hi, I’m here to pick up cupcakes for XXX?”
Assistant: “Oh yes, we have them right here. Two dozen cupcakes with the pink filling, right?”.
Cue stunned silence and look of total disbelief on the expectant father’s face.
So a passing fad or here to stay?
Is this yet another commercial gimmick from the US; an inventive money-making scheme designed to indulge the happy couple and get us spending, or is this a genuinely original way to celebrate amazing news with family and friends?
Do people really want to revel in the premature excitement of the gender of an unborn child at a themed party or are they happy to wait for news of the birth, just thankful it’s a healthy baby regardless of gender? And do expectant parents really want to share what is traditionally an intimate and personal moment with a room full of people or is it better to keep it private and tell family and friends afterwards?
Tell us what you think. Would you like to discover the gender of your unborn baby in front of family and friends with a Gender Reveal Cake or do you think this is a baby celebration too far?
Share your views below…
This is an interesting one. We found out with our first and second born but found the stress of trying to keep it from relatives, who didn’t want to know, was just too great. We didn’t find out with our third and it was lovely. We had the luxury of already having a boy and a girl and plenty of clothes so it was fine. Finding out we had another girl was amazing and if we had anymore we would definitely leave it as a surprise. However, I do remember the amazing feeling of discovering the gender and dreaming of the baby before he/ she was born. I’m not sure about gender revealing parties though: perhaps they should be kept for when the baby is born?
xXx
ps found you via BYOBH
I agree, we’re expecting our second baby (due September). We had a surprise the first time – we never had any desire to know and the shock/excitement of finding out it was a boy was amazing (being one of three girls and from a family with a lot of girls I could never imagine having a boy!). This time round we were in two minds, so have had the gender written down and popped in an envelope, in case curiosity gets the better of me, however right now I am quite happy just to wait and see! Good to know the BYOBH link is working, thanks for posting on the site xx