A gender reveal party is designed to surprise all the guests (and often the parents) with the fact that the baby is a girl or boy. This means that any gifts that are purchased for the baby would need to be in neutral colors. For this reason it’s best to purchase any baby gifts for the baby shower or later in the mother’s pregnancy.
If the gender reveal will be followed by a baby shower at a later point in the pregnancy, it’s appropriate not to bring a gift. However, if the gender reveal will be the only pregnancy event or party5, it’s generally considered polite to bring a gift along to the reveal.
If you do wish to bring a gift, it’s not uncommon to bring one for the hostess. Some people choose to bring a gift that matches the color which they personally predict for the baby’s gender.
Some examples of such gifts include:
- A bottle of wine (non-alcoholic) with a blue or pink ribbon.
- A single cupcake, with blue or pink frosting.
- Flowers in blue or pink.
If you plan to bring a gift specifically for the baby, it’s best to choose a gender-neutral color or style of gift which would be deemed appropriate for either sex.
This may include diapers (nappies), soaps, cloths, eating utensils, or gender neutral clothing.
Susannah is a certified Birth Doula through Childbirth International and the founder of Trimester Talk. With a background in journalism and digital strategy, she combines evidence-based research with real-world knowledge to create accessible content about pregnancy and parenting. She’s a mother of two and stepmother of two more, all of them now teenagers.