Say Goodbye to Gender Reveals: Here’s How to Have a Zodiac Party Instead

Despite the popularity of gender reveal parties on social media, even the creator of the trend has acknowledged that there are so many other aspects of baby’s personality for parents to focus on without focusing on tired gender stereotypes that don’t capture LGBTQ+ realities. If you want to skip the gender reveal but still want to celebrate baby with friends and family, why not have a Zodiac reveal instead? Here are 10 easy ways to swap gender reveal staples with fun astrology-themed alternatives.

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Gender Reveal: Cute gendered theme

One of the first steps for parents planning a gender reveal party is to choose a cute, this-or-that party theme. Expecting parents use their chosen theme — like bows or bowties, pirates or mermaids, quarterback or cheerleader — for party decor and to reveal their child’s sex via the masculine or feminine option. But in a world where girls can wear bowties and boys can be cheerleaders, these options can sometimes limit kids before they’re born.

RELATED: The gentlewoman: non-binary style secrets from your dad.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac and astrology theme

With a zodiac party, the zodiac is your theme. Think outer space, stars, constellations, and zodiac symbols. If you like the this-or-that theme idea, look at the zodiac signs around baby’s due date and those can be the options for your astrology-themed party.

SEE ALSO: The best careers for you according to your zodiac sign.

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Gender Reveal: Pink and blue decorations

For gender reveal parties, the theme usually informs the decor. For a classic boy-or-girl theme, it's not uncommon to see pink and blue balloons, plates, napkins, and banners all over. More creative parents-to-be might opt for ties and tutus, princes and princesses, or even bucks and does.

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Zodiac Party: Outer space decorations

For zodiac party decorations, the sky’s the limit — literally! Hit up your local party store for outer space- and star-themed plates and napkins. Think swirly purple and blue nebulas, twinkling stars, and multicoloured planets. If you’re a DIY fan, cut stars, constellations, planets, and zodiac symbols out of scrapbook paper in shades of navy, deep purple, silver, and gold.

RELATED: All the zodiac signs as dog breeds.

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Gender Reveal: Dress your guess

At a gender reveal party, games are a must, especially if it’s also a baby shower. Some parents-to-be ask guests to “dress their guess” by coming dressed in pink or blue.

Zodiac Party: Dress your guess, modified

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Zodiac Party: Dress your guess, modified

For zodiac games, guests can still “dress their guess.” Did you know that each zodiac sign has its own colour? On your invitations, ask guests to wear zodiac colours depending on their guess — for example, orange for Leo or green for Virgo depending on their guess.

SEE ALSO: The zodiac signs of the most famous Real Housewives.

Gender Reveal: Old wives’ tales guessing games

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Gender Reveal: Old wives’ tales guessing games

Another popular gender reveal party game is to guess the baby’s sex based on what old wives’ tales say about the parent’s pregnancy. Carrying low? It’s a boy. Experiencing acne or mood swings? It’s a girl. Although these myths are sometimes silly (and sometimes harmful – why do female babies supposedly give mom bad skin?) — arbitrary predictions can still be fun.

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Zodiac Party: Hire an astrologer

If you’re in the mood for arbitrary predictions, hire an astrologer or tarot card reader for your party. Guests can have fun learning about their own horoscopes and star charts.

Gender Reveal: Guess the Baby Food Flavour

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Gender Reveal: Guess the Baby Food Flavour

A new classic in gender reveal and baby shower games is a baby food guessing game. Guests each take a taste of unlabelled baby food and guess what it is.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac Match-Up

Although the baby food game isn’t really gendered, if you’re looking for an astrology-themed game, make up your own game of Zodiac match-up. Make up a chart with all the zodiac signs and list a few characteristics of each sign. Print out photos of your favourite celebrities and have guests guess the celebs’ signs. To amp up the fun, print out photos of your party guests and have them guess each other’s signs.

RELATED: "Celebrity babies born in 2019.

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Gender Reveal: Candy jar guessing game

With the popularity of candy tables at gender reveals and baby showers, this game has become an easy staple. Guests are given pink and blue candy and each place one in a jar as their guess.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac guessing game

Luckily, the candy jar game is also easy to adapt into a zodiac party game. Choose two or three zodiac sign possibilities based on baby’s due date and label three jars with the names or symbols for those signs. Place it on your candy table and guests can put candy in the jar of whatever sign they want to vote for.

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Gender Reveal: Pink and blue cocktails

Enthusiastic parents-to-be carry the pink and blue party theme down to their drinks, creating pink and blue signature cocktails (and mocktails) to serve at the party.

SEE ALSO: Celebrities you didn't even know had children.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac Cocktails

Channel your inner mixologist and get super creative making your own zodiac cocktails! Again, if there are two to three potential zodiac signs for baby, make cocktails based on those. You can put swedish fish candies in your favourite cocktail or mocktail for water-sign Pisces. Try a jalapeño margarita for firey Leo, and serve a simple wheat beer for earthy Virgo (a sign associated with the goddess of wheat).

DON'T MISS: This is how all the zodiac signs cheat.

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Gender Reveal: Gender reveal cake

The crown jewel of the gender reveal party is the actual reveal itself, often done by cutting a cake to reveal pink or blue frosting or spongecake inside.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac reveal cake

This one can be a little tricky to translate to a zodiac party because baby’s sign depends on when baby is born, and due dates are a bit of a guessing game. If baby is due solidly within the date range for a sign, reveal that particular sign with a star-themed cake topped with a custom zodiac cake topper.

SEE ALSO: 21 celebrities who became moms at a young age.

Gender Reveal: Pink and blue desserts and food

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Gender Reveal: Pink and blue desserts and food

Some folks go all out for their gender reveals with pink and blue foods like pink and blue frosted cupcakes, macarons, and more.

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Zodiac Party: Zodiac-themed food

For a zodiac party, you can serve your guests zodiac-themed foods in colours that match your party decor. Decorate your desserts with reds and yellows for fire signs, pale blues and white for air signs, deep blues for water signs, and greens and browns for earth signs.

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Gender Reveal: Wish chest

So the big reveal is over, Instagram photos have been taken, and cake has been had. To create a lasting memento for themselves and their child once baby’s sex is revealed, some parents will ask partygoers to write their best wishes for the baby on slips of paper. The wishes go into a box that parents give their child later at 16 or 18. But with the gender revealed, the wishes can sometimes play into gendered stereotypes.

SEE ALSO: 20 celebrity exes who are proudly co-parenting.

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Zodiac Party: Video wish “chest”

Update this sweet and sentimental tradition by setting up a video camera and having guests record video messages for your little one. To keep with the zodiac theme, set a list of each sign’s traits beside the camera to give your friends and family some ideas.

SEE ALSO: Here's what we can learn from new mom Meghan Markle.