How to Avoid Accidentally Finding Out Your Baby's Gender
Plenty of parents plan a surprise and then find out by accident: a glance at the scan screen, a results email preview, or a friend who can't keep a secret. Here are the usual culprits and how to avoid them.
At the scan
- Say it first. Tell the sonographer you don't want to know before the scan starts, not halfway through.
- Ask for a warning. They can tell you to look away before checking, or turn the screen.
- Check the printouts. Some scan pictures are labelled, or the angle can give it away. Ask for photos that don't show it.
- Watch the paperwork. Scan reports and maternity notes sometimes record the sex. Ask whether yours will, and avoid reading those pages.
Blood test results and apps
- Turn off email and notification previews around the time results are due, so the answer can't pop up on your lock screen.
- Let someone else open the results portal or email. Some reports show the sex on the first page.
- Ask the clinic whether the sex can be left out of your report, or sent to someone else.
Friends, family and the baker
- Keep the circle small. Every person who knows is another chance of a slip.
- Ask the baker or party shop not to post photos of your cake or balloons until after the reveal.
- Watch out for gifts. Someone who knows may buy all-pink or all-blue presents without thinking.
Use a sealed envelope nobody has to carry
A paper envelope can be lost, peeked at or opened by the wrong person. With Gender Envelope, your sonographer seals boy or girl on your phone, and the screen stays blank afterwards. You lock it with a PIN and send the link to whoever is preparing the reveal, so the answer never sits in your inbox or your bag. If you're ordering a cake, see how to tell your baker the gender.
If you do find out
It happens! You can still have a reveal for everyone else, or let your partner find out at the party. And if you're not sure what you saw, you might not know after all: a glimpse of a screen is easy to misread.
Try it free: your doctor seals boy or girl on your phone, and you share a link and PIN.
Make a gender envelopeMore guides
How to Tell Your Baker the Gender (and Keep It a Surprise)The easiest ways to get your baby's gender to the baker for a reveal cake without finding out yourself, including a free digital envelope your doctor seals.
How to Ask Your Sonographer to Keep the Gender a SecretWhat to say at your scan so the sonographer keeps your baby's gender a secret but records it for your gender reveal, and what to do if they won't tell.
Gender Reveal with NIPT or Blood Test ResultsGot your baby's gender from an NIPT or early blood test? How to keep the result a surprise and pass it to your baker or family for a gender reveal.
Can Your Doctor Give You the Gender in a Sealed Envelope?Most sonographers and clinics will seal your baby's gender in an envelope if you ask. What to say at a scan, after a blood test or on a results call.
Small Gender Reveal Ideas Without a PartySimple, low-key gender reveal ideas for just the two of you, your family or a video call, with no party planning needed.