Today and tomorrow I’ll be going over some reasons to find out your baby’s gender and some reasons to wait. Both decisions are completely valid. When it comes down to it, it’s a personal choice.
It’s easier to select a name. It’s easier to come up with one name you can agree on than it is to come up with two names. You can “test out” the name by calling your baby the name for a few days or weeks whenever you talk to him or her. Once you decide on a name, you can stop calling your child “baby,” “it,” or some other random nickname like “peanut.”
It’s fun to pick out gender specific clothing. Regardless of whether you are having a girl or a boy, it’s fun to pick out adorable pink tutus and mini blue sweater vests. You are free to pick from a larger spectrum of colors as well, rather than restricting yourself to neutrals like yellow or light green.
You don’t have to do a gender neutral nursery. When you know you’re having a boy, you can’t help but dream of sailboats, blue stripes, jungle animals and trucks. Likewise, having a girl brings pink polka dots, butterflies, ballerinas and ribbon to mind. You have more choices when you’re not trying to “sit on the fence” in terms of color and theme.
You can throw a gender specific baby shower. Dye the cake pink or blue. Decorate the tables in the appropriate color and theme. Match the theme to the nursery while you’re at it. Scrawl your baby’s name on everything from invitations to thank you notes to centerpieces. It’s fun when you know exactly who you are celebrating for!
You can bond with your baby easily. When you can tell your family stories about how Johnny is kicking so hard or Olivia keeps getting the hiccups, it creates a bond. Putting a name with the adorable movements and ultrasound pictures makes everything that much more real. You stop thinking about your baby as just a new addition and you start thinking about him or her as your son or daughter.