Creative Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy to Your Family in Person

Surprise family photo

Make your announcement just as you're taking the photo to capture the reaction. Gather your family together for a group photo, then say, "On the count of three! 3... 2... I'm pregnant!" You might want to set your camera to take a burst of photos. After all, it might take a second for your message to register—especially if it's completely unexpected! You can also have someone else secretly recording video of the entire announcement—just tell your family they're getting shots from a different angle. If it's the first grandchild in your family, you might get yourself, your mother, and your grandmother together and say you want to take a photo of "four generations." Wait for it to sink in that you said four instead of three. Sneaky!

Whisper challenge

Have your family listen to loud music in headphones while you whisper. Noise-canceling headphones also work if you don't want to blast your family's eardrums. Once you're sure they can't hear you, make your announcement. They'll have to read your lips to figure out what you're saying, with hilarious results. Set up a camera to record or have someone else filming so you can be sure to get the moment when someone finally figures out what you're saying.

Framed sonogram

A framed sonogram reveals your surprise with a sweet memento. You can buy a frame designed specifically for a sonogram, but you don't have to—any frame will do. Wrap the frame and give it as a gift to a member of your family. You don't even have to buy a new frame! Replace a photo in your home with the sonogram, then invite your family over and wait for someone to notice it.

Family game night

Play a guessing game like charades or Pictionary. When you're up, simply give a pregnancy-themed clue for your family to guess. Just keep in mind it's likely that—at least at first—they'll just think it's all part of the game. You might need to poke them a bit more to get them to realize it's a real announcement. If you don't want to actually play a game, you can set up a Scrabble board with overlapping words related to your announcement, such as "baby" and "grandparent" intersecting with "pregnant." "Baby" could intersect with the "A" in "pregnant," while the "E" in "grandparent" could intersect with the "E" in "pregnant."

Baby gifts

Gifting a family member a onesie, bib, or booties is a great reveal. If you're giving the gift to your parents, something that mentions "grandma" or "grandpa" is always a great way to let them know they're going to be grandparents. But anything clearly meant for a baby will signal that there's one on the way. This is a great idea if you want to tell your mom on Mother's Day. She'll initially think that you're just giving her a Mother's Day present, then you surprise her with the news that she's going to be a grandma! You might have to prod a little if they don't get it at first. Looking for a way to make it more obvious? Include a print of the sonogram in the box.

Picnic plates

Reveal your surprise at dinner with messages on plates. Get inexpensive disposable plates and write your message on them. For this to work, you have to actually put the food on the plates for people so the message is covered up until they've eaten some of their food. Then, wait and see who uncovers the message first. Make sure you're using nontoxic ink that won't bleed or run when you cover your message with food. If it's normal in your family for people to serve themselves, write your message on one plate and put it in the stack of plates. If you want a specific person to find it first, just insist they go in order to uncover the plate with the message.

Custom baked goods

Spell out your announcement in icing on the top. This works for cakes, cookies—really anything you can put icing on (and most sweets are better with icing). Bake something yourself or order from your favorite local baker. Then bring your special treat to your next family gathering to reveal your surprise. For example, you might write "New Baby" along with the month and year the baby is expected to arrive. You could also say "We're expecting" or something similar. You can also bake cupcakes with tiny toy babies inside. When your family members bite into the cupcakes, they'll reveal the surprise! Just be careful in doing this for older folks, as it might be a choking hazard. For a play on words, bake buns before your family arrives at your home. Make a show of opening the oven and prompt them to say you've got a "bun in the oven."

Jigsaw puzzles

Have your family put together a puzzle that shows your message. Buy blank jigsaw puzzles and write your message on them yourself. Just make sure the ink won't smear—permanent markers are likely your best bet. Then, lay out the pieces on the table and tell your family members to put them together. You can choose the number of pieces and the number of puzzles you want, so you could potentially make a separate puzzle for every member of your family.

Lottery scratchers

Build suspense with a fun lottery-style announcement. This one's really simple—just order pregnancy announcement lottery scratchers online and hand one out to each of your family members. Insist that they scratch them off immediately and make sure your camera's rolling to capture the reaction. Since these little cards are really portable, you can make your announcement virtually anywhere. Just slide the cards in your pocket or purse and go.

Fortune cookies

Crack open fortune cookies with a true prediction inside. Give customized fortune cookies to your family members and encourage them to read their fortunes aloud. If you want to be extra sneaky, take your family out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Just slip your custom fortune cookies to your server to give your table at the end of your meal. You can make several different messages, but since you'll have no way of knowing which message is in which cookie after they're packaged, make sure each message could apply to anyone in your family.

T-shirts

Wear a T-shirt with your message or gift them to family. There are many different companies online that will sell you custom-printed T-shirts, or you can make your own. Invite your family over and watch the look on their faces when they see your shirt—make sure you have a camera ready! You can also make "Promoted to" T-shirts for your family. This theme is popular—for example, a "Promoted to Aunt" shirt for your sister, if it's your first child. If you have a pet, get them in on the act! Pet bandanas and T-shirts are popular and can also be custom-printed with a special message for the occasion.

Customized mugs or glasses

Share your announcement on something your family will actually use. An engraved glass or customized mug is a gift that will always be appreciated. Your family members will enjoy it again and again—and they'll think of your special announcement every time they pull it out. If you want to be sneaky, use a heat-activated mug that reveals your message when the mug is filled with a warm beverage—just make sure they use it right away!

Commemorative jewelry

Get your mom a "grandmother" necklace or bracelet. This option works best if it's the first grandchild in your family. On top of being a beautiful way to announce your pregnancy, it's a lovely gift that she'll cherish forever. If your mom has a charm bracelet, you might get her a new charm that represents the new baby.

Personalized sports gear

Surprise the athletes in your family with customized gear. Does your family play golf? Customized golf balls are a great way to share your announcement! Personalized hand towels are a great idea as well and come in handy for anyone who works up a sweat on a regular basis. This option is especially fun if you're timing your announcement to coincide with Father's Day or a family member's birthday. You're giving them the sort of gift you normally would, but with your special message attached.

Scavenger hunt

Organize a scavenger hunt with your announcement at the end. This might require a little extra preparation on your part, but it'll be worth it! You can even tease the announcement in the clues, but be careful—moms tend to catch on to these announcements pretty quickly and you don't want to spoil the final reveal! If your family celebrates Easter and you're making your announcement in springtime, an Easter egg hunt is a fun alternative to a scavenger hunt. Just put your announcement inside one or more eggs.