The stork is about to present a wonderful bundle of joy, due to arrive in the next few months. The little bambino/a is certainly worthy of a celebration and holding a baby shower for an expectant mother is a memorable way to welcome the addition of the little one. Baby showers, as fun as they are to attend and host, nonetheless require planning, and a bit of creativity and imagination. If you are the host, themes, decorations, games, food and gift ideas should be among the many topics on your party planning checklist.
THEMES
The most obvious shower theme will be the tiny tot and mom. But selecting a decorative theme streamlines the decor and games, and helps guests select appropriate gifts.
Common baby shower themes include nursery rhymes, Old MacDonald's Farm animals, or Baby Firsts. If the mother is having twins, consider a Noah's Ark theme, which centers around pairs. If the baby's sex is known, try a "Little Prince" or "Little Princess" fairy tale theme.
If the mother has not yet selected a name, the theme can be "helping the mother select a name." For a stressed out mother, center your shower around "pampering the mom." Theme ideas are countless, so select a theme that best represents the personality of the mother.
INVITATIONS AND THANK YOUS
If you have selected a theme, select matching invitation and thank-you stationary. Lots of pre-designed invites available, with images of storks, babies, carriages, or teddy bears can match multiple themes. Also consider designing your own creative stationary, with perhaps a baby picture of the mother herself on the invite.
In the invitation, be sure to include the shower location(with map), start/end time, RSVP deadline, organizer's name and phone number, the selected theme and any gift suggestions. Also indicate if the shower is a surprise, to avoid latecomers.
Thank you notes should closely resemble the original invite, and contain handwritten, heart felt messages, thanking the attendee for her/her presence and gift.
COSTS AND FOOD
A baby shower can simple or sophisticated, depending on planning, number of guests and budget. Be sure to consider the cost of food, prizes, decoration, favors and stationary. Many games involve supplies like diapers, pictures, or dolls that must also be purchased. Shower location will affect cost. If you choose to hold your shower at a person's house in lieu of a restaurant, decide if the shower will be catered or if guests will bring food. As many showers take place on weekends and over lunch hour, buffet and brunch style finger-foods, catered or home-cooked, tend to work well. Zesty dips, stuffed mushrooms, mini pita finger sandwiches, strawberry flavored punches and lemon cakes using pretty, pastel-colored ingredients and stuffings are great baby shower foods.
Don't forget to serve some of the mother's favorite foods.
ROOM AND TABLE DECOR
Create an ambiance of anticipation, and try and match shower decor to the selected theme. Balloons, streamers, banners, pacifiers and flowers in soft pastels and white are soft, yet beckoning. Glittery stars, scented votives, rubber ducks and baby umbrellas are also excellent room decoration ideas.
Paper tablecloths and matching baby napkins and cups can be inexpensively purchased and match the shower's theme. Putting together a pink and blue floral arrangement also adds elegance to any table, especially when placed in a baby bottle shaped vase.
As an alternative to flowers, try a toy-filled mini carriage, a teddy bear, or a two tiered mini diaper cake, for an attention-grabbing centerpiece.
GAMES
No shower is complete without games and there are lots of different types. Races, and guessing games tend to be the most engaging.
HOW BIG IS THE BELLY?-Guests can guess the age of the mother in a specific baby picture, or the circumferance of the mother's belly.
THE POOPY DIAPER-Lay a diaper on each guest's chair. At the end of the shower, the guest at each table with the poop-filled diaper (chocolate smeared in the diaper's inside), takes home the centerpiece.
WHAT WAS IN THE DIAPER BAG?-Test everyone's memory by briefly showing items in a diaper bag, and have guests name the items they just saw. You can divide your guests into teams and challenge them to dress a plastic doll in baby clothes, beginning with the diaper, and ending with the blanket.
DRESS THE BABY-Divide your guests into teams and have one member of each table dress a large, baby size doll, beginning with the diaper and ending with the blanket. The fastest dresser wins.
Whatever games you choose, remember to award the winners with baby prizes. Cute and clever prizes that double as shower favors include baby-themed candles, baby gingerbread cookies or platters, pink and blue piggy banks and small, chick shaped salt and pepper shakers.
GIFT IDEAS
Gifts are the discretion of the giver, but if there are any specific gift ideas, the host can list suggestions in the shower invite.
When all else fails, functional necessities, like receiving blankets, feeding utensils, layettes or bibs are always welcomed. Baby albums, keepsakes, hand-knit quilts, or newborn brush and comb sets can be unique and classy gift ideas. Plush toys should always be considered as a nice gift for both the mother and the bambino/a, and especially so if a cute teddy or kitty can be personalized with a name of the child.
Sing-my-name teddy bear from MyTunez.biz will sing a wake up song with your child's own name whenever the teddy is hugged or played with.
If you are unsure about a gift idea, consider purchasing something that benefits the mother, like bath products, pre and post natal yoga kits, or post-pregnancy journals. After all, the mother has a complicated job ahead of her, and could use some nice pampering along with Pampers.
SWEEPSTAKES CONTESTS
This is our blog's tag cloud for Children's Personalized Music Gifts. It's been generated by Wordle. We'll get a new tag cloud in a few months and see how Children's Personalized Music blog evolves.
Celebrate Labor Day with a 15% discount on all products personalized for your child!
Posts
