Baby showers tips & tricks

Baby showers - Can you invite someone who’s just lost a baby?

Sun, 13 Mar 2005 14:02:53 +0000

If you’ve hosted several baby showers before, you’ve likely come across situations where the one of the people you’re considering inviting has either lost a baby or is infertile, etc. And you may be at a loss to figure out if you should call them for the event.

There’s a simple etiquette rule you can follow in all such cases.

And that is, “Ask”. Before you send an invite in the mail, call her up and speak to her about the upcoming shower and ask if she would want to attend. Some may not be up to attending a baby shower – that might evoke painful memories. Others may be perfectly fine with showing up.

And the only way you can know is by asking. Don’t just shoot off an invitation in the mail.

Often, even if she doesn’t want to attend, she may want to send a gift across. So again you should definitely talk to her and find out.

Etiquette made easy for baby showers

Tip about baby shower invites

Sat, 12 Mar 2005 11:56:17 +0000

Your invites are the first intimation most guests have of your baby shower. That’s why you need to make sure they convey the right impression!

You’ll find a page here on what to write in invites for baby showers . It covers the seven things you should include.

Here’s a special tip – make sure the invitation is very clear about exactly who is being invited. Because there are all kinds of baby showers – those where only expectant mommy’s closest friends are being invited, co-ed showers, showers where spouses and kids are invited, and so on. So the invitation should be specific about this.

More on gifts at baby showers

Fri, 11 Mar 2005 05:23:49 +0000

Baby showers are essentially gift giving occasions, although it is of course a lot more to it than just that. What do you need to keep in mind about gifts?

First of all, if mommy-to-be is registering for gifts, make sure she registers at only one place. This will avoid confusion and problems like two or more guests bringing along identical gifts.

When registering for gifts or giving gift suggestions when invitees call to RSVP, do include gifts at a variety of price points. Don’t stick to just low value or high value gifts. And it is fine to suggest that two or more guests can get together to buy a relatively expensive item.

Make sure you get a gift for daddy. Even if it’s not a co-ed shower. After all, it’s his baby too!

Most importantly, if there are older siblings, make sure they receive a gift each. Older ones tend to feel left out with the new baby on the way – so this is an important gesture if you’re holding a baby shower.

Tips for gifts at baby showers

Multiple languages at baby showers

Wed, 09 Mar 2005 03:44:04 +0000

At baby showers, you might sometimes have guests who speak languages other than English. One of my friends recently hosted a shower where many guests were English speaking while several others spoke Portuguese. She wanted to have games at the shower. But how do you play games when everyone does not speak the same language?

Well, she came up with a unique, creative solution.

She paired up folks who speak different languages. One English speaking guest was paired up with a Portuguese speaking guest. That way, she got people interacting who might otherwise have not interacted with each other. In the end, it was wonderful, because everyone got to learn a bit about another culture and traditions.

My friend said it was one of the best events she ever hosted! So don’t let language differences scare you away. It can be a great opportunity instead of a great problem – whether the event is a baby shower or anything else.

Recipes for baby showers

Guests at baby showers and baby - relationships

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 15:22:21 +0000

Here’s a simple game you can play at baby showers. Create a nametag for each guest who’s coming to the event. On the tag, write down the relationship that guest has to the unborn baby.

For instance, one nametag might say, “I’m the daughter of the baby’s grandfather’s sister: MARY. To convert this into a game, cover the name part of the tag and leave the relationship part visible.

Ask the guests to sort thru the nametag and find theirs! This game is great fun and an excellent ice breaker at baby showers. Try it and see.

What to write in your baby shower invitations

Use balloons and streamers at baby showers

Mon, 07 Mar 2005 10:13:02 +0000

As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s pretty easy to create baby showers decorations without breaking the bank! I’ve a page on decorations where you’ll find useful ideas for sprucing up your shower venue at low cost.

One simple use of balloons is to bunch them together in odd numbers – three, five balloons – and let them float at various points around the room. Use baby products as weights or anchors for the balloons. That makes sense since this is a baby shower!

Make sure your balloons float at above head level, so that they don’t obstruct the view. Seven feet or so above the floor should be fine. You want people to be able to see each other at the shower without dodging around balloons.

Get a bunch of 5 - 10 streamers. Twist them and attach them to various points along the wall of the venue. And gather the other ends of the streamers and fix them to the ceiling at the center – maybe to a light fixture or something else you might have there. And hang curling ribbons from the center, to give it that extra-special touch! It’ll sure feel like a baby shower now!

Should you host a surprise baby shower?

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 16:38:03 +0000

A surprise baby shower can be a wonderful thing for mommy-to-be! She’ll be thrilled to suddenly realize that she’s walked into a special event – put up entirely for her! How do you go about it?

If you’re planning a surprise shower, consult with one or more people close to mom-to-be and find out her likely tastes in all areas – theme, food, games, invites and lots more. It is also important to find out who she would like to have at her event.

When calling mom-to-be, plan it in such a way that she’s being invited to something else. It is even better if you don’t tell her husband!

The downside of a surprise shower is that the expectant mother may find it inconvenient for lots of reasons. She’s going thru a stressful time and your shower might just be timed in such a way that she is unable to truly enjoy it.

Having said that, a surprise baby shower is a wonderful thing to have someone bestow on mommy-to-be!

How to write invitations for baby showers – ideas for wordings

One way to make baby shower games more interesting

Sat, 05 Mar 2005 06:30:25 +0000

Thinking of having games at your baby shower? It’s usually a neat idea, because it gets guests interacting with each other and having real fun. Here’s a twist to make your games more interesting.

Normally, you’d have one winner for each game you play. Instead of that, if you choose games that are group activities instead of individual ones, you’ll find a lot more involvement and fun happening at your shower.

You can make have games that require a whole table to cooperate instead of just each person by herself. You’ll find lots of such activities. A few group games have been outlined on this blog earlier. Try them out.

Exciting crafts for baby showers

Neat favors for baby showers

Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:22:46 +0000

Here’s a terrific favor idea for baby showers. Get small baby bottles and a supply of jellybeans. Fill up the bottles with jellybeans. Procure lovely gift bags made of tulle or other material to package this cute favor in. Want to make it even more interesting? Here’s how.

Scan a copy of the baby’s ultrasound image onto a small, cute card. And attach the card along with the bottle, saying that “My mom would like to thank you very much for making her shower a huge success. I’m looking forward to meeting you sometime in April!” A special message from baby herself!

Showers advise and tips

Baby showers - Can I ask guests to bring food along?

Thu, 03 Mar 2005 06:36:17 +0000

This is a fairly common question about baby showers. You often have situations where all guests are well known to the hostess. And the hostess wonders if it is ok to ask each guest to bring along a dish to share at the shower. The hostess, of course, will prepare / arrange for a main item or two.

Actually, this is perfectly acceptable etiquette for baby showers. In fact, this is done quite often at these celebrations. The caveat is that you should know the guests quite well.

You might want to have one or even two extra dishes in case someone could not bring a dish along. Things happen – people forget, get rushed, or have an unforeseen commitment come up, etc. So this is a wise precaution on your part if you’re hosting the baby shower.

Etiquette at baby showers