Everyone loves babies, and everyone loves a party.  So what is the perfect party to plan?  That’s right a Baby Shower!  With all the new ideas for gifts, themes and decorations, anyone can plan an amazing, yet stress free, Baby Shower.

If the new mom comes from a large family, be aware that she may actually be given more than one baby shower.  So be sure to check with her – or the new dad if the party is to be a surprise – before setting your date and time in stone. 

Once you have the date and time, the rest will fall into place easily as long as you remember two very important things – the new mom and the new baby.  Plan your party based on what the new mom likes and needs.  If she is first time mom, she may need a complete nursery.  If there are previous children, she may need just the basics depending on what she has kept and given away from her previous children.  Again, if you want to keep your party or gifts as a surprise, don’t be afraid to consult the new dad about your choices and what gifts are needed.  He might even like to attend the party!

Choosing the Decorations…

Most baby showers have a special “theme” for the decorations and gifts.  The most popular is to theme your party based on the room décor of the nursery.  Another is to use the baby’s gender or the mother’s favorite colors as the basics for the party.  

Becoming more and more popular is the “An around the clock shower”.  With this theme each guest is assigned a time of day and asked to purchase their gift with that in mind.  Example:  If you are assigned 3 am.  You may want to get bottles, formula or diapers for the middle of the night feedings.  If you are assigned 10 am, appropriate gifts would include toys, stuffed animals, playpen, or other items that baby would find interesting to play with. 

If the new mom has already has a family to take care of or is receiving more than one baby shower, there is another theme gaining wide popularity – instead of the usual baby gifts, you bring frozen meals for the new parents.  Of course, this idea is dependent on the freezer space available, but definitely one worth considering.  This is a gift that frees up time for the new parents to spend with the baby, gives them precious moments relaxing, and less time stressing over what to make for dinner, as well how to find the time to do it.  With a little research into what types of foods they like, this type of baby shower will make a big hit.  

If freezer space makes a “frozen meal” shower impractical, then consider having each guest bring a quick and easy recipe for the new mom, to help her minimize her – or the new dad’s – time in the kitchen.

Deciding on the Food… 

I used to make all the food for any party I planned all by myself.  However, those days are over!  I’ve decided I no longer need the stress of having the cake come out perfectly, as well as worrying if the store has all the ingredients I need for my favorite dishes.  For an easy, breezy, stress free shower do one of two things – make it a potluck and have each guest bring a dish, or have it catered.  Whatever you spend on catering or having trays prepared is well worth not having the aggravation of doing it yourself.  If money is an issue then have each of your guests chip in a few dollars to cover the catering costs.  

Believe me you will thank me for this tip alone.  There have been many parties where I never saw or talked to a guest because I was running around preparing and taking care of the food.  Don’t make that mistake.  Make sure you are able to enjoy the party and your guests; don’t get trapped in the kitchen. 

Should you have Entertainment? 

Keep in mind that some baby showers are nothing more than a family get-together where everyone catches up on family news while the new mom opens her gifts and everyone eats cake.  That is a perfectly acceptable baby shower practice.  Perhaps having entertainment isn’t your style; just remember you don’t have to have it. 

However, if you plan to have games, remember to choose your games based on your guest list.  Will it be a “Hen” party? Are husbands coming?  Will children be in attendance?  These factors will determine the types of games – and prizes – that best fit your party.  If couples are coming you can choose a few games that pit men against women.  If children are coming then choose a few games that are child-friendly or you can team kids with adults.  Examples of team games with or without kids: 

1. Who can diaper better?
2. Pictionary or Charades
3. 3-legged sack race
4. Bean Bag Toss

Keep your prizes generic for men or women, and remember kids don’t like to lose, so have plenty of prizes available for the small ones.

Whether you have entertainment or not, make sure you have plenty of film and batteries for the cameras.  These will be priceless moments you will want to look back on. 

The Big Day Arrives! 

Its here; the day of the shower!  All you have to do is pick up the food and decorate for the party.  Decorating can be a chore, but don’t think of it as one.  Have a little pre-party party and invite a few friends to help you with decorating.  

Another way to get the decorating done quickly is to actually start your party about an hour or so ahead of the time the new mom or parents are suppose to arrive.  Involve all your guests in putting up the decorations.  Remember to have a special place for gifts, plenty of room for games and lots of chairs for friends to catch up on all the family gossip. 

The biggest thing to remember is that it is a party!  As long as everyone has fun what does it matter if the dip got spilled into the potato salad, or if the kids are running around like wild Indians?  Who cares!  It’s a party!

Kathy Barto
www.fairyliciousdiapercakes.com

Trying to select just the right gift for new parents can be a daunting responsibility. This is the chief motive most friends and family hold a baby shower for the new mother. There are quite a few ways open for the new parents to be given the gifts they need. One is a gift registry at a retail baby store or online baby websites. The other is for the baby shower hostess to offer to keep track of which shower guest is bringing which gift.

The principal obstacle can be to choose which of the gifts most needed by the new parents that you can afford to pay for. One way to get more expensive or better quality gifts is to have several people or couples “chip in” together and pay for one main gift. This is a really helpful way for parents without previous children to get some of the larger chief nursery items like cribs, dressers, changing tables, etc.

If the new parents already have their nursery setup, then the task of choosing your gift is to some extent easier, but can be just as complicated for those new to the baby shower game.  If the new baby is going to be a boy, what better way to welcome him than with a NY Yankee themed baby shower!

1. Diapers are one of the most popular gifts for new parents. After all, who wants to run out of diapers at 2 am? No one, of course. One way to achieve this type of functionality is to purchase a diaper cake. A diaper cake is mainly designed from diapers – either disposable or organic – with small versions of baby products, toys and clothing items used as decorations. All these “ingredients” are designed into a stunning gift that very much resembles an actual cake. It is one way to stock the nursery and still give a stunning gift at the same time.

2. Baby Gift Baskets are another inexpensive way to give multiple gifts and help the new parents to stock up on baby supplies, wipes, diapers, keepsakes and clothing items. Now a days there are many matching diaper cake and gift baskets themes so that you can give the gifts to match either the decorations chosen for the baby shower or the room décor of the nursery.

3. Personalized baby items, such as blankets or onesies, also make great gifts – if you know the name of the new baby-to-be. When baby outgrows the gift, it will then become a meaningful keepsake for mom to pass down through the family.

4. Every baby needs a much loved stuffed animal to go to sleep with. There are so many to choose from and almost all of them are hypo-allergenic. You can’t go wrong with an adorable stuffed teddy bear or other stuffed animal. It will afford years of joy for the new baby.

5. Baby clothes are also a logical gift. Be aware of the time of year the baby is expected in. Remember in the summer when it is so very hot, most babies are only wearing onesies, diapers and hats. So don’t go overboard on the expensive dresses and playsuits. If the baby is expected in the winter months, then a little more attention to clothing is usual, but again as babies grow so swiftly don’t go overboard on clothing that she/he will possibly only get to wear once or twice.

6. Keepsakes make great gifts. Special rattles, cute nightlights, brush, mirror and comb sets, music boxes, picture frames, all are endearing little gifts for the new baby. If they can be personalized with the new baby’s name, all the better.

7. Crib toys are another great gift idea. Babies love stuff that moves and make sounds. For the crib the sounds should be comforting and less loud than non-crib type toys. No one wants baby awakened during the night by accidentally bumping or rolling over on a noisy toy. Mobiles are great too. In the baby’s early years the basic colors are best – blue, red and yellow. Just choose a theme to match the nursery décor and you will be a hit.

Any of these gift ideas will make your offering very special indeed. Remember, if you want to give a larger gift basket or chip in on nursery furniture or larger items; be sure to let the baby shower hostess know. That way she can let others who wish to combine forces know who to get in touch with.

Kathy Barto
www.fairyliciousdiapercakes.com

Are you admitting defeat as to how to go about making arrangements for your friend’s or family member’s baby shower?  Can’t even think of an appropriate present to give?  Then let’s begin at the beginning, shall we?

Party preparations should begin when the new mom is about five to six months along in her pregnancy.

1.  Make sure with all family members that they know that you are planning the event.  I am sure no one minds giving the new parents two baby showers, but it would be nice if they are not both being held on the same day and time.  So make sure you set the day and time of the event well in advance to eliminate would-be controversy.  Customarily, baby showers are planned for about six weeks prior to the expected due date.  Pick a convenient day and time for those guests who work.  Be sure to add on the invitation if the event is to be surprise.  And, always ask for a R.S.V.P. no later than 30 days in advance of the event date.

2.  Determine how many people you want to invite.  Do you want to include co-workers? Spouses? Children?  Or, do you want to limit invitations to the event to the new mother and her closest friends?  Do you want to hold the event at your house, another friend’s house, a restaurant, or another venue?  Once you know how many people will be invited and where it will be held, you need to set your budget and start deciding your menu.  If you want to cut down on some of the food expenses, consider making your event pot luck and ask everyone to bring a dish – keep track of who is bringing what, otherwise you could end up with a bunch of potato chips and dip.

3.  Are you going to ask that everyone tell you what they plan to bring as a present?  This is a special service the baby shower hostess can perform to help the new parents receive gifts they need and get only one present of each.  I highly recommend that each hostess seriously consider setting up a gift registry and keep track of who is bringing what present.  There are also stores and websites where parents can go and register for the gifts they would like to receive.  As hostess, you can help your guests to find the stores or websites where the parents have listed their favorite picks, thus making sure they will get at least some of the items they really want.

4.  Next you must need to settle on on a theme for the event.  Does your new mother know the sex of the baby?  Knowing the sex can help decide the best theme and decorations for the shower, particularly if the new mom has a favorite color, animal, or already plans to decorate the nursery in a specific theme.  Let say the new mom is going for the jungle theme with the nursery decor.  Continue with that scheme for the baby shower with your invitations and decorations.  You can use a jungle themed diaper cake or baby gift basket as a wonderful centerpiece.  This type of decoration serves a dual purpose; it is both decoration and a functional present.  Advise your guests on your invitations that where applicable, gifts matching the nursery’s decor will be appreciated.

5.  Now that you have your celebration’s date, invitations, have decided the theme and location of the shower; next you need to decide on the menu.  I prefer to cater when possible and use menus that are within the context of the theme of the party.  So name your dishes with your theme in mind and put little cards next to them advising each guest what the dish is.  Example:  for deviled eggs, a suitable jungle theme name could be Crocodile Eggs or Snake Eyes.

6.  Next settle on on the games you plan to play at the shower.  There are some really excellent games available online.  Your guest list will decide the type of games to pick.  If you are having couples than you will want games where one or two couples can be teamed together.  If you are having kids as well, remember to have games especially for them.  And if it’s just the ladies, then the games should be decided on with just them in mind.  Just remember that each game should have a prize for the winner(s).

7.  About 30 days prior to the party, your R.S.V.P.’s should all have been returned and you can see who is coming.  If you are going to track the gifts for the new baby, now is the time you will want to start your list.  If you included an announcement on your invitation about your gift registry, then it would be totally correct to start calling those attending (who didn’t note their present on the R.S.V.P.) and start noting what their gifts will be.  If any guest is still undecided, you can make suggestions based on what the new mom is already receiving from others.  If they new parents are having their first baby and need high-dollar items, you can suggest that several guests might wish to go-together and purchase a more expensive present.

If you follow these simple suggestions, by the time the party date arrives, you will be able to relax and enjoy the event with minimal fuss on your part.  And the new mother will be very grateful for all your thoughtfulness and hard work.

Kathy Barto
www.FairyliciousDiaperCakes.com