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

One of the most important events in the life a couple is discovering they are going to be parents.  Nothing can compare with that feeling of delight that rushes through the body when you are informed of the news.  Everyone experiences the same sense when they hear the news about the blessed event for the first time; that feeling of anticipation mingled with anticipation for the future.

Whether you are preparing for the arrival of a boy, girl or twins, you can be sure your family and friends will arrange to hold a baby shower for the new baby.  What better way is there for first-time couples to receive some of the most required items for their nursery?

The first step to setting up a baby shower is to choose where and when to hold it.  If you are needing to keep your out-of-pocket expenses down, then use one of these options:

•    Your home
•    A Friend’s home
•    Your Church
•    A Community Hall
•    A Picnic Shelter at a local Park

Once the site is set and definite for the planned event date, then it is time to plan the guest list for the shower.  After deciding on who is attending, the next step to settling on what entertainment and food you should plan.  First, will it be a surprise event?  Will the new father be invited?  Will it a full family celebration?

More and more, baby festivities are becoming a family affair; especially when older siblings are already part of the family unit.  Making the event family oriented gives you a whole different set of options for having  an extraordinary affair, yet observing the event’s  finances small.  One very laid-back and commonly expected way is to have a Pot Luck where everyone brings their favorite foods.  A Pot Luck is fitting for either a barbecue or a park picnic.

Holding a family baby affair, while eliminating some planning problems, does present others; like what types of amusements to have that everyone can participate in.  This can easily be planned around with a little resourceful cleverness.  Have games everyone can play.  Just be sure to have fitting prizes for any age winner.

•    Egg on Spoon Race, or golf ball on the spoon
•    3-legged Sack Race – always a family favorite
•    Ball Toss – Toss the ball at a target or through a hoop, closest one wins
•    A Scavenger Hunt
•    If you are at the park and the sand pit is large enough, hold a sand sculpting contest.
•    Charades or Pictionary
•    Guess the number of beans in a jar, or similar idea

Now that you have the place, day and time, who’s coming, food and entertainment under control, the next step is to make up your mind about decorations.  I like to use a similar theme as the parents are using in the nursery for the shower and invitations.  I also recommend giving presents in the same theme to go well in the nursery.  If the party is a surprise, be sure to include that on your invite.  If you are having a family party, then make a note to the adults that kids are not only invited, but are encouraged to be present.  I also suggest that the host/hostess of the shower offer to keep a gift registry of which guest plans to purchase what gift.  This simple gesture will be most treasured by the new parents.  Also when several guests cannot choose what to give, you will have the chance to indicate presents  or encourage one or two guests combine their funds.  Invitations should be sent out at least 45-30 days prior to the party date.  Request RSVP’s should be returned no later than 30 days before the event.

Decorations for the shower will be by and large decided by whether the party is inside or outside.  Inside, you can use balloons, streamers and banners, as well has tablecloths and matching napkins and paper plate themes.  Outdoors, you will probably want to keep the balloons, streamers, banners and tablecloths to a minimum in case it gets windy.  However, a lot of scotch tape can help keep most things in place.

One way to give a very useful present yet have a spectacular centerpiece is to use either a diaper cake or a baby gift basket as your central decoration.  Once the party is finished, the diaper cake or gift basket is a fully useful gift for the new parents.  Diaper cakes and baby gift baskets are a spectacular way to decorate as well as give as presents.  New parents are partial to getting all the surprises each holds.

So now you have a fully designed, inexpensive baby party that will be an event that your friends and family will  think of for years to come.  Good Luck!

———-

Kathy Barto
www.FairyliciousDiaperCakes.com

There are many ladies (and men) now a days who are extremely gifted of making everything they do a success.  And planning a baby shower would be no different.  It is the exact occasion to demonstrate the new mother (or parents) how much they mean to you.

For a creative individual handling baby shower decorations can be a snap.  Going to any online store that has diaper cakes or baby gift baskets can give you a ton of thoughts for decorating, as well as a few unbelievable centerpiece displays.

Before settling on decorations, you need to come up a idea for the baby shower.  There many ideas are available, such as: themes for girls, themes for boys, themes for when you don’t know the gender, themes for the new mom, themes for both parents, teddy bear themes, as well as many other traditional and unique decorating ideas.  Once you have decided on the idea, use it for not only the decorations, but the invitations, the games, etc.

Diaper cakes are a logical choice for a beautiful, yet functional centerpiece.  They are chiefly made from rolled up disposable, cloth or organic diapers and then tied in layers with trimmings.  Then instead of frosting, you use baby blankets or baby bath towels to cover the diapers.  And, top the whole thing off with plenty of most needed baby products, toy and stuffed animals, and plenty of ribbons and trimmings.  What could make a better decoration or gift!  If you feel that making the actual diaper part of the cake is too complex, then buy a ready-made 3 or 4 tier diaper cake base.  These are actually very sensibly priced and will decrease your work by half.

Baby Gift Baskets are also a heartfelt gift for the expecting parents.  Instead of placing your “ingredients” on a cake they are beautifully arranged into a basket, bucket, or other such container.  These are especially nice if you set up a long table and need more than one centerpiece.  Or, they make a whimsical addition to any diaper cake and you can put one on each side of the diaper cake for a truly special display.

Make your own banners.  Most everyone has or has access to some type of computer graphics program.  Once you have your artwork finalized take it to a copy shop and have them put onto a banner size of your choice.  Accent your banners with balloons and streamers which are in general accessible at any party store or website.

If you are having an all ladies’ party, then plan your games with a few crafts included.  Everyone likes to take something home as a keepsake, so include at least one or two craft type project with your games.  You can make candles, soaps or even 3D decorations for the baby’s nursery, such as wall artworks or photo frames, etc.

Many hostesses now are planning showers for both the new mother and father.  If that is the case, then gear your games to include ones that will keep the guys involved.  The same goes if you are including kids.  Keep in mind to have prizes for all the winners.

If the new baby’s father, older brother(s) and/or sister(s) will be in attendance, it would be very kind to give them each a personal gift just for themselves.  It will make them feel a part of the merriment and make the new mother very appreciative for your forethought.  There are now a lot of very smart gift ideas for new dads and siblings, as more and more the complete family is being invited to the baby shower.

Whether you are crafty or not, planning for a new baby’s shower can be a totally pleasurable  process.  Don’t by shy, let the “inner you” come out and astonish everyone!

Kathy Barto
FairyliciousDiaperCakes.com