A baby shower means a total bath of gifts that friends and relatives give to future parents and the baby even before his birth. Preparing a baby shower is as exciting as waiting for a delivery; it is a unique moment to celebrate with great affection the arrival of this special someone. Therefore, the details are super important when it comes to the organization of the event which includes selecting the location to send the invitations to the baby shower.
The baby’s layette contains many essential items for daily use, so tea is a great alternative to help and celebrate this moment of joy with family and friends.
The party’s preparation and planning to celebrate your baby’s arrival have several activities to be carried out. The important thing is to do each task in its own time, calmly and calmly – follow our tips and guarantee that there will be time, all without stress!
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Guest List
The first task to be done is the guest list. As a suggestion, it is recommended that it be prepared in the 24th week of pregnancy.
Split the list
When it comes to preparing the list, mom can separate it by sectors so that no one is forgotten.
Prepare shortlists divided between family, friends, and friends at work, for example. Thus, you are less at risk of forgetting to invite someone who would be significant.
Check sectors
After making the lists, merge them all into one list. At that moment, take the time to check if someone is missing or not, or if you even changed your mind about inviting that co-worker or that gym friend you love.
Keep the list in an easily accessible place
Did you finish your list? Before preparing invitations for a baby shower, keep this list in a safe and easy-to-find place. It can be in the notepad of the cell phone, in the Whatsapp message for dad (or for the baby’s godmother!), or in the notebook.
If you made a list on paper, keep it in a drawer folder or write it down in your calendar! You don’t want to miss all that work, do you?
What mom should think all the time while making a list is the importance of having the people she loves the most on her side on this unforgettable day. Also, remember that the amount of guests is what determines the amount of food and drink. Make a list according to your budget.
Now just start enjoying every moment of preparing for the Baby Shower!
Location, Date, And Time
Choosing the best date and the best place for the baby shower party is the second activity performed by mom. And the suggestion is that it be performed during the 25th week of pregnancy.
Each time of year offers different options – and entanglements – for the party. But in the first place, what matters is mom’s well-being. Keeping an eye on the schedule can help you become more comfortable throughout the celebration – and thus, enjoy the party much more.
The ideal is for the Baby shower party to be held until the 30th week of pregnancy – when mom is still comfortable and with plenty of energy. If it is not possible, do not delay that date too much. The closer to the end of the pregnancy, the more the bumps and discomforts appear from time to time – and it may be just on the day of the baby shower.
Better not to risk it, is it?
As for the choice of place, you can abuse creativity! The party will be perfect at the club or at home. Does your best friend have a fantastic garden? Take the opportunity to have a snack outdoors!
The condo’s party room is also a great choice: all friends already know the address, and there’s no mistaking it!
The party at a children’s buffet also has its advantages. In addition to being prepared when you and the guests arrive, the housekeeping is up to them!
With the place defined, let’s go to the next step: adjust your party’s time to the time of year.
Baby Shower in Different Seasons
Here is how to hold a baby shower in different seasons:
Baby shower in summer
A party held during the summer should be a little more careful. In addition to the heat, the mom must consider the swelling and discomfort that the heat causes.
In the 30th week, your belly will be much bigger!
During the intense heat, the Baby Shower can be comfortably held two times: in the morning and the early evening. It is worth thinking about an outdoor environment in both cases, with plenty of ventilation and little sun. If the party happens in the late afternoon, get ready for a possible traditional rain shower at this time of year.
Baby shower in spring
Spring guarantees a colorful decoration for the flowers and a pleasant temperature in the late afternoon. It is worth remembering that summer arrives earlier and earlier in our country – from the middle of spring, it can already be quite hot.
Baby shower in autumn
Autumn is also a very flexible season: mornings, afternoons, or evenings are perfect for celebrating. But each schedule has its peculiarity. If the party is in the morning, bet on an open place, but that has some alternative a little more closed – autumn mornings can be cold!
Baby shower in winter
During the winter, the maxim is: protect yourself, but don’t neglect your health! No completely closed places! Ventilation is essential to maintain air circulation. During the cold, the ideal is to have a party in the afternoon – the golden winter sun is an invitation to a delicious afternoon!
The “Save the Date”
And for any time of the year, an essential tip: Save the Date.
#Savethedate is a delicate way to ask your guests to reserve the baby shower date in their diaries beforehand – and you don’t run the risk of sending the invitation for a baby shower, and people missing the date. It is usually sent before the invitation, about 15 days before the official invitation.
It can be done informally, by email, or with a good baby shower invitation (a fridge magnet, for example).
So your guests can plan – and so can you!
Gifts
If you prefer to indicate to the guests what you want to win, one option is to put the gift suggestion in the baby shower invitation to avoid winning repeated items. To make a list, prepare a checklist with what will be most useful daily and others you would like to earn.
Mirror yourself in ready-made list templates so you don’t forget anything, or, if you prefer to make a list at a specific store, ask if they provide a complete baby layette list.
The gift list is always a sensitive subject. The trousseau is extensive, but the question ever arises: what to ask the guests of the baby shower? If your baby is born in winter, you can add more varied items such as blankets and warm clothes. Another tip is not to place trousseau items you already have to avoid winning repeated products. Leave the list of essentials and other products you would like to have for your baby.
The Baby Shower Theme
The theme of the Baby Shower party decoration is usually a big question for moms. There are so many beautiful things on the market, and so many DIY ideas (Do It Yourself) on social networks even because the decoration defines the other themes of the Baby Shower party, such as the invitation and souvenirs.
But, anyway, where to start?
With the party location and time set, everything is now easier. The decoration theme has to start to be thought from the party’s place, and time, and indicated that this is done in the 27th week of pregnancy.
The theme is its primary focus – balloons, carts, owls, unicorns, Provencal, carnival, and June parties. There is a multitude of ideas and possibilities. To make your choice easier, how about using the same theme as the baby’s room decor?
The Invitations
After defining the theme, start thinking about the invitations for the baby shower. Here begins one of the great dilemmas of mothers: buy everything ready-made or do it yourself?
There is no one correct answer to that question. Each mom has her reality, needs, and even different skills.
If you have time and, besides, you like manual labor, time to get your hands dirty! If you don’t even have time to breathe correctly and again, you can’t even draw a little house, don’t go unnecessary worries!
For invitations, for example, there are several options ready for printing on the internet. And the best: free!
Paper or email?
Many moms are also unsure whether to send the printed baby shower invitation or send an email. The message on social networks, on WhatsApp, or in a group created on Facebook can be by the message. It is innovative and makes life very easy for guests as well.
Remember: you will have already sent Save the Date, so the invitation is just the party’s communication and details.
The Decoration Of The Place
Outdoor parties usually use decoration only at tables. A small flower arrangement (consistently low so as not to prevent guests from looking at each other while talking) and details on the napkin ring or tablecloth add elegance and sophistication with very little work.
This decoration is valid for any time: at brunch, afternoon snack, or night party.
For indoor locations, it is worth betting on adornments and ornaments for the walls. Pictures, the traditional balloons, everything is valid.
Photos and Games
The 29th week of gestation, the week before the party is pure fun: defining what activities will entertain your guests.
Prepare the games
The games are one of the main highlights of the Baby Shower party. Choose which activities will make your guests have moments of pure relaxation.
The games range from the traditional ones, such as discovering the size of mommy’s belly or the taste of baby food, to the more modern ones, such as making dads try to change a bladder’s diapers. Bet on any of them! See what has more to do with your guests and family and guarantee a good laugh.
- It Is Forbidden To Say “Baby”: When welcoming the guests, distribute individual necklaces to each one. The pieces can be simple, made of fabric, or ribbon. He explains that it is forbidden to pronounce the word baby during the event. The necklaces are worth points and, at the end of the party, the team with the most necklaces wins the race. If someone releases the word baby at some point, the person who caught the error takes the chain from the distracted person. And it is worth provoking the interlocutors during the party, inducing them to error.
- The “Baby Egg”: Also, during the reception, give the guests a plastic egg, for which he should be responsible for the entire event. Whenever someone observes a forgotten egg, they can adopt it. The group that collects the most eggs by the end of the party wins the test.
- Diaper Competition: Each team selects some participants (preferably those who are not yet parents) to participate in the race. So, the participants have the mission to dress a doll in a diaper—those who complete the test correctly in the shortest time score.
- The Blindfolded Artist: All participants receive papers and pens to draw the future baby on the way. Detail: the drawing will be done with the participants blindfolded. Mom then selects the best design, and the participant’s team wins a point. The pictures can then be saved to make up the future baby’s room (oops, we lost a necklace).
- Quiz: Print characters from children’s drawings of the moment and present them to the participants. The group that matches the most names wins the round.
- Finding The Pairs: Again, each team selects a participant for the race. Each will receive a bucket with several pairs of mixed socks. Whoever separates all the pieces correctly, finding the correct pairs takes the point in less time.
- Guess The Baby Food: Do you know those ready meals? Buy some options of different flavors, remove the label and serve to the guests. Whoever gets the most flavors wins the test.
- Who is it?: Along with the baby shower’s invitation, friends and relatives are urged to separate a childhood photo. The team that gets who the kids in the pictures are most often receives the round point.
Baby Shower Tips
Following are the best baby shower tips that we would like to share with you:
Close the date in advance
Ideally, two months before you close a date. So it is possible to plan the details calmly, negotiate values with stores and suppliers and do it without much haste.
Invite someone to help you
It is essential not to centralize the organization of the event in you. Enlist the help of friends and relatives. There is always someone who cooks well or is skilled with manual arts and is good at organizing events.
Define a theme
The choice of theme will guide every event: decoration, preparation of delicacies, baby shower invitations, and souvenirs. There are numerous options. After setting search for references on sites like Pinterest that are a good source of information.
Reduce the number of guests
Try to make your guest list as short as possible. The number of people invited directly impacts the costs of the event. It will guide the necessary size of the place where you will make the baby shower, the amount of food, drink invitations, and souvenirs. Ideally, you should invite only close family and friends.
Choose an account
Suppose you have a space to do in your home, or a party room in your building, the better. So you save on leasing. If not, see with friends and relatives if someone could not lend you a space for the event.
Send virtual invitations
Sending an invitation online is infinitely more economical and practical and rest assured, it is not inelegant. Virtually everyone uses the internet. The physical invitation takes work to do and to deliver. By sending it through Facebook or WhatsApp, you already know who received it, clear up doubts that appear, and save much more time.
If you prefer traditional invitations
In this case, it is ideal that you get your hands dirty and make the baby shower invitations. It will consume a little more time, but it will cost much less. An option is also to search for ready-made models and print. Clotheslines with tiny baby socks are an excellent choice to decorate with little money.
Do the decoration yourself
On the internet, you will find tutorials teaching how to make decorative items. The right choice is to reuse pots, bottles, cans, and other materials at home and transform them into decorative objects. Use and abuse flowers, balloons, slates with phrases, pompoms, and clotheslines with clothes. It will depend on the theme chosen, but these suggestions go well with most baby showers.
Opt for a simple and tasty menu
Making an afternoon baby shower is synonymous with savings. After all, most people have already had lunch, and there is still a long way to go for dinner. With that, you can make an afternoon tea event with finger foods or pies, cakes, popcorn, snacks, cookies, and some snacks.
To drink, invest in flavored waters, teas, and fruit juices. In addition to being healthy, they are much more affordable than alcoholic and soft drinks. Remember that less is more! Try to make tasty options that yield enough for your guests to be satisfied.
Everyone helps themselves
Hiring waiters or buffet service directly impacts your cost, so try to eliminate this option. Arrange the delicacies so that the guests themselves help themselves. A good option is to make individual portions; this makes it easy for everyone to get theirs.
A diaper cake is an economical option that can not be missing in a baby shower.
How to save on the cake
A baby shower can not miss a cake. The darling of the moment is the diaper cake, which you can make yourself or count on your friend’s help skilled in manual arts. It is cute on the table, costs little, and can still be reused in another event of its kind.
As this cake is only decorative, it is essential to have a “cutting cake,” which does not have decoration, so it is more affordable. Then just bet on a delicious flavor. If you have a little money left, serve it with ice cream, that will be a success!
Don’t forget the sweets
The sweets help to decorate the table and sweeten the party. Good options are jelly beans, jelly beans, lollipops, and cupcakes. Another suggestion, especially if it is in the heat, is to serve popsicles that you can buy wholesale.
Make an online gift list
Many mothers prefer a baby shower, but have you thought about making an online baby shower list if this is not your case?
Personalized and cute souvenirs
They need to be by the theme defined for the party, and as the name says, it is a “souvenir” not a gift. Think of something creative and cute, if it’s useful better. Some suggestions are pencils, little plants, bookmarks, scented sachets for cupboards, handmade soap, and packaging with candies or chocolates.
Be sure to photograph your event
Such a special event cannot be missed. As it is not a wedding, you do not need to shoot, but having quality photos is essential for keeping the memory. Look for references and then negotiate a reasonable price in advance with the professional.
What If Things Do Not Go As Planned: Tips
Always have a card up your sleeve! On the big day, some precautions can help a lot if you have a problem.
For every problem, think of a possible solution. For example: will the party be held outdoors in the middle of summer? Remember that summer is very prone to rain in the late afternoon, so provide a covered area, to ensure the party if the water arrives!
Is it colder than Mom imagined, and will the party be outside? Bet on the torches to heat the place. Also, bet on blankets and blankets to be offered to guests. The weather will be delicious – and all very warm!
- Didn’t the snacks arrive on time? Go to a bakery! Today, in most of them, there are many snacks (and even sweets) that can help a party. Bet on esfihas, drumsticks, and even small croissants.
For drinks, canned juices and soft drinks solve any problem! They’ll be freezing already, and you won’t have to worry.
- Forgot the dishes: In the rush of preparing for the party, many essential items are often not transported – which makes us only remember them when it’s time to use them!
To avoid this risk, make a list of everything that will need to be taken to the Baby Shower location.
- The right arm: Do you know that friend or godmother of the baby you chose to be your right hand? I will be there.
Not to mention Grandma and her college friends. Anyway, there will be no shortage of help if Mom needs it! There is always someone who can run here or there to solve these small problems that happen.
What To Do And What Not To
Here are the most appropriate do’s and don’ts of the baby shower:
What to Do:
- Share On Social Networks: Use social media to engage your guests and make this day even more special. From the invitation to the gift list, everything can be shared (making the lives of the guests much more effortless.
- Involve Dad In The Party: If you found good reasons to celebrate the baby shower, the future dad should also be part of the event. It is a celebration for the parents, both of you should be excited and nervous (if you are newcomers) with the arrival of the little angel, so the Baby Shower should also be a time for Dad to relax, ask questions and get much more involved.
- Listen To The Wishes Of The Future Mother: Put the surprises aside, sit down with her and talk about her wishes; it is likely that she does not want to play games at the party or does not want specific decorations or food.
What Not To Do:
- Inviting A Lot Of People: We are always moved to invite everyone we know, friends, co-workers, a family that you have not seen for years, in short, the temptation is enormous, I understand you, you are celebrating a special moment, and you want everyone to be a part, you can even think sure not all come.
- Serving Alcohol At The Baby Shower: There is no point in serving something that the mother cannot enjoy. It is better to opt for non-alcoholic drinks.
- Not Choosing The Best Time To Celebrate: Celebrating it in the first months is not very convenient; you can still have the first trimester’s discomfort, and perhaps you do not know the sex of the baby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baby showers are meant for ladies, but it would be a nice idea to invite daddy’s friends. When this is to happen, it is better to consider the types of foods that will suit everyone. The event is made even better when served with mocktails. Despite the fact that expectant mothers cannot consume alcoholic beverages does not mean they should not be served. These can be done in pubs or a different venue.
Baby showers can still be done for the second and third children. Where this is the case, one can just plan a party for mums’ only focusing on her gifts. This is because she might not need many baby items since she can use those from the previous baby showers. Guests can bring gifts such as maternity dresses, among others.
It is rare to see kids attending baby showers. If this is the second or third baby shower, it would be logical to invite kids so that they can welcome their new baby.
Baby showers can also be sophisticated when the guests record a nice story during the occasion. This can be applicable to friends and family members who are absent during the event. This recording is then stored and can be shown to the baby in the future. The baby will have lasting memories, even when those recorded are not available.
Giving out favors in baby showers gives a perfect ending. There are various ways to give favors. For example, a guest can give a craft or a drawing. Most guests tend to bring cards in baby showers. These cards mostly end up in the trash bins. It would be a great idea if they write an interesting congratulatory note in a book. This would be easier to preserve, and the book would be used for many years to come. It is also interesting when you pile up these book collections after the event.
The baby shower happens one and a half months prior to the baby’s excepted birth.
It should be thrown by a close female relative or friend.
Baby showers are usually two to four hours long.
You can hold a baby shower party where ever you want. Make sure it is safe.
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