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Baby showers have been a popular tradition in the US for years and are now very popular in New Zealand too.
Baby showers are a way for the expectant mother’s friends and family to say congratulations and for her to feel she has support and love around her and the baby when it arrives.
Most baby showers involve fun games with prizes, nibbles and drinks, a great bunch of people and gifts for the mum to be and/or her baby.
How to plan a Baby Shower for the Mother To Be
Here are some useful tips on what you can do when it comes to organising and planning a baby shower for the mother to be.
1. Who should organise the baby shower?
It doesn't really matter who organises the baby shower, but it's usually a close friend, colleague or family member of the mum to be.
2. When should the baby shower be held?
The baby shower is generally held in the last trimester, either during the day or in the evening.
It can be organised as a surprise for the expectant mother, or as the last trimester can be an exhausting time for her, it may be a good idea to arrange a date and time that suits her best.
3. Where should the baby shower be held?
The baby shower can be held at any venue you chose from someone's home to high-tea at a fancy restaurant, or even outside at the beach or in a park.
However it doesn't need to be expensive, and many baby showers are organised on a small budget.
The baby shower should be held where there is plenty of room and adequate seating to cater for the invited people, baby shower presents and perhaps some fun games.
4. Who should you invite to the baby shower?
Those usually invited to a baby shower include friends, sisters, mothers, mother-in-laws, antenatal friends, colleagues of the mum to be and anyone she is close to.
Traditionally it is a ‘girl’s only’ celebration, but partners, grandparents, caregivers and extended family are so involved in the upbringing of children, so don‘t feel limited by tradition.
5. Baby shower food
If you're not heading to a restaurant or cafe, the organiser could arrange the party food, or ask all the guests to bring a plate of nibbles and drinks.
You may need to remind them that there is a range of food not suitable for pregnant woman.
6. Choosing a baby shower theme
Baby Showers often have a theme relating to babies or children and the room could be decorated to match the theme.
For instance:
- Pink or blue theme
If the expectant mother knows the gender of her baby and wishes to share that news, then the colour choice is obvious.
The organiser or mum to be can also choose their favourite colour or a completely different theme for the celebrations. There's no limit!
- Teddy bears picnic theme
Ask everyone to lend their own teddy bears to decorate the room during the baby shower. Each guest could gift something for the picnic basket, which would help the parents through the early months of parenthood.
- Pregnancy theme
Each guest could come dressed up as being 9 months pregnant, slipping a pillow down their top, and if they have already experienced pregnancy, to bring the food they craved during their pregnancies.
7. Baby shower games
A baby shower is meant to be a fun time, so bring on the games! These are usually relating to pregnancy or babies.
Baby shower games could include:
- Guessing the baby/babies gender
Tie a ring belonging to the mum to be on a string and hold it over their pregnant belly.
If the ring moves in a circle it is said to be a boy and if it moves in a straight line it is said to be a girl.
- Nappy tower
Ask all the guests to bring a pack of nappies (disposable nappies or modern cloth nappies).
With the guests in small groups or pairs ask them to make a tower of the nappies and see how creative people can get.
- Guess the baby pictures!
Ask everyone to supply a baby photo of themselves prior to the baby shower and guess who is who with prizes for the most guessed correctly.
- Guess the nursery rhyme
Eliminate certain words from nursery rhymes for the guests to complete, such as ‘Little Miss Muffet sat on her _____ eating her ____ and _____’.
- Name the tune
Download nursery rhymes and play the first few seconds of each song. The guests can write down their guesses and at the end the person with the most correct answers wins.
- Guess the celebrity
Cut out pictures of famous pregnant women from magazines and fold the head back. Ask the guests to guess who owns the belly and then reveal the answer!
- Baby Food
Remove the labels from several jars of baby food and ask the guests to guess what they are!
Guests are allowed to look, touch, smell and taste in order to guess.
8. Baby shower gift ideas
Baby shower gifts can be for the baby or for their parents.
They can be funny, a necessity or something which the mum to be can make use of too.
If you don't know the sex of the baby, you may want to buy gender neutral baby gifts which will work perfectly in either instance.
Baby gift ideas include:
- Baby essentials
For instance, you can never have enough nappies, baby clothing, bibs, blankets etc.
- Voucher tree
Buy a plant or shrub and ask guests to bring a voucher from their favourite store to peg onto the branches.
- Books
If the parents are already organised with clothing and all the essentials, ask each guest to bring books to add to the baby’s library.
The books can be suitable for babies or for when they're a little older.
- Baby shower keepsakes
Life can be expensive, so if you feel uncomfortable asking guests for gifts, it is always nice for the expectant mother to have a keepsake of the baby shower.
Buy or make a nice scrapbook or notebook and ask all the guests to write down their best piece of advice or good wishes for the mother and baby.
More baby articles to enjoy
Image source: TheFederalist
