Does every mum-to-be have a baby shower?
Baby showers have been a tradition in the US for a long time, and are growing in popularity in the UK too, with celebs sharing their experiences and starting quite a trend.
It’s a perfect excuse for friends and family to come together to celebrate your exciting news. Plus, as the mum-to-be you get get the added bonus of great presents for you and your baby. Most gifts will help to save you cash and reduce the hard work of shopping the essentials for your new baby.
Isn’t a baby shower just a selfish excuse to get lots of presents?
Well it can be! But your friends and family will no doubt be almost as excited about your baby as you are, and if they want to get you a gift, who are you to stop them?
Who organises the shower?
It should be a stress free event for you, as the mum-to-be, so put your feet up and leave the organising to your friends and family. You’re going to be run off your feet when your bundle arrives so now’s the time to let others take control and enjoy being pampered.
What should I expect?
A baby shower should be a really fun way to spend couple of hours with your friends and family. The best time to have one is some time in the last trimester, ideally 6 to 8 weeks before your due date. Why then? It’s the perfect thing to put a spring in your step when your bump's becoming a little uncomfortable, and there's less chance that your baby will put in a surprise early appearance!
Party food
An easy way to organise the food is to ask everyone who’s attending to bring a dish of nibbles. Home-made snacks are ideal, so why not ask guests to bring one of their signature dishes? Buffet style food is perfect for a baby shower so if anyone needs inspiration, suggest salads, sausage rolls, sandwiches, crisps, quiche, and decorated cakes. Of course, homemade is only a guide, no one's going to quibble about shop-bought goodies!
Party games
When it comes to entertainment, you can’t beat some baby-themed party games.
Have fun making up your own ideas, or why not try one of our faves:
Guess the celeb yummy mummy - Cut out some old magazine pictures of pregnant celebrities, fold back their heads and ask everyone to guess who's who.
Guess how big is mummy’s tummy – All the guest cut a piece of string that they think will fit around your tummy. The winner is the one who is closest to being right.
Baby shower bingo - Play bingo with words that are all baby related. You can print a free version of baby bingo at Plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com.
You might want to have some prizes or little gifts for your guests. Inexpensive ideas include small gifts such as chocolates, cookies, scented candles or mini notebooks.
Mum-to-be baby shower survival tips:
- Relax and let someone else organise it
- Choose a place you’re happy to travel to and from
- Enjoy the attention and being spoiled for an afternoon
- Write a gift list so that you don’t get lots of the same present
For more ideas for games, themes and presents why not check out the following websites:
TUBS (The Ultimate Baby Shower - great for cakes!)
Showermybaby.co.uk
Baby-shower.com
Babyshowerstuff.com
ababyshower.com
Plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com
