Are you catering? You might want to ask your guests to let you know if they have any dietary requirements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAnother option altogether is Paperless Post invites or something along those same lines where the invitation is simply emailed and guests can reply with the click of a button. You\u2019ll still get people forgetting to RSVP though and maybe the mum-to-be\u2019s gran doesn\u2019t have a computer. It\u2019s not as nice, but it\u2019s probably the easier option.<\/p>\n
Decorations<\/h2>\n
Decorations are an important part of the shower and should go along with the theme that you\u2019ve already chosen. Whether it\u2019s brightly coloured balloons and tablecloths or fresh flowers in jam jars with floral bunting, a few decorations here and there can really give your baby shower that extra polish. Check out Pinterest for some great ideas.<\/p>\n
Food<\/h2>\n
Food is generally an important part of a baby shower, but is not the focal point, so don\u2019t stress about it too much. If you are having an afternoon shower from, say, 1-5pm, it\u2019s probably a good idea to have some food, as it\u2019s generally lunchtime for most people.<\/p>\n
Finger foods, such as mini sandwiches, sausage rolls, cheese and onion muffins, cold salads, vegetables with hummus, cheese, crackers, and cold meats are easy to put out, but will also satiate your guests\u2019 hunger. And, they can start eating whenever they arrive rather than having to wait for Auntie Nora who is always an hour late to everything. It\u2019s also great if you don\u2019t know the dietary requirements of your guests or whether or not they are vegetarian.<\/p>\n
Another option is having a sit-down afternoon tea or having food catered from the mum-to-be\u2019s favourite restaurant. If you don\u2019t have space though, a buffet-style spread is ideal, as people can stand around and eat.<\/p>\n
Cake<\/h3>\n
It is traditional to have a cake for a baby shower in America. That\u2019s not to say you have to have one at your party, but it\u2019s definitely a nice centerpiece for the food table and it shows you went the extra mile for your best friend\u2019s first baby. Make sure to have your theme chosen before you order this.<\/p>\n
Where to Get a Cake<\/h4>\n
Have a think about the guests coming. Does the mum-to-be\u2019s auntie run a cake shop or does one of her close friends have a baking blog? Maybe it would be nice to ask them if they\u2019d like\u00a0to make a cake for the occasion. This takes some of the pressure off of you, gives the aunt\/friend a chance to show off their skills and feel useful, and the mum-to-be will feel uber-loved, as more people are involved making her special day feel just that more awesome. Don\u2019t just assume they\u2019ll do it though and make sure to ask politely, letting them know they should not at all feel obligated. Choose your words carefully to avoid any unnecessary drama.<\/p>\n
Another option is ordering a cake from a local bakery. This can get expensive, yes, but having a cute, professional cake will look great on that table and you\u2019ll get a lot of compliments. It doesn\u2019t need to be massive, especially if you have a ton of other food. Chances are even if you get a smaller one, there will still be some leftover for the mum-to-be to take home with her.<\/p>\n
Cupcakes on a three-tiered stand is also a cute, mess-free option.<\/p>\n
Drinks<\/h3>\n
One of the most rookie errors of hosting a baby shower is not providing any booze. The mum-to-be can\u2019t drink, true, but the rest of us can, so why does everyone else have to suffer? She gets a ton of presents, so she\u2019s fine \u2013 don\u2019t worry about her. Okay, maybe having a keg of beer would be slightly inappropriate, but a nice boozy punch or jug of summer-berry Pimms will keep your guests more than merry and they will also be more willing to play the awkward games you have in store for them. Pink bubbles or mimosas on arrival are also a nice touch. And, make sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks for the mum-to-be and non-drinkers too. Fizzy water, pink lemonade, and a selection of juices are always a good shout.<\/p>\n
Candy Buffet<\/h3>\n
Everyone loves a bit of pick-n-mix, so why not fill some cute plastic jars with candy for your guests? This is a nice thing for people to pick at if they\u2019re feeling peckish during the day for something sweet and also for them to take home with them. You can easily buy cheap plastic candy jars, serving spoons, and striped candy bags online, along with candy in bulk. Your husband cannot object to this extra cost if he also gets to reap the sweet sweet benefits.<\/p>\n
Baby Shower Games<\/h2>\n
A baby shower is not complete without games, winners, and prizes. A good combination of sitting-down games and running-around games will keep your guests occupied and amused. 4-5 games should be sufficient, but don\u2019t feel you need to get through all of them if there just isn\u2019t enough time. Here are some suggested games:<\/p>\n
Outdoor Game Ideas<\/h3>\n
Every baby shower needs one or two energetic games. Ideally, these can be played outside for a change in scenery, but they can also be played indoors should it rain that day or maybe you don\u2019t have a garden. Here are some of our ideas:<\/p>\n
Pi\u00f1ata<\/h4>\n
A pi\u00f1ata is an excellent game to play outside on a beautiful grass lawn. Buy a baby-themed pi\u00f1ata (maybe a stroller rather than an actual baby) and fill it with sweets. Let the mum-to-be have the first few swings. Yes, this is typically for a children\u2019s birthday party, but as it\u2019s a baby shower, you can get away with it. For added amusement, consider adding miniature bottles of alcohol in the pi\u00f1ata.<\/p>\n
Nappy Relay<\/h4>\n
My husband and I came up with this game over a few beers at the pub. And, boy, was it was a real crowd pleaser. We actually played it indoors, as it was raining that day, but ideally, I would have liked to play it outside.<\/p>\n
The Premise<\/strong>: You and Baby had a rough night and you wake up late one morning to find you\u2019re running late for a very important meeting at work. Before you go out, you must feed the baby, change his or her nappy, and take the rubbish out in the fastest time possible in order to get to your meeting and keep your job.<\/p>\nYou Will Need<\/strong>: Mini baby bottles and nappies (for half the number of your guests), two blind-folds\/tea towels, a stopwatch (or use your smart phone), two teddy bears, a small basketball hoop, and a bin (all of this can be ordered online cheaply).<\/p>\nSetting Up<\/strong>: Fill the mini bottles with apple juice (or whatever you want) and put a nappy on each of the teddy bears. Divide the bottles and nappies into two sets and put them on a table next to each teddy bear. Have two blindfolds and your stopwatch at the ready.<\/p>\nThe Game<\/strong>: Make your guests pair up into teams of two; Two teams will compete at any one time. Person A on each team will sit blindfolded in a chair at the table with the bottles, nappies, and teddies, whilst Person B stands next to them. For the first task, Person B must feed Person A the entire contents of the baby bottle. Yes, they must suck it through the teat. After this is completely empty, Person A (still blind-folded) must change the nappy on the teddy on the table in front of them as quickly as possible.<\/p>\nOnly once this nappy has been successfully changed can Person B take the \u2018dirty\u2019 nappy and throw it in the bin via a basketball hoop. Have lines marked out on your floor and make your guests start from the furthest line. If they miss from that line, let them move forward one line, until they get it through the hoop and into the bin. Make sure you start your timer at the start of the relay and record the fastest times of the winning teams, repeating until all teams have played. Keep a record of these times.<\/p>\n
The Winning Team<\/strong>: The team with the overall fastest time will win a prize. You\u2019ll want to have two prizes for this one.<\/p>\nIndoor Game Ideas<\/h3>\n
As baby showers centre around a highly pregnant woman, older grans and aunties, and often small babies too, the majority of your games should probably be a little less crazy and involve some amount of sitting and cups of tea. Here are some of the tamer games you can play:<\/p>\n
Guess the Baby Picture<\/h4>\n
This game is classically played at most baby showers. The game involves having each of the guests bring a picture of themselves as babies to the shower. Pin the picture to a board once they arrive, giving each picture a number. Make sure to keep track of who is who. Then, give your guests some pen and paper and make them guess who each baby is. The person with the highest number correct wins the prize! This is also a great ice-breaker for people who do not necessarily know each other at the shower, as it forces them to go round and ask peoples\u2019 names.<\/p>\n
Baby Art<\/h4>\n
Cut out pieces of facial features from pictures of the mum and dad-to-be. Lay these out on a table with a blank outline of a baby\u2019s face and some glue sticks. Have your guests glue the features together to guess what he or she will look like and write their name on the back. (Some of these will be really creepy, mostly because babies do not have a full-set of teeth!) Have the mum-to-be choose her favourite and give that winner a small prize.<\/p>\n
Personalised Baby Quiz<\/h4>\n
Honour the mum and dad-to-be by making a quiz about them, asking your guests to guess facts about them from when they were babies. This one requires a bit of forethought, as you\u2019ll need to contact the mum and dad-to-be\u2019s mothers for the answers. Questions could include: how much they weighed at birth, their height, time of birth, first words, first solid food, age of first smile, age of first crawl, age of first steps, age toilet trained, and age slept through the night. It\u2019s best to include the units of measurement, so that everyone is thinking along the same lines.<\/p>\n
Have the grans-to-be say their own answers, giving them a cheat-sheet of the responses\u00a0they emailed you prior to the baby shower. This just helps to jog their memory in case they had to look anything up. And, make sure to keep the game moving, as there will be a lot of extra information\/stories added. The person with the highest score will win a prize. Consider giving a prize to the gran-to-bes, as well, for\u00a0making the game possible.<\/p>\n
Nursery Rhyme Quiz<\/h4>\n
You can either make this yourself or order one on Etsy. Have your guests answer questions about nursery rhymes with questions, such as What did Peter Pipe pick?<\/em> or Why did Polly put the kettle on?<\/em>\u00a0Have people shout out the answers rather than just reading them out once everyone has finished the quiz. The person with the highest score will win the prize. Consider giving a book of nursery rhymes to the mum-to-be at the end.<\/p>\nPrizes for Games<\/h2>\n
One of the reasons Americans don\u2019t feel awkward about showering a new mum with gifts is because they know at a baby shower there will be games where they can win prizes. Having prizes with your games adds that extra bit of competitiveness too, which will make your guests try just a bit harder.<\/p>\n
Whilst the mum-to-be should be allowed to play the games, don\u2019t let her win too many times. We want the other guests to win the prizes, as she\u2019ll be showered with gifts soon enough.<\/p>\n
What Should the Prizes Be?<\/h3>\n
Be creative, but don\u2019t go overboard. Are you playing the Baby Art game? The person who wins this is probably creative and artistic, so maybe a craft of some sort is just the ticket, such as a blank birdhouse and some paints. For the Nappy Relay game, consider giving the winning team some cute, quirky kitchen timers.<\/p>\n
Here are some other prize ideas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n- Starbucks mug with coffee grounds or a gift card<\/li>\n
- Bubble bath set<\/li>\n
- Cute plant pot with flower seeds<\/li>\n
- Vintage teacup<\/li>\n
- Selection of teas<\/li>\n
- Mini bottle of Prosecco<\/li>\n
- Nail polish that says \u2018You Nailed It\u2019<\/li>\n
- Cookie mix in a jar with baking directions<\/li>\n
- Picture frame<\/li>\n
- Chocolates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The options here are endless, but you don\u2019t need to break the bank to make your guests feel special. And, be sure to wrap them up, as part of the fun is seeing your guests uncover what they have won!<\/p>\n
Tip<\/em>: It\u2019s a good idea to have a few extra prizes in case there are ties (or you can simply prepare some tie-breaking questions\/tasks in the event that this happens).<\/p>\nPresent Time<\/h2>\n
A good way to wind down the shower is to end with the mum-to-be opening up the presents that people brought her. Keep a list of all the things she receives and give this to her at the end of the shower. This makes it easy for her to remember who gave her what, so that she can send thank you notes if she wants to. You\u2019ll want to allow an hour or more for this, as it can be a slow process with all the \u2018awww-ing\u2019 and \u2018ooo-ing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Favours<\/h2>\n
At last the shower has wrapped up and you want to get everyone out of your house so you can kick your feet up and watch some mindless television with a well-deserved beer. There\u2019s no better way to give people that hint than to thank them for coming and to say, \u201cPlease don\u2019t forget to take a favour before you leave\u201d.<\/p>\n
A baby shower favour should be a small memento that guests can take home with them to remember their friend\u2019s special day. Whatever the gift, a favour is an excellent way to finish a baby shower. Consider including the mum-to-be\u2019s name and date of the shower to add that extra personalised touch.<\/p>\n
Here are some favour ideas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n- Small box of macaroons<\/li>\n
- Bag of popcorn that says \u2018Ready to Pop\u2019<\/li>\n
- Pedicure jar filled with cotton balls, a mini nail file, toe separators and some nail polish<\/li>\n
- Plastic baby bottles filled with sweets<\/li>\n
- Baby cake pops<\/li>\n
- Personalised lip gloss<\/li>\n
- Salt & pepper shakers<\/li>\n
- Small pot of fresh herbs<\/li>\n
- Bag of sweets<\/li>\n
- Personalised pram sugar cookie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Suggested Baby Shower Timeline<\/h2>\n
A baby shower is especially fun when it keeps moving and there are no awkward lags throughout the day. It\u2019s a good idea to have a vague timeline in place to get all your planned games in and keep your guests occupied.<\/p>\n
Here is our suggested baby shower timeline:<\/p>\n
\n- 1-2pm \u2013 Lunch Buffet & Table Games<\/strong>: This allows people to arrive late, mix, mingle, and eat for a while before the organised fun begins. You can also have a game or two going on in the background, such as the Baby Art or the Guess the Baby Picture game. Let your guests know that they must complete these by 2pm, as this is when you will announce the winners.<\/li>\n
- 2-3pm \u2013 Outdoor Games<\/strong>: Your guests will now be ready for a fun, energetic game. Let\u2019s get them going! Get them outside if you can to play something a bit more rambunctious, such as the Nappy Relay or have a Pi\u00f1ata.<\/li>\n
- 3-4pm \u2013 Cake & Indoor Games<\/strong>: Cut and distribute the cake. Make sure to get lots of photos with the mum-to-be with her cake. Afterwards, put the kettle on and have everyone go into the lounge to play some quieter games, whilst enjoying their dessert. This is a great time to introduce your candy buffet, play the Nursery Rhyme Quiz, the Personalised Baby Quiz, and lastly, announce the Nappy Raffle winner.<\/li>\n
- 4-5pm \u2013 Present Time<\/strong>: Now that everyone is sitting and you have their attention, have the mum-to-be open her presents.<\/li>\n
- 5pm \u2013 Give Out Favours<\/strong>: Thanks for coming; here\u2019s a small gift; don\u2019t let the door hit you on the way out.<\/li>\n
- 6pm Onwards \u2013 Retire to Your Couch with a Cold Beer<\/strong>: You deserve it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A baby shower is a relatively new occurrence in the UK and one that is only just now becoming more and more popular. What better way to honour the best friend who is having her first baby than by throwing her a party in celebration\u00a0and showering her with gifts to help set up her baby\u2019s nursery? Whilst you may see couples baby showers involving both men and women, traditionally, a baby shower is for the mum-to-be, her girlfriends, and female\u00a0relatives. It tends to be a \u2018no boys allowed\u2019 type party. Sorry, fellas. We\u2019ve written up a comprehensive guide to throwing <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,10,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3229,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions\/3229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}