Take the needs of the mother-to-be into account at every level. That involves all other aspects of the baby shower including games, food and the invitation list.
Baby showers can either be before or after baby is born. Commonly, they're held 1 or 2 months before due date. But they are also held after baby arrives due to medical or other reasons.
These days, it is flawlessly ok for a close relative or even the couple themselves to host a shower. The rules stating only non-relatives or friends only hosting a baby shower are rather dated now days.
Before deciding on the type of baby shower you plan to hold, girls-only or coed, theme or no theme and so on, you should consult mother-to-be and find out what she prefers.
What guests do you invite? Generally, anyone the mother-to-be thinks she should call. She's the optimum guide here.
Do you constantly need to send written baby shower invitations? It is generally the more appropriate option. Using a written invitation, guests have all details at his or her fingertips and need not rely on memory. Plus, you can and often should include directions describing where to go.
At the same time, it's fine to merely tell people on the phone. Tell them well ahead of time, though. So they'll have acceptable time to buy gifts, arrange for a baby sitter, etc. Leave your contact number with each one so they can contact you easily if they need any direction or other information.
Holding a surprise baby shower can be a great feeling for the expectant mother. But do consult a person close to her that knows about her preference wishes in all situations.
Send out shower invitations at minimum 3 to 4 weeks in advance. Send them earlier for out of town family or guests. Make sure they respond by a date two weeks before the baby shower will be held.
If you're holding a coed shower, you might turn the guys off if you send frilly baby pink invites full of baby talk. Send neutral, trendy invitations.
Register for gifts at only one site. Else mother-to-be may end up getting duplicate gifts she may have to return. Guests may be disappointed if they find that another person has chosen the same gift they have.
While giving gift suggestions, include items at a variety of prices, not merely high-ticket items. You can suggest that guests can get together to acquire more expensive items.
If there's older siblings, make sure they receive a gift each. They may be feeling a little left out with a new baby on the way, so this is a wonderful idea.
Also whether it's a coed baby shower or not, buy a gift for the dad-to-be. He will be happy that he was remembered too.
Write down who gave each gift. Important information when it comes time to send out the thank you cards! It's important baby shower etiquette to send out thank you cards.
Hand gifts to mother-to-be for her to open and take it from her once she's completed with it. This'll save her the hassle of continually getting up to pick up gifts.
Occasionally, some guests may need to leave early. They'll enjoy it if mother-to-be will open presents while everyone is eating.
Food and related arrangements deserve exclusive attention. Remember, expectant mothers can't eat everything they ordinarily would.
Begin the baby shower on time and keep it fairly short. Be conscious of mother-to-be's level of energy and any signs that she's may be tiring. Bring the party to an end if she's starting to feel run down. Be sure to thank guests for coming as they leave.
Don't expect that the party will go as planned. No baby shower will ever go perfectly. There's constantly the unforeseen, power goes off merely as gifts are being opened, you forgot to dust one corner of the room, the pack of baby shower favors you opened before the party, turns out to be a different color than you ordered and so on. Sometimes things will and can be out of your control.
Once you've understood these very easy baby shower etiquette guidelines, you'll be far more confident about hosting a baby shower. Have fun, and make a special time that will live on in everyone's memories!
If you decide to take on the responsibility of hosting a baby shower for a friend or relative, you have quite a few responsibilities. Try to give yourself at least four weeks, or better yet six weeks, to do the planning and preparation. You'll need to calculate how large a budget you have and how many guests you can accommodate in your home or in another facility if you'll have the shower in a restaurant or elsewhere. You'll need to decide on the date with the mother-to-be who is being honored. In addition you'll need to go over the guest list with the honoree.
You'll need to decide on a theme or whether to have a shower without a theme. Having a theme sets the tone for many things, including gifts and certainly d'cor, perhaps even music to be played during the shower. Examples of common baby shower themes are the Snoopy shower theme, Baby Boy or Baby Girl shower theme, Frog shower theme, Winnie the Pooh shower theme, or Christmas baby shower theme if your party falls near that date. Recently the Baby Diaper Cake shower theme has been popular. A number of web sites offer large multi-layer ?diaper cakes?. The diaper cake is not a cake that can be eaten, but it is made out of diapers and can make an excellent conversation piece and be the center of attention for the party. Baby diapers are wrapped with cloth and placed in layers to resemble a cake. Baby decorations like teddy bears and rattles are attached to the ?cake?. These can be easily shipped because the cake is not perishable. Finding the right baby diaper cake can make your theme decision for you. After the party is over, the expectant mother will have the baby toys that were attached to the cake and also a large supply of exactly what she will need: diapers! Some diaper cakes are large and made of up to 70 diapers or more! Your can learn more by doing a simple internet search for the term ?baby diaper cakes?. Having decided on a theme, the hostess will need to choose invitations and send those to the guest list. She should let the guests know which stores the mother-to-be has registered for gifts, or if there are particular needs that guests can give as a group, such as an expensive piece of baby furniture or car seat, for example.
The hostess will greet guests as they arrive and offer a warm welcome and thanks for having come to the shower. She will then need to keep the party moving and lively so guests are not bored. She will need to decide on the food and beverages to be served, considering whether to keep it simple with tea and cake, for instance, or whether a sit-down meal will be served. The natural activity for a baby shower is the opening of gifts, but many showers also include some sort of game or other group activity. There are a great number of books on the market which offer ideas for shower activities, so some of these will need to be researched. After the gifts have been opened the shower will end, and the hostess and the honoree should both help guests to the door and thank them for having come. A typical shower should last from about two to four hours. A thoughtful hostess can help the mother-to-be in a number of ways, including perhaps asking each guest to fill out an envelope with their name and address to make it easier for the pregnant mom to send thank you notes. She can also keep track of who sent what gifts so there are no mix-ups in that regard.
Going It Alone or Having Co-Hostesses
The advantages of having co-hostesses are having more input on ideas for themes, decorations, food, etc. as well as a way to divide up the party budget and divide up the work. One disadvantage is making sure the lines of communication are solid and that all the hostesses are up to speed and aware of who is responsible for doing what. These are not insurmountable problems, however, and you might feel that having help in the hostess role is a confidence builder and stress reliever, especially for someone who is hosting a shower for the first time.
Above all, the baby shower hostess should enjoy the experience and gratification of having honored a friend or relative with a baby shower.
Both Bill Pool & Walter Ballenberger are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Bill Pool has sinced written about articles on various topics from Baby Shower, Women and Food and Drink. For more tips visit .. Bill Pool's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Walter Ballenberger has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sinus Infections, Baby Shower and Arts. Walt Ballenberger is webmaster for . To find great party favors and other resources for your baby shower visit. Walter Ballenberger's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.