Baby showers, traditionally an American celebration, have become increasingly popular on this side of the pond in recent years. Not that we’re complaining; any and every excuse to throw a party can’t be a bad thing!
Anyway, we digress. The main idea behind a baby shower is that the mother is ‘showered’ with gifts – for her and the soon-to-be new arrival. This is both a whole lot of fun and a huge help towards the staggering costs of a newborn baby.
More importantly, the event serves to emphasise and reiterate that much needed support network for new parents. So, with that in mind, if you’re the friend or family member charged with planning the event, then here are 7 IDEAL tips for organising the perfect baby shower.
Settle On A Date That Suits Mother-To-Be, Friends & Family
First things first, get the date in the diary of the baby shower. Nail that thing down. Talk to the expecting mother and choose a time that suits her. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t end up clashing with any doctors’ appointments or her working hours if she is not on maternity leave yet; expectant mothers can find themselves pretty short on time, after all.
Moreover, you’ll want the mum-to-be to enjoy the day with her friends and not worry about the idea of giving birth at any minute, so avoid hosting it towards the very end of her third trimester.
Traditionally the baby shower takes place around seven weeks before the birth, when the expectant mother is safely into her pregnancy but still comfortable.
Send out invitations well in advance and get everyone to RSVP; this way they’ll have plenty of time to reserve the date and find that all important present. Also, consider going against your stereotypical baby shower full of women; the father has, after all, played a role in getting the bun in the oven.
A Stress-Free Location
If you want to plan the perfect baby shower (and you do, that’s why you’re here) then obviously you’ll need to find the perfect location. The mother won’t be able to drink, so it’s best to steer clear of noisy, packed bars, unless you are booking out a private room.
If you don’t have the cash to splash, you could host the baby shower at your house, or ask a friend if you can hold it at theirs.
And unless the expectant mother has a mansion and butler, don’t host it at her place; you want to prevent the whole day becoming stressful for her. If you’re hosting the shower when the weather’s nice, consider a park party – just make sure there a public toilets closeby!
The Photo Session
Capturing memories at a baby shower can be a delightful yet delicate task as ensuring the comfort of the expectant mother is crucial. When considering photography, the first imperative tip is to secure a professional or an experienced amateur photographer who understands how to navigate the environment, creating a balance between capturing the event and maintaining an intimate, comfortable atmosphere.
Empathy is key in their approach, as the mother-to-be may be feeling a range of emotions. It may help to discuss the style of photos desired beforehand, detailing whether candid or posed shots are preferred, or a bit of both.
The use of natural lighting can greatly embellish the charm in photos, so consider this when organising the venue and time of day. Moreover, personal touches to your photographs, like using props or designing particular setups that reflect the personality or theme of the baby shower, can ensure stunningly memorable pictures. If she’s feeling comfortable and stylish, it might even be a great opportunity for her to showcase some beautiful maternity dresses for photoshoot sessions.
Above all else though, ensure the expectant mother is comfortable at all stages of photography, taking breaks when needed and offering support to ensure her day is as beautiful as the photos taken.
The Theme & Decorations
For a baby shower, the overarching theme is of course already written. If you’ve learnt the gender of the baby, awesome, but avoid going overboard with cheesy, gender conformist pinks and sky blues. If you do opt for a pink or blue theme, do it in a minimalist, classy way.
If you’re not keen on letting colours dictate the ambience, then tea parties are always popular for baby showers as you don’t have to provide alcohol and the vibe is graceful and relaxed.
Alternatively, you could keep things simple and organic, slinging up a few banners, bunting and balloons galore, setting the right tone for a fun, frivolous but laid-back time.
The All-Important Gifts & Games
It’s likely that people are going to bring gifts to the baby shower – being as that is what this is all, on the face of it, about – so you should make sure that you have a good way of organising these when they arrive. If you want to prevent any sort of duplicates, you could get together a list of gifts that the mother would enjoy receiving.
But what present to present we hear you ask? A practical present is a great place to start; something that is essential to a new parent like a breast pump, overnight diapers or baby blankets are all good ideas.
Keepsakes are another great options; some brilliant gift ideas include a baby handprinting kit, a newborn photography session, baby milestone cards or a classic silver babyspoon that the parents can engrave when the baby is born. Decisions, decisions!
Read: 5 IDEAL luxury gifts for a baby shower
Organised fun. You either love it or you hate it. While we firmly reside in the latter group and are secretly envious of people who genuinely enjoy getting stuck in, baby showers are one of those events where some sort of game is expected.
While we recommend avoiding toilet humor games such as filling a potty with prosecco and ‘downing it’ – not for anyone, especially for the expectant mother who can’t get sloshed herself – there are some games which strike a more suitable tone.
Of course, don’t choose any games that are too active; the mother-to-be isn’t exactly going to want to get up and jump around.
Refreshments
Every baby shower needs food, at least one of the guests is eating for two after all. However, consider the nibbles carefully. Firstly, find out if any of the guests have any dietary requirements and more importantly, do some research into what the expectant mother ought to be eating.
Does she have any food cravings (the familiar ‘pickle dipped in nutella’ perhaps?) or is she suffering from any food aversions because of her pregnancy? There’s also a whole array of foods mums-to-be aren’t supposed to eat, so get informed.
Once you know, then you can plan the spread – and spread around the responsibilities, too. You could even ask each guest to bring a dish with them. Oh, and don’t forget the cake!
You might find that the expectant mother is happy for others to drink alcohol but don’t just assume that to be the case. You want her to have fun and so need to make sure that she doesn’t feel left out. If you want to make the day alcohol free, look into fixing some non-alcoholic cocktails for the group, which can add an extra little sprinkle of stardust to proceedings.
Help With Thank You Notes
At a baby shower, there will be lots of gifts being given and it can be hard to keep track. This often means that a stressed mother-to-be has a lot to deal with when it comes to thank you notes. This is why you should help out and keep track of who gives which gifts.
You could then spend the day helping her to write the thank you notes, giving her the addresses of those who were on the guest list and information about which gift they bought her.
And with that, can we expect our invite in the post?