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Baby Shower Etiquette
Baby Showers have been very popular and are one tradition that almost all mothers-to-be from almost all countries practice. Since Baby Shower is not only gift giving but also a social event. It is for this reason that some etiquette should be observed. These etiquettes may vary depending on your country but the following is the most common ones.
1. The best time to hold a Baby Shower is sometime before the birth. Usually, baby showers are held a month or two before the birth of the baby. Recently, some people practice holding the baby shower a month or two after the birth. Holding the party before the birth of the bay will give time for the mother to buy the items that were not given as gifts during the baby shower.
2. Traditionally, a close friend of the new mom hosts the baby party. Relatives and co-workers can also host the event.
3. Baby showers are not only for first-born babies but also for subsequent babies. Every pregnancy is a reason to celebrate, so there is nothing wrong to throw a baby shower to subsequent babies.
4. It is just proper to give gifts that are related to babies. Neutral colors can be picked for gifts so that it will relate to either a boy or girl. It is best to choose gifts that can be useful and something that a baby may need everyday like diapers, feeding bottles, bibs and baby blankets.
5. For the host, it is okay to have games to break the ice but it is not that required. Conversations, food and drinks are the thing that should be considered. It would also be a nice idea to have a book where the guests can write on their notes and messages to the new mom.
6. Usually, twenty people or more are invited but this will also depend on the number of people that can be accommodated in the venue. Sometimes, they hold a small number before the birth and larger group after the baby is born.
7. A baby shower is usually held during weekend since that is the most convenient day for the visitors and would normally last two to three hours. The time may be extended especially if everything is doing well.
8. The person hosting should shoulder the expenses on food and other things.
9. Ideally, the baby shower is held at the home of the person hosting the party. The new mom would be informed since a pregnant woman is not fit for surprises.
10. It is not necessary to have a special invitation printed. The host can buy stationeries or greeting cards with baby themes in bookstores. It will also be a good idea to have the invitations sent at least three weeks before the party. This will give enough time for guests to RSVP. Do not forget to include the directions.
11. A theme for the party is not that necessary but this adds life to a party. Wearing costumes and decorating the venue gives a happy and celebrating atmosphere.
12. It is only proper to welcome guests when they come and thank them when they leave. The host should always be present during the party and should be the one attending at the guests.
Ideas on wordings for your baby shower invitation
Your Baby Shower is on the way. You have all things prepared: food, fun, games, and the program. But wait, you forgot something critical. The party invitation! You basically forgot something really important when holding a party. What good is a party if there are no guests?
Creating party invitations may take some time if are choosy with words. Selecting the best wordings for the invitation is imperative as this sets the tone of the party. If the partys theme is casual, you definitely can relay that in the invitation. Knowing which theme party you want can be used as guidelines in picking out the right words for your invitation. Fun themes like teddy bear and balloon party requires humorous and informal wordings.
You can make use of poems, famous quotes, or you can create your own too. There are several websites that offer sample wordings you can adapt for your invitation. Make a quick search and pick the catchiest wordings that you can emulate in your invitations. It can either be a general one or gender specific. Just be sure that you know ahead of time what gender the baby has.
Using baby rhymes would be a superb idea in your baby invitation. Placing the names of the expecting parents will give the invitation a personal touch. You can also put in song lyrics that are popular with kids and even nursery rhymes. Famous kiddie rhymes like Humpty Dumpty, Baa Baa Black sheep and Hickory, Dickory, Dock can add spice to your invitation too.
The main things that your Baby Shower invitation should include are the name of the guest of honor, the date, time, and where it will be held. If the venue for the party is quite unfamiliar to the guests, make a simple sketch to guide them to the right place. These key information are needed, and make sure that they are printed big and clear.
Dont forget to place in the invitation whether the event will be a surprise or not. If the party is going to be a surprise, your guest should be informed to keep it secret. You would not want any guest sending in advanced gifts for the party and spoil the plan.
Another important thing to place on the invitation is the RSVP or Regrets only note. Dont forget to place your phone number in there too of course, as guests likely will contact you their response as you requested them to.
You might want to add a registry list or the gifts you wanted your guests to bring. This is very practical if you dont want to end up having three or four strollers which you may not use. Guests would love it if their gifts would be appreciated and would not end up just being set aside.
As important as the wordings, the presentation of the invitation speaks too. Follow the theme if you have one. If you select angels, place cute pictures of these on the invitation cover for the desired effect. If you dont necessarily have a theme, then just select pictures that relates to a baby. Colors are important too. Use blue for boys and pink for girls. Invitations are there to create impression and entice your guests to come in this very special day. So unleash your creativity, get that pen and have fun writing.
Choosing Baby Shower Cakes
Preparing for a Baby Shower party can be a tedious task. You need to define the guest list. You need to conceptualize the theme, print and send the invitations, and then prepare for the special date itself.
For the party, you will think about what decorations to use on the place, what will be the program, what games to have, what Baby Shower favors to give, and, what to serve.
During the Baby Shower party, the table centerpiece is most likely to be a baby shower cake. The baby shower cake cannot be similar to the cake that can just be bought from the local bakeshop.
It is better if you or one of the guests baked the baby shower cake. Doing so will also assure you that the cake that will be served as a table centerpiece is in accordance with the theme that you have conceptualized.
Of course, preordering the cake will also be fine as long as you give enough time for the cake to be prepared and that you have discussed with the person who will prepare the cake the concept of the baby shower party and how you would like the cake to look.
However, if you have some baking skills, or if you can follow instructions from cookbooks well, it is advantageous to prepare the cake yourself. You can use your creativity for the design and you can always ask for help from friends. Needless to mention, it is also less costly.
To prepare the baby shower cake, check online for tried and tested recipes and designs. You can also choose the flavor of the baby shower cake.
Usually, the designs and shapes of baby shower cakes are nursery items. These are flowers, birds, butterflies, baby-shaped, toys and other kid stuff. The most common icing colors are yellow, pink, blue, green and white.
In addition, if you have scheduled the baby shower after the baby was born, you can also ask for the babys picture and have professional cake decorators create and edible cake design using the babys picture.
Another idea for the baby shower cake is to use diapers. Thats right diapers. Of course, this cake is not for the guests to enjoy. However, the mom will definitely appreciate it if there is already a stack of diapers prepared for the baby.
To prepare a diaper cake, all you need to do is carefully stack rolled diapers into several levels (having three levels is suggested). You may use laces and ribbons to keep the diapers in place. However, make sure that you did not tie the diapers too tightly together to prevent them from being deformed. Deformed diapers will be useless and will just end up in the garbage bin.
The diaper cake can also be placed as a table centerpiece. If you still prefer to have a real cake for the baby shower, you can bake or order a simple cake from the bakeshop.
After preparing the table centerpiece, you need to combine it with good baby shower food. Most of the time, snacks, tea, desserts and punches are served. You can also have some barbecues and grilled foods, in case you have invited some male guests. The dads can bond and have some conversation while attending to the grills. This way, everyone can participate in welcoming the new member of the family.
Baby Shower Gift Baskets are the Most Practical Gifts
So you’ve been invited to your friend’s Baby Shower. You’ve circled the date on your calendar. You know that it’s approaching. All of your other friends have purchased their presents weeks in advanced, but you, the only single left in the bunch, still can’t decide on what present to bring to your friend’s Baby Shower.
Let’s face it, you know nothing about babies. Your presence make babies cry! You can’t tell a blanket from a diaper! This is your first time ever to attend one of these so called events. You know you suck at this, and everyone knows it too, but still you have to go, It’s a test of friendship! So what do you do?
Well, for starters you wipe that frown off of your face, and you put on your “I’m happy to be an auntie smile!’. Then, you go to a shopping mall, and you grab yourself a Baby Shower gift basket!
Gift baskets contain everything from soft toys, hats, blankets, undergarments, changing pads, sleeping gowns, teething toy, bears, etc.
The great thing about gift baskets is that they are very useful. The people who put together baby shower gift baskets know what they are doing! The things that are included in a baby shower gift basket are exactly the things that a new mother, and an upcoming baby will need.
So you know you’d be getting your money’s worth when you purchase a baby shower gift basket. More importantly, it will make the recipient happy. New mothers need all the help that they could get, especially once the have delivered their babies. The daily expenses of a family always escalates with the addition of a new member. So it is best to give presents that will help to provide for the needs of the new mother, and baby.
Baby shower gift baskets come in different themes. Some of these baskets concentrate on the baby’s bath time needs. Items like: towels, washcloths, comb and brush sets; and of course, the quintessential giant rubber duckies are included.
This puts variety, and a fun twist on the baby shower gift basket idea! So you’d actually have quite a selection to choose from.
These baby shower gift baskets vary in prices, depending on the intricacy of the lay out, and items included in the basket. The average price for a baby shower gift basket is around $70.
These baskets are usually divided into girl themes, and boy themes. The girl- themed baskets usually come in pink, and contain items suitable for a baby girl. While the boy-themed gift baskets offer things that a baby boy will need.
These baby shower gift baskets can also be purchased online. So if you don’t have any time to shop, you can just always order a gift basket online. The selection of these gift baskets are usually displayed online. Also, the items that are included inside is listed along side the picture of the gift basket.
They come in a nicely gift wrapped packaging that includes a ribbon and a card. This allows you to write a personal greeting, and a dedication to the mother. Don’t forget to include well wishes for the baby!
If you’ve purchased your gift basket online, you can just type in your dedication on the net. This way, your dedication will be included in the gift basket that you’ve ordered. It will then be delivered to the specified recipient.
Baby shower gift baskets are a wonderful and thoughtful gift idea because they include a little bit of everything. They are also very meaningful because they provide things that will provide for the needs of a newborn baby.
So become a baby shower superstar, and bring a baby shower gift basket to the party. All your friends will be in awe of you!



