I think a lot of us can agree that most showers (baby or bridal) can be pretty tedious. They are generally centered on humiliating activities and opening presents and for all you are put through, there aren’t enough tasty snacks and bubbly to make it bearable. Particularly if you aren’t married and don’t have children. Maybe these things get easier once you’ve been initiated. Lord knows the people having the best time are the seventy-year-olds at the far table. Like many traditions, I tell myself that we late 20-30 somethings are of another era and maybe we’ve outgrown things like this. But according to my research of baby showers, Normal America is alive and well – the one where people still make things like ‘diaper cakes’. So, I guess I am just part of the sullen gaggle of girls who would rather drink champagne in honor of our pregnant friend (which is all she wants us to do – she hasn’t had it in months!) in lieu of passing around a diaper filled with melted chocolate (I’m not making this stuff up!). For those of you who would rather be at a party that’s fun for everyone (especially the mom-to-be!), take things into your own hands and host it yourself! My friend and I are co-hosting a baby shower for our best girlfriend so here’s what I have learned thus far:
1. Set the Date:
Showers are typically thrown within the last two months of pregnancy but some people prefer to wait until after the baby is born so they can be shown off as well! As for how long the party should last, you don’t want to exhaust the mom-to-be so plan for about three hours maximum. You could host a mid-day brunch or an early afternoon party which would allow enough time for people to arrive, celebrate and eat without your guest of honor needing a nap!
2. The Guestlist:
Next on the list, who’s attending? Like I mentioned, I’m a young woman of the future so I say we shake things up and make this a boy-girl party! What?! Yes, you heard me. It’s likely the dad-to-be is pretty pumped about having a baby and maybe these almost-parents want to celebrate together! Once you loose the awful activities, boys will be a lot more willing to come along. Plus, the mom-to-be that I am honoring has just as many male friends as female so it makes sense to invite them too! I completely understand (and am prepared to exploit) the fact that the future mother is doing all the hard work, but I love my friend’s husband and he absolutely deserves to share the honor of celebrating their future baby friend!
Sit down with the guest of honor and see if she wants this to be an intimate gathering of only her family and closest friends or if she wants a friend only affair or perhaps to incorporate co-workers as well. If she would like to make this a friends and family party, you may want to ask for a family member to team up with (moms and sisters are ideal!). This will make it a lot easier to host as she will know half the guests and will take off some of the burden of pulling the whole party off alone.
3. Theme:
You can go the usual route of a heavily blue ‘It’s a boy!’ theme but there are so many other choices! Get inspired by a favorite nursery rhyme or children’s book. Try Mother Goose or Hans Christian Anderson for some beautiful classics. Should you choose to not have a theme, avoid pastels and keep things bright and fresh. Flowers and a colorful table setting is enough – people will be a lot more focused on the mom-to-be so don’t go crazy on decorations!
4. Menu:
Try and keep your food prep to a minimum beforehand. Most of the food should be fine to serve at room temperature and finger foods are best! Consider things like fruit salad or green salad, homemade pizza, tea sandwiches and light cookies. Also, there is no shame in a potluck! If you choose to go potluck, let people know what part of the menu they should contribute, whether it be a savory side or sweet. Try not to make things too spicy, rich or heavy in sugar – these are all things mama and baby are staying away from! As far as alcoholic beverages, be sure to provide a delicious non-alcoholic fruit seltzer spritzer for mom but a sparkling wine cocktail is great for the rest of the party-goers.
5. Registry:
As presents are a major part of any shower, you will want to have a registry included in your invitation. We used MyRegistry.com which compiles multiple registries on one easy site, giving the parents to be a lot more choices! They can list their dream crib, eco-diapers and cute wall-art all on the same registry.
6. Gift Giving:
You will have the registry to go off of but it’s always nice to have a personal touch! Your own favorite children’s books are always sure to please. To make it even more special, record yourself reading it onto a tape or cd and include it with the book. If you’re crafty you can try your hand at a simple baby blanket or sewn blocks. Over at Martha (of course), there is a nice selection of handmade gift ideas.
7. Activities:
I am all for fun and games but I have yet to come across a baby shower game that was all that fun. One tip I read was to have each guest think of a name for the baby and put it in a jar for the parents to consider. Of course, this could be funny if you include silly names along with the lovely ones. Besides that, I really think the shower is a great excuse to have good friends together to eat, drink, be merry and celebrate the arrival of a new baby friend! You don’t need much more than that for a good time! Though – if you are into things that are so bad, they’re good, you may enjoy these: What’s in the Baby’s Diaper , Baby Bottle Drink Off , Feed the Baby, or My Water Broke . Oh, and there are so many more.
Editor’s Note: If you have a lot of creative friends and want to knock out the theme and gifts in one fell swoop, throw a onsie painting party! Supply tons of fabric paints and markers, white cotton onsies in several sizes, stencils, and other baby-safe fabric supplies and have all the guests join in on making little outfits for baby boy or baby girl!
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