BABY SHOWERS

Ever since Sex in the City featured a baby shower for Miranda, girlie get-togethers for mums-to-be and their best friends have become the latest ‘in’ thing.  With celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney frequently being photographed arriving at baby showers clutching armfuls of gorgeous and stylish baby gifts, we have put together the smart girl’s guide on how to organise a baby shower of your own.

Who hosts a Baby Shower?

A baby shower party is usually organised by someone close to the mum-to-be, eg her Mum, sister, best friend or work colleague. However it’s perfectly OK to organise your own shower party, just enlist a few friends to help as you may be feeling very low in energy and hormonal!

When is the best time to throw a Baby Shower?

When it comes to timing, a baby shower is traditionally held before the baby is born, usually one afternoon during the final trimester of the pregnancy. However, many showers are now being held after the baby’s birth.  This gives guests the opportunity to see the new arrival for the first time, and also to buy an appropriate new baby gift if the sex of the baby has remained a secret!

What, where and how?

It’s great fun to choose a theme for the baby shower and base everything around that.  It could be a colour theme (baby blue, baby pink or something neutral if the sex of the baby is unknown); a theme based on glamour (lots of scented candles, flowers and treats); or a theme that is reminiscent of childhood such as a traditional children’s tea party or even the year in which the mother was born! 

Ideally a baby shower should be held at the home of the host but sometimes that just isn’t possible.  If it’s held at the home of the mum-to-be, just make sure that she isn't left to do any of the washing up afterwards!

Baby Shower Gifts

It is traditional for everyone to bring a gift to the baby shower but choosing the perfect baby shower gift can often be tricky if you don’t yet know the sex of the baby!  The Baby Gift Box Co. has a great range of neutral baby gifts that include practical items such as our stylish baby changing bag, a soft lambswool blanket or our luxurious ivory cashmere blanket, cardigan and hat set.  Remember, if you select our gift wrapping service, we will present the gift in a stylish white gloss gift box, tie it with our signature polka dot ribbon in either pink or blue and handwrite your personal message on the gift card.

As the mother-to-be will literally be ‘showered’ with gifts, it’s a good idea for a friend to have a pen and paper handy to record all the gifts she receives, it will make sending thank you cards later on much easier. 

We also think that as a nice touch, it’s a good idea to give a small going-home present to all those who have attended, as friends and family are often very generous when buying gifts for a new babies.  To thank your guests for their generosity, why not give them a small gift such as a scented candle, a box of chocolates or a miniature bottle of Champagne?

Baby Gift List Service

In our declutter culture, it’s also becoming socially acceptable for parents-to-be to create their own baby gift list.  This works just like a wedding list whereby friends and family are invited to purchase a gift from the list (although they are certainly under no obligation to do so).  This means that there is no duplication of gifts and that the proud new parents receive the gifts that they particularly want. The Baby Gift Box Co. offers this service to our customers free of charge.  If you would like to find out more about how this works, please either email us or call us on 020 8767 3004.

Baby Games

As well as eating, drinking and having a good gossip, it’s fun to play some party games as well.  Why not ask your guests to bring a photo of them as a baby and then play a game guessing who’s who. 

Yummy Mummy Food

You can have great fun putting together some ‘yummy mummy’ party food, just make sure that you stay away from all the obvious foods that should be avoided.  Delicious dishes such as fruit platters, Pavlova, fondant fancies, marmite sandwiches and jelly babies all make a good spread particularly if accompanied by miniature bottles of Champagne (and if you know it’s a girl, why not go for pink?)  Of course, if you don’t have time, it’s perfectly acceptable baby shower etiquette to ask your guests to bring a dish with them.

As a nice touch…

Why not take some photos of the party and put them in a memory book for the mother as a memento of her pregnancy?

But above all…

Remember to relax, keep it casual, sit back and simply have a good time!  And if you’re organising the baby shower and you’re single, remember Carrie in Sex in the City and those beautiful shoes!

Baby Gift Resources:

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