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Baby Boy Shower Ideas

November 15th, 2009

Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of….

So you’re having a boy – your little buddy, pal, your man, champ, little guy, handsome devil. Don’t you dare call him sweetheart, angel, princess, peanut, honey or baby, right? Of course, not. He’s going to grow up to be a manly man.

Before the newborn son is shaving and off to college, let’s get through the baby shower first. Some obvious themes or décor for boys include sports – baseball, basketball, football, soccer, fire trucks, policemen, robots, doggies, cowboys or super heroes.

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You won’t have a lot of frilly lace or dainty bows at a shower for a baby boy. You can never go wrong with anything in the color blue – and lots of it.

It’s a horrible experience for new parents to have strangers in the store refer to their little man as a precious girl. Baby boy shower gift giving made easy – give outfits to dress the handsome boy up in blue, blue, and blue. Even if his little sleeper has footballs all over it, the well meaning fan won’t take the time to notice the boyish pattern. Give them bold blue to clue them in.

Back to the shower ideas – generally baby showers are a woman dominated event. Your mother-to-be may not have much experience raising a boy. You could center the games on boy things. Make a list of questions that pertain only to boys – perhaps how to change a boy diaper. What will you say when your son comes up to you and tells you … Another idea would be to play – what not to do to embarrass your son (such as lick your finger then attempt to get the toothpaste off his cheek – in front of his friends.) Or don’t shout embarrassing honey-pie comments to your son while he’s playing with his friends. Do a football quiz. Mom may need this information some day!

Guests who have sons will be able to help with this one. Raising a boy is not the same as raising a girl. Have fun but make it informative and fun for all shower attendees.

Baby Shower , , ,

Shower Ideas for Baby Girl

December 12th, 2008

Sugar and spice, and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of. Sunshine and rainbows, and ribbons for hair bows, that’s what little girls are made of. Tea parties, laces and baby doll faces, that’s what little girls are made of.

Listen to women as they look at baby girl outfits …”Ooooooooh how cute is that?” “That is so adorable.” “How precious.” and the like. Baby girl items seem to come with a natural sweetness. That’s what makes planning a baby girl shower so easy. How about asking each guest to bring a frilly pair of booties or hair bows?

Here’s a fun idea for a shower. If you know that the mother to be is going to have a girl, then get her a little girl baby doll. Get the doll the frilliest, laciest outfit you can find (mom will keep all these after the shower). Try to find some little lace tights and hair bows (or the elastic ‘brain squishers’). Make the doll as girlie as you possibly can.

Mom has to care for the “baby” all throughout the shower. Tell the guests ahead of time that anytime mom says “cute, adorable or precious” someone has to cry like a baby – thus causing mom to pick up the baby and check the diaper, see if she might be hungry or maybe just tired and need some rocking.

Carry on the shower festivities as planned, but mom has to do it with baby in tow. It’s fun to see if mom delegates grandma or all the other ‘aunties’ in the room to take care of the baby, or if mom tries to do it all.

Then for one of the games you can play “Baby [or insert baby's name if it has been decided]” is now in puberty” and then “Baby is in high school”. Have all the guests ask hypothetical questions – about how mom will react when … questions related to periods, boyfriends, sex, squabbling best friends, no one asking her to the dance…”

Give mom a dry run what she has to look forward to. It’s guaranteed to be a memorable shower.

Baby Shower

Ideas for a Baby Boy Shower

December 10th, 2008

Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of….

So you’re having a boy: your little buddy, pal, your man, champ, little guy, handsome devil. Don’t you dare call him sweetheart, angel, princess, peanut, honey or baby, right? Heck no. He’s going to grow up to be a manly man.

Before the newborn son is shaving and off to college, let’s get through the baby shower first. Some obvious themes or décor for boys include sports – baseball, basketball, football, soccer; or fire trucks, policemen, robots; doggies, cowboys or super heroes.

You won’t have a lot of frilly lace or dainty bows at a shower for a baby boy. You can never go wrong with anything in the color blue – and lots of it.

Baby boy shower gift giving made easy – give outfits to dress the handsome boy up in blue, blue, and blue. Even if his little sleeper has footballs all over it, the well meaning fan won’t take the time to notice the boyish pattern. Give them bold blue to clue them in.

Back to the shower ideas
– generally baby showers are a woman dominated event. Your mother-to-be may not have much experience raising a boy. You could center the games on boy things. Make a list of questions that pertain only to boys – perhaps how to change a boy diaper. What will you say when your son comes up to you and tells you … Another idea would be to play – what not to do to embarrass your son (such as lick your finger then attempt to get the toothpaste off his cheek – in front of his friends.) Or don’t shout embarrassing honey-pie comments to your son while he’s playing with his friends. Do a football quiz. Mom may need this information some day!

Guests who have sons will be able to help with this one. Raising a boy is not the same as raising a girl. Have fun but make it informative and fun for all shower attendees.

Baby Shower

Baby Shower Themes

October 28th, 2008

No aspect of party planning is more crucial and sometimes mind boggling to a baby shower planner than selecting the baby shower theme. There are almost too many ideas available today, and often the host of a party finds themselves suffering apoplexy at the idea of selecting a baby shower theme.

A small amount of creativity however will be sure to generate success, regardless of the baby shower theme selected. Keep in mind that the mom to be’s happiness is perhaps the greatest priority. Not sure what theme to select? Worried about what might go over well with the guests? Turn to the expectant mom for guidance, and you are certain to come out a winner.

Selecting a baby shower theme should depend on just a couple of critical factors. For example, is the mother expecting a boy, girl, twins or more? Twins are the perfect “theme” for any party of a mother blessed with multiples. You could for example, in this instance offer guests two of everything, including cake!

In times of old a shower was only held for the first child. This tradition has changed however of late, and it isn’t uncommon for a mom to be to have a shower for each child, celebrating their uniqueness and the joy at bringing another new life into the world. Sometimes a variation of the same theme can be used at subsequent showers. Still struggling for ideas? Consider some of the following:

Teddy Bears: What child does not love plush, stuffed and furry teddy bears! Teddy bear themes can be used for male or female children. Napkins, tableware and similar style decorations are sure to be found with teddy bears on them.

Colors: Often a mom to be seeks out gifts and accessories that complement or match the color she has selected for baby’s nursery. You might consider a baby shower theme that matches the color scheme of baby’s nursery. Guests can also be clued in on the invitation, and invited to bring items that will complement the nursery or wardrobe of the baby to be.

Cartoon Characters: Many parents select well known characters to incorporate into their nursery theme and these are easily translated into a baby shower theme. Some ideas include Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty, or Bugs Bunny for example.

Shapes: Some parents may decide on shapes or even objects such as lemons, fish, cubes, circles and triangles to decorate their baby’s nursery. Again, finding decorations and accessories for the shower that match this theme should prove beneficial and inexpensive.

No matter what baby shower theme you select, you are bound to find hundreds of items to complement the event, including decorations, favors and even gifts. Once the baby shower theme has been selected, as a planner the next most important task is setting about planning for the actual party and getting invitations out to the guests to be.

Traditionally, the shower is held at the home of the host; this is not always the case however, and exceptions to the rule might be welcome in some situations. Regardless of where you decide to throw the party, be sure to give guests enough advance notice to plan on attending. This usually requires three weeks to a month’s notice, as most people are already too busy in today’s society!

After selecting a baby shower theme, planning the party is easy. Once invitations have been mailed out and RSVP’s have been received, plan on spending some time making a list of food items that will be needed, decorations you plan on acquiring, settling on party favors and deciding on a few fun games to play. Once you have all of these items sorted out, everything else is bound to fall together and you and your guests are sure to have a delightful time celebrating mom to be!

Baby Shower Thank You Cards – Help the new mom with her Thank you cards by having them ready for her at the end of the shower.

Baby Shower Favor Ideas – Help your baby shower guests remember what a great time they had celebrating the new mom and baby.

Baby Shower GamesWe’ve gathered several baby shower games for your convenience. Have fun, and don’t hesitate to let us know if we can offer anything else, or, if you have any new games you would like us to add.

Baby Shower

Baby Shower Thank You Cards

October 13th, 2008

If you are in charge of the baby shower for your sister or friend, remember to help her with her Thank you cards. It will help the new mom tremendously if you set her up with baby shower thank you cards. As mom is opening the gifts, someone should be making a list of the giver and the item given. This will make it so much easier when it comes time to write thank you cards.

Even better, is to actually supply mom with thank you card, and pre-addressed stamped envelopes. When the guests arrive, hand them all an envelope and ask them to address it to themselves. That is not an unheard of practice. Remember, you’re inviting family and friends; you don’t have to be so formal. It’s not like you’re entertaining the Queen.

What about the actual thank you card? You can always pick up some cute ones from the store. That works just fine. It’s the sentiment inside that is more important that the actual card. However that doesn’t always suit all people, does it?

Thanks to modern technology, a.k.a. digital camera and color printer, the possibilities are endless. You could have a group photo of all the guests, and then print that onto a thank you card. You could take a photo of each guest with the mommy-to-be. You could have a profile picture showing mom’s beautiful belly. Or if you’re really creative maybe you can create a before and after side by side shot in one of the graphics programs.

Let’s face it, there are many card recipients who simply read the inside text, say “ah, how sweet” and then throw the card away. Yes, it’s true. Of course there will be other guests who save everything anyone has ever sent them.

The point is making it simple for mom to get her thank you cards sent out. The memory of those closest to her celebrating the impending birth is far more important than what was on the front of the baby shower thank you card.

We’ve gathered several baby shower games for your convenience. Have fun, and don’t hesitate to let us know if we can offer anything else, or, if you have any new games you would like us to add to our collection.

Baby Shower

Baby Shower Games

October 13th, 2008

We’ve gathered several baby shower games for your convenience. Have fun, and don’t hesitate to let us know if we can offer anything else, or, if you have any new games you would like us to add to our collection.

Baby Bingo – When the mother-to-be is opening up her gifts, the guest get to fill out their bingo card. Have different pictures in each block of possible baby gifts. When someone gets a whole row, column, or diagonal, they win!

Word Search – As people come in, hand them a word search to keep them occupied while waiting.

Counting – Guess how many of something in a jar: great baby shower game, sure to entertain your guests. Try using diaper pins, cotton swabs, cotton balls, socks, booties, Cheerios, etc. Or use Mom’s favorite treat or snack!

Delivery – Buy tiny babies that are often used for cake decorations and freeze them in an ice cube. When everyone arrives at the shower, give everyone an ice baby in a cup. No one is allowed to touch the cup; it’s just left to sit, and melt. The first one that is “delivered” (melts) wins a prize. They must yell out “It’s a girl”, or “It’s a boy!”

Diaper Pin Blooper – Pin a cute diaper pin on each guest as they come in the door. The guest is then not allowed to use the word “baby” at any time during the baby shower. If they slip, they must give their pin to the person who caught them! Of course the person with the most pins at the end of party wins a prize.

Diaper Mess – More of a gag game but it’s funny! You will need enough oversized white paper napkins to have one for each guest. Fold the napkins diagonally and place 4-5 plain chocolate M & M’s in the center of each napkin. Bring pointed ends of napkin diaper fashion into the center and secure with tape. Pile all ‘diapers’ except one in a large bowl. Place the one you set aside briefly in the microwave, just long enough to melt chocolate. (you can use oven too) When you are sure the ‘diaper’ is gooey, add to others in the bowl. Let each guest choose her own diaper shaped treat out of bowl and get ready to laugh as only one will get stuck with a messy diaper! Use small pieces of several different chocolate bars…some with nuts … Snickers, Milky Way, M&M’s, Hershey’s, etc.

Variation: Make little diapers out of card stock. Inside one of them, put a brown pen smudge. Then mix them up and write each guest’s name on the outside. At the end of the party, everyone opens their “diaper” and the person with the “poopy” one gets a prize.

Dress the Baby – Everyone picks a partner. Then tie one guest’s right hand to the others left hand with toilet paper. Give each pair a naked baby doll, a diaper, socks, and an outfit and have them dress the baby using only their free hands. The first pair to completely dress the baby wins. Variation: Instead of partners with hands tied, try this game blindfolded.

How Big is Big? – Have guests judge the circumference of the mom to be! Pass around a roll of toilet paper and tell each guest to take the amount that she thinks it will take to fit around the mother to be tummy! Once everyone has torn off their ‘measuring tape’ use the remainder of the roll of toilet paper to really measure her and compare that strip with those of the guests. The one who comes closest to the correct length wins a prize.

I have never …
Everyone gets a certain number of pennies, say 10. Then one by one each person tells something they have never done before. Everyone one else who HAS done that thing gives the teller a penny. At the end of the game the person with the most pennies wins – they are the”least experienced”. You also give a prize to the one with the fewest pennies since they must be the “most experienced”. The idea is to think of something you’ve never done that probably everyone else in the room has done. That way you get more pennies. For a baby shower you could have all the responses be related to babies, baby-sitting, pregnancy, parenting, etc.

Variation: Buy a piggy bank for the baby and bring it to the shower. Be sure to instruct the guests to bring some change. Take turns going around the room and completing the saying “I’ve never . . .”. Everyone who HAS done that activity, has to put change in the piggy bank. When you’re finished, you’ll have started a great savings or college fund!

Memories – On the invitations to the baby shower ask each guest to bring one baby item from their past, either something they or their children wore or played with. Have each person tell the story behind the item. Have the guest vote on the best story to pick the winner. As a gift for the mother-to-be, give her a “Baby’s First Year” memory book that she can use to record memories of her baby.

Name Game – If the parents have not been able to agree to a name, this is great! Have everyone fill out little pieces of paper with First and Middle names. Have a name book handy and it helps to know the sex of the baby! Parents get to choose which names they like best! Who knows, maybe they name the child because of this!

Nursery Rhymes – Play a game where you make small slips of paper with the first part of a nursery rhyme on it, or the lines to a song, or a question. (make enough so that each person has a chance to draw and win a prize) Each guest pulls a slip of paper, one at a time (while mom is opening gifts so there is something to do) and they have to say the next line of the nursery rhyme, sing the next line to the song, or answer the question.

Piñata – Piñatas are fun for any age! Fill one with all kinds of small baby items to be given to Mom at the shower or favors for the guests!

Scrapbook Spectacular – Oh, how I wish I had heard of this one a year ago! Have each person create a different scrapbook page for the mother-to-be, where all she has to do is add pictures/cutouts to the page. This helps her tremendously in time later on, as it is an awesome baby shower gift!

Surprises – I did this one on a young gal who decorated the nursery with dogs. She was wanting to purchase several stuffed dogs to compliment the nursery decorations. Each guest was asked to bring a stuffed dog to the shower on their invitations. (Her invitation read differently!) She had numerous dogs and not one was the same! After she had opened all of her gifts, I gave her the invitation that was sent to everyone else. Not realizing, but throughout the shower all of these stuffed dogs were being put throughout the room as decorations.

The Ambidextrous Mom – As most of us know, mothers must be very ambidextrous with one hand. Take a hanger and put clothes pins on it. The object of the game is for a guest to get as many clothes pins in her one hand that she is using to take the clothes pins off the hanger. She cannot use her other hand or lap to help her arrange the clothes pins in that hand to make more room. The person who can get the most clothes pins off the hanger without dropping any, wins!

The Baby Daddy – This one is for the group of people who love to have a good laugh, and where the father-to-be has a great sense of humor. (not recommended for mothers-to-be who are due at any time – she might laugh too hard!) This can work two ways, either the mother-to-be can dress up the father-to-be in big baby clothing or they can swap roles. This is practice for them for when the baby comes. This is where the grandmothers get to talk about what the parents-to-be were like as babies. Another idea is to have the father-to-be show up in the middle of the shower dressed like a big baby escorted by a delivery person (person dressed up as stork, doctor, nurse) as a special delivery for the mother-to-be. Won’t she be surprised?

Word Scramble – Make a list of “baby” words, such as swing, playpen, blanket, rattle, diaper, bottle, etc but scramble them up. Make enough copies for each guest and you keep the answer sheet. Give the guests 5-10 min to unscramble and winner with all or the most correct wins, give a prize.

Who’s Who – Have each guest bring a baby picture of herself. Mount these ‘celebrity’ photos on a board and assign each picture a number by writing on the back of the picture lightly in pencil or by attaching a numbered slip of paper underneath. Each guest will get a pencil and paper and you can give them 5 minutes to guess who’s who! The one with the most correct wins a prize!

What’s in the Bag? – Place a few baby items in bottom of pillowcase. Such items could be a pacifier, cotton balls, bottle, plastic keys, etc. Pass pillowcase around, give each person 30 seconds-1 min to feel what is in the bag, then pass it on to next player. After passing the bag, guest must write down everything she can remember feeling in the bag. Winner of the prize is the one who remembers the most correctly.

Who Will the Baby Look Like? – This is where you must have lots of pictures of the parents-to-be as children through adulthood. These should be pictures that can be cut. The object of the game to use each facial feature and create funny faces. This is quite humorous when you look at each face that has been made by different people!

Who Has … – Who traveled the farthest, shortest, known her the longest (mom doesn’t count), shortest, etc.

Some Games/Activities for the GUYS! – Baby food tasted by all the men who are blindfolded, or if all guests are involved the labels are removed and the shower hosts have everyone try the food. Anyone who answers incorrectly has to eat the whole jar of baby food! Prizes are optional with this game.

  • Diapering and powdering the baby contest for Daddy to be and men guests, even those with children have to participate.
  • Assembling car seat/stroller combos with a doll baby strapped in. Make it known that the doll still has feelings!!! The quickest time gets a prize.

Baby Shower Thank You Cards – If you are in charge of the baby shower for your sister or friend, remember to help her with her Thank you cards. It will help the new mom tremendously if you set her up with baby shower thank you cards.

Baby Shower

Baby Shower Gifts

September 15th, 2008

A baby shower can be a truly memorable and extraordinary event. Of course, you’re expected to bring a gift ;-) for the lucky about-to-be parents. Baby Shower Gifts can either be very lame or valuable so here are a few valuable tips to make sure yours will be the latter.

  • Stay away from ordinary, standard baby shower gifts like blankets, bottles, toys as others will no doubt flood the party with such mundane gifts
  • Get the parents a nifty, helpful baby gadget or gear to make their lives easier like a next-generation baby monitor or diet recorder system.
  • Opt for memories rather than material goods. Get them a Memory
  • Gift certificates, although not exactly thoughtful, can be very useful and appreciated.
  • Chip in with a few friends and buy them something truly memorable or useful.
  • Offering to baby-sit for the frazzled parents also can’t hurt ;-) !

And remember, being there for the lucky family is the best gift of all.

Luxury Baby Gifts – What better way to show how much you love that brand new baby, than buying a luxurious stroller, or baby bedding, or other luxury gift?

Baby Shower Gifts – Learn what gifts are the best for that upcoming baby shower.

Baby Shower Thank You Cards – Help the new mom with her Thank you cards by having them ready for her at the end of the shower.

Baby Shower

Easy Baby Shower Favor Ideas

September 8th, 2008

With so many different aspects of a shower to plan, coming up with a baby shower favor idea is often the last consideration on a long list of planning.

There are several unique, exciting and interesting baby shower favor ideas that will work well for almost any shower. Whether traditional or alternative in nature, the following are popular baby shower favor ideas:

  • Bath and Body Items
  • Notepads
  • Pictures
  • Gift Certificates
  • Coupons
  • Gift Baskets
  • Designer Candles
  • Baby Bottles with Candy

No matter what baby shower favor idea you come up with, keep in mind that the majority of your guests are coming with one intention in mind, and that is to spoil and entertain the mom to be. Some important considerations when planning a shower include the food items, cake and games that will be played by visitors.

The mom to be or any friends of the family is likely to take an active interest in your planning efforts. If you are uncertain what favors might be well received, go over the guest list with your mom-to-be and try to get a feel for the personality of the ladies attending. You might find for example that a large majority of the moms that will be attending have children of their own. If this is the case don’t hesitate to include helpful childcare or baby items that any mom would be appreciative of.

Some baby shower favor ideas are generated from the party theme itself. For example, if the motif of a shower is a color, such as green, you might consider acquiring some melon, lime or pear flavored hand soaps and lotions (that will of course, be green in color). You might even consider some “gag” gift items as party favors including stickers (which are sure to be well received from the children of guests).

Planning a baby shower requires an investment in time and energy. There is no reason to spend the majority of your planning time attempting to find appropriate party favors. There is a vast selection of products available, and ideas are easily discovered when one takes a moment to consider the shower theme, guests and mom-to-be’s expectations.

Baby Shower ,

Creative Baby Shower Favors

July 22nd, 2008

Remember going to birthday parties as a little kid? You always came home with a goodie bag. Sometimes it would contain candy or bubbles or a pinwheel. It was so fun to go to a party for someone else’s birthday and come up with a little present for yourself.

Bring a present – get a present. We still get to do that as grown-ups … only now we call them “favors.” It sounds much more dignified, don’t you agree?

It’s a nice gesture to have something that your guests can take home with them after the festivities are finished. If your shower will be like most, you’ll probably play some silly games. No game would be complete without prizes or favors.

But no one likes to leave empty handed. You should have some small favors for everyone to take home, whether or not they’ve won a game. How about a little tin candle with a custom label that reads “Your friendship lights my day. Thanks for being part of my special day”?

Most everyone likes chocolate. Little boxes of chocolate that read, “You’re so sweet. Thanks for coming to my baby shower.” Or a little package of nuts wrapped in tulle, “You’re nuts. But that’s why we’re friends – thank you for coming to my shower.”

Lotion is always a good little favor for women. Be careful not to get something too fragrant – as some people are bothered by strong scents. The truth is that it doesn’t really matter what you offer as a favor. It’s a small token of your appreciation for the time your friends devoted to celebrate your baby.

I will say this; your favor should be something they can use. Even it is it s small bud vase with dried flowers from your garden. When deciding what you’ll have for little favors, try to think, “What is not going to end up in the trash as soon as they leave?”

Perhaps you could give your guests a small gift booklet and inscribe something sweet on the inside cover: “I appreciate your wisdom and support of my new baby.” Or “Thanks for all times I’ve cried on your shoulder, I appreciate you.” Or if you don’t feel very sentimental how about simply: “Thanks for coming to my baby shower. June 1, 200x”

Baby shower favors don’t have to be anything fancy, just something to show your appreciation.

Baby Shower