Thursday, January 28, 2010

Baby Shower Planning Tips

Baby Shower Planning

A baby shower is a celebration that involves the gathering of friends and family of the parents-to-be to give gifts and rejoice in the coming of baby. Although traditional baby showers only include female guests, more modern showers include both sexes in the festivities and is a great way of helping to ensure that a new mom is well equipped to begin her new life.

A baby shower may be one of the most exciting and fun milestones in your first pregnancy. Nothing makes you feel more prepared to welcome the baby kicking your ribs then piles of adorable clothes, toys, gear and diapers. A baby shower is a very celebratory event that usually takes place about a few weeks or so before the mother gives birth. Most showers have a theme with which the decorations, invitations and other things used are based on. It can be more entertaining with amusing games. Socializing with other guests will be easier since it produces a comfortable setting.


A baby shower usually involves a party held to celebrate a woman's impending motherhood. It is typically thrown by her friends, and guests include other friends, family, and co-workers, if the woman is close to them. A baby shower is a themed party. Banners will help create the perfect mood for the occasion. A baby shower is very important for the mom to be. For you to be invited, you must be important to the mom to be

Baby shower planning and hosting can be a fun and stressful activity; keep well organized and allow plenty of time for planning and everything will run smoothly, like any type of party preparations. Having a baby is one of the most important events in someone’s life so their baby shower should reflect that. Host the shower a month or two before the baby's due date. This allows the expectant mother time to register for shower-worthy gifts she still needs before the baby arrives.

Traditionally baby showers are held in the last trimester of pregnancy. A current trend is to have the baby shower after the baby is born. Traditionally, the shower is given for the expected parent(s) by someone else as opposed to the parent(s). Usually, the mother's maid of honor or bridesmaids at her wedding hosts this final event into motherhood. Traditional showers were just for women and the men were left out. Most modern dads are much more involved with taking care of their babies and raising their children, so many showers now include couples.

Baby Shower Invitations

Baby shower invitations are formal announcements which are issued to invite people to a baby shower. The invitations are distributed to the various guests so that they are alerted to the date, time, and location of the baby shower, allowing them to prepare for the event and to set aside time to attend it. Invitations need not be limited to two dimensional paper or cardboard. Many baby shower invitation ideas think out of the box and include things that are memorable and fun to have.

Baby shower invitations contain important details of the baby shower event, but they need to be cute and fun as well. Wording for baby shower invitations can be easy to create on your own or you can go to several Internet sites for some of the best baby shower wording ideas available. Baby shower invitations are very important part of the whole baby shower. The invitations should reflect the whole party theme.
Baby shower invitations with a footprint are so irresistible be will just have to come to the shower. Baby shower invitations are an important part of this ceremony. The invitations should be created in such a way that your guests should very much start looking forward to attending the ceremony as soon as they get the invitation. Baby shower invitations are available in large varieties in the websites and they can be downloaded and then taken printout and then distributed to the friends.

Baby shower invitations don't have to be fancy, engraved announcements in order to be appreciated. Something personal and homemade can also be a great choice. Baby shower invitations give pertinent information about the party to guests. They detail whose event is taking place at what time and on what day.

Baby Shower Decorations

Decorate your place with the chosen color theme. The placement of colored ribbons, intertwine with a white ribbon e. Decorations for Marin's shower were simple .white tulips .a garland across the fireplace .and mini-pom-poms hanging over the table. Less is usually more, right? Decorating for this type of event should be fun but always keep in mind your selected baby shower themes. One of the best choices for a centerpiece is the diaper cake. Decorations can also reflect a nursery theme and you can even have the cake decorated the same way

Decorating for a baby shower doesn’t have to be costly. With a bit of creativity, you can make any baby shower venue look good and enticing. Decorations can be as simple as balloons and crepe paper or you can have fun making decorations such as collecting baby pictures of the invited guests and parents-to-be and placing them into simple paper frames. You can even use these to play 'guess who the baby is' as a baby shower party game.

A baby shower that will be held at noon or at dinnertime usually requires a full ’sit-down’ meal, while early afternoon or early evening showers can do with appetizers, salads, and finger foods. In addition, the amount of food that you need to prepare will depend on the number of guests you will be inviting. A baby shower is a fun and meaningful way to celebrate a new addition to the family. Incorporating personalized baby shower favors and unique baby shower decorations is a fabulous way to make the event a truly personal one. A baby shower is usually a relatively casual event, held in the afternoon or early evening, often with refreshments provided and sometimes party games held as well. It is not uncommon to have a potluck shower, where guests each bring a food item along with a gift, although fully catered showers are also quite common.



For more ideas, Please read our other Baby Shower Planning posts.
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Monday, January 11, 2010

Five Of The Most Needed Baby Shower Gifts

First time parents usually don’t really know what they want as a shower gifts. Most times they come up with stock gifts such as diapers, baby bottles or something to that effect.

Precisely what a new born baby needs is not so obvious to a couple who have never had a baby before. And most of the time, guests are can not think of them either, when it comes to deciding on baby shower gifts.

As you may know, there’s a lot more to baby showers than just gifts. And helping the new parents to stock up for the baby is an important part of these celebrations.



So here is a list of top five baby shower gifts that can be extremely useful.

1) Monitors

Monitors are perfect anxiety-removers, especially for first-time parents. That is precisely why they rank as the Number one position on our list.


As soon as they know they can hear and listen to the baby from anywhere in the house, The parents to be feel the worry of knowing the baby is all right disappear. The newest monitor’s models are extremely sensitive and can pick up the smallest sound or whisper from baby, even there breathing.


If your can afford it, take it one step further and purchase a video monitor. That will really ease anxiety. These video monitors are much more expensive, so possibly it can be a joint baby shower gift from more than one guest.



2) Playtime Mate for Babies

Babies are anxious to play. Anything that helps them to be able to play and be active keeps them engaged and stimulates all round mental and physical development.


One of the greatest products for a baby is an activity gym or playpen. They are made of a soft cloth mat enclosed by baby-friendly structured bars and with all kinds of toys suspended from various places. The can allow them be able to play in a safe environment.


Baby activity gyms make excellent baby shower gifts. There are basic and advanced ones that include noisemakers and a variety of colored toys. The suspended objects have different textures to help develop the baby’s cognitive abilities.


There are also nice portable gyms and playpens available to let the parents move around with baby. These are lightweight and are designed to be extremely easy to carry to where ever they are needed.



3): Baby Sling

All babies love to be carried around in a sling. It’s the best thing next to being cuddled in mommy’s arms. Most parents have had the experience when babies get restless and cry while they try to use other types of carriers, but automatically calm down when placed into a sling.


Baby slings have been believed to foster a closer parent to child bond. Whether that is true or not, slings also have another nice advantage, they leave the mother or father’s hands free to do other things. That’s definitely a huge plus and is the reason why this baby shower gift is so highly appreciated and recommended.



4) Baby Travel Packs

Traveling around with a baby can be quite a chore, since you have to pack an endless array of baby accessories even for long or even short outings.


One way to help this problem is to have one or a few baby travel packs available. Don’t know what a travel pack is? Essentially, a diaper bag containing all baby necessities. It can include diapers, a few small toys or a few, bibs, a complete change of clothes for the little one, safety pins, and an array of other supplies.


It’s a huge advantage if the parents get more than one travel pack. That way one pack can always be kept ready when ever they need to go. No reason to mess around with picking up and packing items into a diaper bag at the final minute.



5) Infant Car Seats

Many parents say that a good designed car seat is a fantastic useful baby shower gift to get. As a matter of fact, it’s useful from the exact moment they leave hospital with the new born baby.


There are infant car seats available and infant-toddler convertible seats also. The first one must be used only till the baby is up around 22 pounds. While the latter can always be used till the babies first birthday.

Personalized Baby Shower Candle Gifts

Looking for a fun and unique gift to make for a baby shower? Personalized candle making may be something you should to consider. There are lots of ways to make personalized candles, depending on the time and money you are willing to spend. With a little time and effort, you can come up with a beautiful personalized candle out of an otherwise simple and ordinary candle gift set that the lucky mother to be will love.




1. The easiest way to make a personalized candle is purchase a normal candle at your local department or candle store. Even general retail stores such as Wal-Mart always have candles for you to purchase. Candles come in all sizes, shapes and scents, but any candle can be personalized.



2. Anything smaller than a tea light will be very hard to personalize. For tea light candles, you can usually purchase a large bag for a low price. These candles are excellent as favors for baby showers. The least hardest way to personalize them is to use either a photographic program on your pc or Mac or a word processor. We' will stick with the Word processor since it is the simplest. First, draw a round circle that is the same size as the lid on the tea light, or you can use a circular label sheet. Then select the font you would like to use, like cursive script or Corsica. You can enter the names and date of the event into the circle you have created. Print out a test sample on regular paper to be sure the look and size is correct. As soon as you have the desired result, you can print out your tea light label stickers. Then when satisfied you can apply the sticker onto the top of the candle tea light.



3. For scented jar candles, you can make a personalized label shaped as a square. Since you have increased area to work with, you can then download free graphics or pictures from the Internet. Search the World Wide Web for "free clip art" and download the graphics you want. Test again by printing out a sample on regular paper and then print the label. If you do not have a color printer, you can go to a local copy shop like Wal-Mart or Office Depot and they can make beautiful labels for you. Stick the label on the jar. Now you have created a special unique gift personalized just for the mother to be.



4. For tall pillar candles, you can have those engraved at an engraving shop (look on the internet or the white pages for engraving) or purchase an inexpensive engraver for yourself. The artwork and text should come in different colors. If you are very artistic, you can even buy candle-engraving kits on the web (internet) and do it yourself.



5. What about those 1oz votive candles? For a great looking gift, get cellophane bags and different colored ribbon (try to get the colors of the baby shower theme). Wrap the candle in the cellophane bag and tie it up with the ribbons. Then add personalized tag to the ribbon. These candles can also be engraved.



6. If you can make candles or have a make your own candle kit, then there the possibilities are limitless. You can use all kinds of fragrances oils to make scented candles. You can apply embeds for decoration. Cookie cutters and molds are very useful for designing the perfect shape.



As a final note, you can take a simple store candle and make it a very special unique gift with just a small amount of time and effort. Your mother to be will cherish these candle gifts for years to come.

Baby Shower Gifts

Baby shower gifts can be simple or elegant, traditional or creative and personal and selected with creativity and care. Baby shower gifts can also be purchased with the mother-to-be in mind. Bath toys, photo frames, baby candy lollipops are common examples of inexpensive baby shower gifts. Baby shower gifts can be especially fun. The most important thing to remember is it is always a good idea to not only get something for the baby, but for the new mom as well.




Shopping for unique baby shower gifts can be a real challenge. Sure, the regular stores like Target, K-Mart and Wal-Mart all have many different items that qualify as a good baby gift, but they’re all so routine and expected. Shop at specialty boutiques. There are so many wonderful baby and children's boutiques featuring very unusual gifts.



Unique Baby Shower Gifts

Unique baby shower gifts add a special touch to the baby shower party. They can be fun and creative or personal and memorable. Unique baby shower gifts can be anything from the Tiffany’s Silver Rattle to a baby massage certificate. Baby bibs, baby blankets or burp cloths are lovingly applied and personalized with a monogram of the baby’s initials. Unique baby shower gifts can be fun and creative or personal and memorable. As long as they are from the heart, unique baby shower gifts become keepsakes that families will treasure for a lifetime. There are so many things to get babies today - so many more than there were years ago.



Personalized Baby Shower Gifts

Personalized baby shower gifts are always very nice to give the mother to be. It always seams that you can’t go wrong with a small decorated box or book for the newborns first tooth and another one for his or her first curl. Personalized gifts are quite interesting and always appreciated. That is why you could give a baby quilt with the baby's name and birth date (may have to be done after the birth) embroidered on it. An alternative would be giving a silver piggy bank with the name of the baby engraved on it.


You can make a cow print receiving blanket for the nursery decorated in barn animals or a sundress in purple or mint green for the anti-pink parents of a baby girl. Making your own clothes and blankets also allows you to choose colors and patterns that aren't easy to find in the stores--for example, pirate fabric, deep colors, or any shade of pink, blue or yellow.



Other Baby Shower Gifts

A cute stuffed animal may make a nice gift. The softest kind available may be liked the most for snuggly comfort. Stuffed animals are always a favorite among newborns. It is also one of my favorite baby shower gifts ideas, something like a teddy bear is kind of traditional gift, but Stuffed Animals are always a good idea.

Photo Album: Parents could always have fun posting pictures and memories of their babies through a photo album. The parents will surely appreciate it and when the baby grows he will surely appreciate seeing those pictures on photo albums.




Remember, the items can be as small as baby spoons, diapers, or practical baby clothes or an extravagant as a bank account for the babies collage tuition. What really matters is that is coming from you and will be something remembered and appreciated by the parents of the new born baby to come.

Baby Shower Favor Ideas

Baby shower favors are a way of displaying your gratitude to your guests that attended the shower. They serve as a souvenir for the guests and they let them cherish the memory of the special occasion. Baby shower favors may seam small or tiny and may seem irrelevant but are thoughtful gifts which hardly cost anything. They should always be at every baby shower for its guests. Cute little items, items that are easily available or can be made cheaply, are perfect for your baby shower.


Baby shower favors should also be something your guests will use as well as being gender neutral. Some favor ideas include personalized lollipops or candy tins, baby themed cookies, or the ever popular bubble gum cigars. Baby shower favors are somewhat more challenging than prizes for the games. Baby shower favor ideas can often be hard to come up with, especially if you’re in the middle of planning the baby shower of a lifetime. However, the best baby favor ideas are those that match up with the chosen theme, and usually will be something that your guests can use once they get home.

Keepsakes make unique baby shower favors. Popular items include refrigerator magnets with a picture of the mom-to-be and her due date, or a personalized baby picture frame.



Some baby shower favor ideas are generated from the party theme itself. For example, if the shower has green in the theme, you might consider acquiring some melon, lime or pear flavored hand soaps and lotions (that will of course, be green in color). You can use a whole punch to make a hole and tie the label or gift tag to the baby shower favor. There are excellent personalized stationary stores online that will custom make labels and gift tags that you may want to splurge on!

What you can do to make unique baby shower favors for the honoree is to add special touches that are going to mean a lot to them. If they have a favorite sports teams, add that to the diaper cake. You can conjointly purchase baby shower favors from websites, using your credit cards and have the gift delivered to your home address. Because of the high demand for baby shower favors these days, people are given an endless selection of party favors to choose from, both in local and online market.

Shopping for the right baby shower favors made easier by the Internet. The birth of the Internet enables people to shop anything they need without too much stress and hassle. However, two things that makes very classy and unique baby shower favors are food items and personalized items. Food, typical is a big hit for any part favor because well, honestly we all love little goodies and treats to eat. Chocolates also have various colors available like pink and blue and you can also get some special food coloring to add more texture and design to your homemade baby shower favors.

Try to have baby shower favors that can be useful for things other than as a display item. Printing the name of your baby will make the item more treasured, and thus, you can be sure that it will always be kept in a save place by your guests. You also might want to have some extra Baby Shower Favors on hand. You never know if someone you didn't expect might drop in. Try favors that serve as a remembrance for the wonderful celebration.



Whatever favors you choose, keep in mind the type of baby shower you will be hosting. Such an event can be either formal or less formal, depending on the expectant parent's desire. These baby shower favors are given to guests to thank them for being there and spending time with the family. These gifts can prove to be a precious memento that would remain with the guests for a long period of time.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Unique Baby Shower

Unique Baby Shower Gifts

Unique baby shower gifts could be something very useful that can be used once the baby is born or something lavish for either the parents or the baby. Expecting parents have pleasure in receiving unique baby shower gifts from family and friends during the baby shower party. Unique baby shower ideas are not limited to activities, themes or decorations. One woman wrote that she loves to suggest guests to bring either diapers or a baby book with an inscription for a chance to win an extra prize.



Gifts for dads are also unique and can be packed in a distinctive gift basket. The gift basket for dads can be designed as a survival gift basket like a daddy diaper tool kit. Some gifts for newborns include baby gift baskets, baby bath gifts, and personalized baby keepsake presents. From blankets to burp cloths to diapers and onesies, you can never have enough stuff for new babies. Unique baby shower gifts can be anything from the Tiffany’s Silver Rattle to a baby massage certificate. There are so many things to get babies today - so many more than there were years ago


Unique Baby Shower Games


Unique games make great ice breakers: they help the guests feel more comfortable with each other. Plus, they can really bring a lot of laughter to baby showers. Games can be classic and general, or more specific and tied to your theme. One of the most universal baby shower games that everyone seems to love is called “Don’t Say Baby.” At the beginning of the baby shower, each guest is given a string with a pacifier on it, which he or she ties on his or her neck as a necklace. Games are always looked forward too and may include name that animal with only a portion of the animal showing. The possibilities are as endless as the imagination.

Unique Baby Shower Favors

Unique baby shower favors can be handed out as prizes in games or just given to departing guests. Which ever way this is done, make sure that every one receives a favor, and the event will be remembered for a long time to come. Unique favors can be less than a dollar each if you look around enough. Look in dollar stores and discount Dollar General Stores for inexpensive favors and be creative. Items under $3 are also easily found and are considered inexpensive.

Consider filling the tub with baby bath items. These do not have to be expensive toys, but the more you can fit in the tub, the better it looks. Consider fuchsia, pink and lime green for girls, while turquoise, light or dark blue, lime green, and yellow are great for boys. Yellow, aqua, and lime green for gender neutral baby showers are all the rage


Unique Baby Shower Themes
Unique baby shower themes can help you to plan an exciting baby shower that people will be sure to enjoy. These unique themes can also help you to create a more memorable baby shower experience.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Baby Shower Themes

Baby Shower Themes



Baby shower themes can center around the decorations the mother has chosen for her baby's room. If, for instance, she chose a celestial scheme to decorate the nursery, the baby shower themes can certainly mirror that. Baby shower themes provide focus and save time.

Planes, trains and automobiles are all among the popular baby shower themes for boys. Let’s face it, little boys love playing with cars, boats, trains and planes, so this is a natural choice for both nursery decor and shower theme. Planning a baby shower party? Thinking of making crafts for baby shower party decorations? Planning a baby shower is hard work, but if you choose the right baby shower theme it can be fun and exciting. Naturally, if you know the sex of the child you are welcoming it makes the planning process that much easier.


Flowers, trees, clouds, baby animals, bugs, puppies, and even Noah's Ark are all popular baby shower themes. Sometimes these party ideas may coordinate with the nursery decor, but sometimes they just reflect that the mother or father likes a particular animal. Flowers will make good centerpiece or cute baby accessories that you can purchase on specialty stores. Flowers will make your baby shower party looks fresh, that you can purchase on specialty stores.



Baby Shower Theme Decorations

Music is an essential element for creating a desired atmosphere, and Disney has some great tunes that are fun and uplifting. A Disney Princess baby shower will be fun and exciting for you and all your guests! Music shops carry a load of music for infants or children. Music stores carry loads of music for babies or children.


Colors like blue, purple, pink and yellow can be used to decorate the room. A great idea for decorating is the curtain of each table with a sheet of different color. Colors such as blues, purples, pinks and yellows can be used to decorate the room. Colorful balloons make everyone in high spirits. It would be a great idea to have some.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Baby Shower Centerpiece

Baby shower centerpieces can be very simple and creative to work with your theme. Arrange party favors as your centerpiece. Baby shower centerpieces do play an important role at the baby shower. They make any shower venue look more festive. They should be meaningful for both mother and baby.




Baby Shower Centerpieces are fun and easy to make and/or select! When you are selecting your baby shower centerpiece, you should consider what your budget is how to tie it in with the theme, and the mood of the baby shower.



They add to the atmosphere of the occasion. So just get creative and have fun with it! Baby shower centerpieces can help bring the theme of the shower together. Centerpieces made with items that can also be gifts for the new baby are very practical.



• Diaper cakes make a great centerpiece (make sure to have a real cake for later) or fill a bucket, bowl, or basket with toffee, small stuffed animals, or flowers, soap favors and baby pictures, different types of candy bars in diapers,

• It can be a fruit bouquet or a baby balloon bouquet with pink balloons for little girls, light blue for baby boys, or yellow id the sex is not known.,

• Floating Centerpieces - Put some glass pebbles in the bottom of a clear glass bowl and fill the bowl two-thirds with water. Floating frogs, rubber duckies or any plastic cartoon toys.

• Create duckies or bunnies with pink, blue, green and yellow washcloths.

• Scented candles or bath sets inserted into a box with baby breath. wrapped it in baby shower gift wrap and tie with a pink, blue or yellow bow



Whatever it is, it must catch your eye since it should have texture, color depth. At any baby shower the "eye-catcher" is going to be your baby shower centerpiece. It will be the focal point of your shower. Gifts can be placed behind or nearby the centerpiece.