For any woman who has been trying to conceive, finding out she’s pregnant is the best news! (Of course, second only to the wedding proposal.) Once the wedding is over and the ceremony and celebration time settles down, finding out that you two will be expecting a new baby is an amazing feeling for any couple.
First time parents tend to feel slightly overwhelmed and can find it difficult to narrow down all the “new baby equipment” they are going to need when the baby arrives. Making sure expecting parents have all the major necessities can be a tedious task. Writing a list of all the things they will need for the new baby, and then chipping away at the list throughout the months of her pregnancy can help in getting a head start for the stockpile.
Baby shower’s are also an exceptional way to obtain new baby supplies, and it can take a lot of the financial pressure off of new parents.Some of the burden of searching and looking for baby stuff is now passed on to the guest list, which in turn helps to lessen to stress for the expecting new parents.
Showers are great fun for the expecting mom and the guests. Themed showers can be based on color (if the gender of the baby is already known, a pink or blue color theme is widely accepted, and very traditional), character themed baby showers (such as the Sesame Street, Power Puff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory or the Looney Tunes), or even a “time-of-the-day baby shower theme” (where each guest is asked to bring something the baby would need or use during that time of the day). Baby shower themes can really be anything you want. Have fun with it, and get creative!
Baby shower gifts should be useful and unique for the new parents. The idea of having a celebratory shower is so that the parents receive items they need, but also may or may not have purchased themselves. A great idea is to create your own baby gift basket, or go for the laundry basket clothing baby gift basket filled with baby clothes from ages newborn up to toddler sizes. Other homemade gift basket ideas are a mother and baby basket (a gift for the mother is actually a very nice thing to include), monogrammed baby gift baskets, a pampering baby gift basket (for mom and dad also!) a bath time gift basket, or a play time gift basket. You can create a gift basket based around anything, really. Just fill the basket with items that fit the gift basket theme.
Don’t forget these easy tips for hosting a successful shower:
Make sure the shower is between four to six weeks before the baby is due, decide on a theme, make a guest list and send out the invitations 2-3 weeks before the shower, plan for any baby shower games you may want to have, choose the menu (both food and drinks), don’t forget favors and prizes, and last but not the least, remember to have fun while you plan it!
