Baby Showers

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A baby shower is a party in which parents or expectant parents receive gifts for their newborn or expected child. It's a great way for friends and family to come together to celebrate with the expectant parents before the birth of their child.

It's fairly American tradition that is finding it's way over to other parts of the world and is growing increasingly popular in the UK.

Who's in charge of arranging a Baby Shower?

The only person who shouldn't organise a baby shower is the mum-to-be. The whole event should be a celebration and a completely relaxing event for her, while someone else does all the organising and hard work. Friends, family and/or work colleagues are the usual organisers.

When's the best time to have one?

The best time to hold a baby shower is some time in the last trimester. Mum to be will be looking forward to the birth of baby, but will probably feel heavy and You could either keep it as a surprise from the mum-to-be, or tell her what you are planning so that she has something to look forward to in those last few weeks.

Who should we invite?

If you are not keeping the baby shower a secret, ask the mum to be who she would like to have on the guest list. Remember to ask for names and addresses of close friends that you might not know, such as workmates, or friends met through antenatal or exercise classes. While a baby shower is often a 'girls only' affair, partners can come along, too, and it can be a nice way for dad to feel involved.

Where should we hold the Baby Shower?

You need to consider the location before deciding on how many people to invite. Ideally, the party shouldn't be held at the mum-to-be's house, so that she doesn't have to worry about cleaning the house before everyone arrives or clearing up after they've gone. Ask around to see if anyone else is prepared to host the event at their home. If not, think of playgroups, the local church hall or a health club which might rent a room for free or a small fee for a couple of hours.

How much do I need to spend?

If you don't want to pay for the whole thing yourself, the best way to cover the cost is to ask each guest to chip in. When working out how much it might add up to, remember to include:

• invitations and stamps

• food, paper plates, cups, plastic knives and forks etc

• cake

• decorations

• prizes for games

• going home 'goody bags'

• location rental

• presents -- you may all want to contribute to a bigger, combined present.

Costs can be lowered by, for instance, designing an invitation on a computer and emailing them to as many people as possible; asking everyone to bring a dish and borrowing the right number of plates, etc if you don't have enough, to save buying them; holding the shower at someone's house rather than hiring somewhere.

Should I have a theme?

Baby showers usually have some sort of baby theme to get everyone in the mood. You can either buy decorations with a baby theme or make your own. Popular themes include: Yummy Mummy, Cupcakes, Storks, Teddy Bear's Tea Party, or a theme from a show such as In the Night Garden. Of course any colour scheme may depend on whether or not the Mum-to-be knows whether she's having a boy, girl or suprise!

It's also really nice to ask guests to write a poem, ditty, limerick or rhyme about the mum-to-be and her baby. Buy a book to stick them all into and it will be a memento she can pass on to her child when s/he grows up. Alternatively, ask everyone to sign a book with a few words of 'wisdom' to pass on to the prospective mum. She might not take your advice, but it could give her a few laughs!

Present Ideas;

If they're not mums themselves, it can be difficult for guests to know what to buy. Have a list prepared by the mum-to-be, or try some of these ideas:

For Mum

• Pedicure kit - for when she can reach her toes again!

• Spa Vouchers - for before the birth (if she has time) or for something for her to look forward to when baby is here.

• Magazine subscription - so she can have a quick read when feeding

For Baby

• A baby bath, filled with handy items, like muslins, towels, cotton wool, soap, shampoo etc.

• Nappies or a nappy wrapper.

• Vouchers! Especially if baby is going to be a suprise, Mum and Dad-to-be will appreciate them no end.

Party Food

Ask guests to bring a dish of something each. Home-made snacks are ideal, but guests who are working and/or have young families themselves may prefer to make a financial contribution or bring shop-bought snacks, such as mini sausage rolls, ready-made sandwiches, crisps, quiche, juice and so on.

Party Games!

You could all sit around and chat about how painful labour is for a couple of hours, but your pregnant friend may appreciate it more if you play a few lighthearted games, instead! These could include:

• Guess the baby food! Lay out some jars of baby food and blindfold your guests, then see if they can guess the food that the baby will be eating in only a few months time!

• Get the nappy on the baby! Have a doll and a terry towel, and see who can put the nappy on baby the quickest. Extra points for the guest whose nappy is the neatest!

• Guess the baby's name If mum's willing, have a list of 20 boys and 20 girls names and promise a prize to whoever guesses the name correctly once the baby's born.

• Bottle suckers! This can be really good fun and is especially good when its just for the guys at a mixed Baby Shower Party! Fill one 4 oz.baby bottle per person with water or juice. Time the suckers to see who can finish the bottle the fastest. Its great watching grown men (or women) suck from a baby bottle! For more fun, *set up* one contestant (father-to-be?) by using a teat with a very small hole or even seal one bottle completely.

You could get silly prizes from the supermarket or pound shop to give out to your guests too.

Remember: try to make the Baby Shower as fun as possible for the Mum-to-be, it will be a great memory for her to start off her life as a Mummy. And don't forget to enjoy yourself too!

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