Baby Showers
thomas2013
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suggestion on invites
thomas2013
member
in Baby Showers
I wan to have a diaper raffle at my baby shower. I'm not sure how to include it in my invites. I was thinking of making a note and saying there will be a diaper raffle, bring a pack of diapers get a raffle ticket but you do not have to participate if you don't want to. Also some people have been confused about this being the gift. Also my SIL said I should put a requirement on the pack size so no one feels like it is unfair. I just thought it would be a fun game and win a dinner out. What do you ladies think?
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Re: suggestion on invites
Instead of having a minimum, why don't you have tickets for each diaper. For instance: a person who brings in 12 diapers will get 12 tickets, a person who brings in a 48 pack - 48, etc. That way, if someone wants the diapers to be their gift, they will likely bring a big pack. If they are buying another gift, they will bring a small pack or could split a pack with a friend. Plus, it always looks better at a raffle to have TONS of tickets in the bowl instead of 20 or whatever.
Here's an idea:
"Games, Raffle, Friends, and Fun!
Fabulous raffle prizes! Each ticket costs only one diaper!"
First, you shouldn't be making and mailing your own invites. The hostess of your shower does this.
Secondly, I hate any kind of gift request other than the registry info on an invite. You could say that the diaper raffle is optional but be prepared that some people will only bring you diapers. I personally think diaper raffles are just a tacky way of trying to get more gifts from your guests. The prizes are usually dumb and small, I honestly think you need to give at least a $50 prize or giftcard to the winner.
No I am not doing my own shower. ( and didn't ask for opinions on this) I didn't include in my post that I was doing my own. BUT my hostess arn't pregnant and I thought I could ask under the BABYSHOWER board on MY pregnancy website. Didn't mean to SPARK flames!
A few of my family and freinds asked about a diaper raffel and said it would be fun that they had done them before. It wasn't in the orig plan. I have been to two showers in the last year that had them and it was a big hit.
I am giving away big gifts (more then the diapers wold cost themselves) It would just be somthing added to the party we are doing games that everyone will do and they have prizes too.
I have 2 giftcards for dinner for two at The Melting Pot.
Just because other women have had diaper raffles at their showers and thought they were great doesn't mean the guests felt that way. Do you really think someone is going to come up to you and say, "I think diaper raffles are greedy & tacky as hell, but congrats! See you Saturday!" No, but it doesn't mean they won't think it.
The melting pot is an expensive place. Why didn't you just save your money and buy your own diapers? Or register for them?
The few time I have gotten invitations with "requests" on them, my generosity level went down about 50 points.
Well how did they word it? If you want suggestions on how to put it on an invite, I would go with what others have done. BUT my opinion is that it is tacky and if I saw that on an invite, I would be annoyed.
If you want to give away the gift cards, why not play games and give them to the winners? There's no way to politely say "hey bring me diapers IN addition to a gift" on an invite. I think there's a reason for that too.
When you post on a message board about your life, you're opening yourself up to judgement, even if it's not about the topic you posted.
For instance, if you're having a shower for baby #2, you might as well do a diaper raffle. Maybe if you play it up, people will assume you're being tacky on purpose.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
Oh snap. I didn't even see the child ticker. This changes everything...
I almost missed it hiding amongst all of the obnoxiousness, but it's there, for sure.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
First of all I didn't have one for the first! If you didn't see the whole ticker he was 3 1/2 months EARLY and we were told he wasn't going to live, so we didn't invite anyone to the hospital either and this one is a girl! Get your facts stright before you judge. Two, I sware some of you "ladies" watch these boards just because you NOTHING else better to do and arn't in high school anymore to be the gossip b*tch girl.
Defensive much?
Wooooow. Ok, I saw the ticker and I also have seen numerous mom's of preemies who went on to have the shower afterwards as a meet-the-baby event.
The fact that you needed to add "and this one is a girl!"?
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
I tend to ignore any group of tickers that take up more than half my computer monitor. If you are absolutely set on the diaper raffle thing...this is the least offensive way I have seen it worded on an invite:
-We will be having an optional diaper raffle. If you would like to participate, please bring a small package of diapers or wipes for a chance to win a door prize-
Wording it this way signifies to the invitee that 1. it is optional to participate and 2. the diapers are not the actual gift.
But please do not put size or brand requests on the invite....tacky overload. You can always exchange them if you get too many small sizes.
I must be missing something. What is "fun" for the guests about buying a pack of diapers and bringing them to the shower?
I'm chiming in because obnoxious responses are starting to bug me. ;-)
If I got an invite with something like this on there... first of all, I would know it was optional, I would assume you have a fun prize, and I would possibly alter my gift to accomodate the extra money I would spend on diapers. i.e. if I planned on spending $50 on you, I would make it $40 instead and by a small pack of diapers. This is not a difficult concept and I don't see what the problem is.
If anyone gets the invite and does not want to participate, they just don't have to. Not to mention the fact that people you invite to your shower are family and close friends that ideally want to help you prepare for the baby the best they can and if I knew the family wanted diapers, children's books, etc... I would want to accomodate that, being as though it was a request of the mom-to-be.
Also as far as being involved in your shower, I'm sure your friends/family came to you with questions about what you specifically want and for you to get information on the baby shower board makes complete sense to me... I got the impression that's why this board was here... silly me.
This. I don't know why this topic sparked so much controversy lol.
I am throwing a shower for my SIL next week and will be having a diaper raffle. I made flat invitations, and at the very bottom of the invitation, I put "We will be holding a diaper raffle! Please see reverse for details". Then on the back of the card, I put that for every pack of diapers they bring, they will receive an entry into a draw for a door prize. I did specify that the raffle is completely optional. I will be spending at least $50 on the prize.
I think the wording of OP's post and reply is what sparked so many comments. When she said "I should put this in the invite" or "I have x prizes" it makes it sound like she is hosting her own shower, which is generally frowned upon. (The fact that this appears to be a shower for a second baby, may have also drawn some attention.)
I've never seen a diaper raffle - only prizes for games and general door prizes. I think a PP's language about "if you would like to participate" would be acceptable, but generally only an insert about the place where the person is registered is included and any specific requests are usually communicated via word of mouth by the hostess.
Yes, I was asking b/c I have seen alot on this board in the past few months about them and wanted to know how they included it in their invites. And yes my SIL and BFF asked me if I would like to included it b/c people had been asking them about it. Everyone on here is making it about the money. If they didn't want to participate they wouldn't have to. ( one said "why don't you just use the prize money and buy diapers") Why does it matter. I didn't mean to upset people. I thought the baby shower board was for BABY SHOWER questions.
I am almost embarrassed for you.
We wrote this on my friends shower invites for her diaper raffle...
I think they are a fun idea, kind of a door prize/game kind of thing, I LOVE the idea of doing tickets per diaper and may use that next time.
I DO think its totally rude to make the suggestion about what brand or what size package to bring, and I definately think it is rude to suggest that they do the diaper raffle on top of the shower gift. What if I was only going to buy you 2 boxes of diapers for your shower anyway. PS being a second time mom, you should realize that every diaper you dont have to buy is an amazing gift!
I'm embarrassed for the "friend" who is getting this shower in May.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.