Hello all! Any suggestions on how to keep my 6 month old LO preoccupied during an out of town baby shower? The hostess has requested that I bring her with me. As I'm sure you all are experiencing as well, my DD is quite wiggly these days and almost ALWAYS wants to be on the floor rolling around rather than being held. I'm sure after the 2 hour drive she will be especially squirmy. The shower is being held in the clubhouse of her neighborhood. Do you think it would be strange for me to lay her on a blanket on the floor or bring her bumbo seat??? I'm really struggling with whether I should bring her or if I should leave her home with DH. What do you think?
Re: Should I bring baby or not?
I would only agree with this if you knew the majority of the guests. If it was a family shower I would totally do it. If it was a friend's shower where I would only know a few folks then I might reconsider. You know your child best. If you think you'll have some help there then it might not be a big deal. But if she'll be too squirmy you may want to consider not bringing her. Just because the host wants you to bring her doesn't mean you have to. You don't want to be stuck in the corner on a blanket with your kid while everyone else is milling around. Personally, I wouldn't bring my LO just for the mere fact that I would want the shower to be my personal time.
This! I had to go to a baby shower when DD was about 6.5 months old and I took her activity table with me. It was easy to pull apart and put back together so she sat and played with that. When she got bored, I pulled out the rest of her take along toys and book. She did really great. A lot of people offered to play/interact with her so that made it easier as well. There is no shortage of hands when you have a LO at a baby shower.
Yep, there will definitely be people who want to hold her/entertain her for a bit.
I actually only knew about 5 of the 25 people there. When you are at a baby shower with a room full of women, it is hard to get your baby back! That said, DD didn't have any qualms with being passed from stranger to stranger.
True. I personally don't feel comfortable letting random strangers handle my child, unless of course they're a doctor or something similar.
Also, I've been in situations where I've only known a handful of folks and there weren't any other ladies clamoring to hold either of my children. I'm pretty sure I didn't send them eyes of daggers to tell them to stay away.
I think it depends on how well you know the hostess and the other guests. If it's a family shower, it would be weird for you NOT to bring her. If it is a shower for a friend, on the other hand, I personally would not take my DD. I enjoy myself so much more in social situations like that when I don't have her with me. At this age with the squirminess and the curiousity about the environment, it might be more of a handful than it's worth. Even if the hostess requested that you bring her, YOU know your baby and should make the decision based on that.