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Baby Showers
turbosgirl
member
books instead of cards? creatives come in..
turbosgirl
member
in Baby Showers
we are throwing my BFF a baby shower and want to include a little note in the invitations asking people to bring their favorite book to build up the babys library, and would like people to write a little note/wish in the front cover in lieu of a card.. i want to write it in a cute way, and thought a poem would be perfect. except i SUCK at creative writing... anyone have any ideas??
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Re: books instead of cards? creatives come in..
Oh boy.
Making a cutesy poem up to make demands of how guests are to spend their money is not a good idea. If you really want to establish a library for the baby, I suggest YOU buy books for the guests to write in at the party. Then, you don't have duplicates and you haven't informed the shower attendees what an appropriate gift is for the event.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
Of course you think it's a cute idea!
If this board is so mean, why are you still posting here? Especially after deleting your post?
There really is no polite or cute way to ask this of your guests. A good quality book costs more than a card and a lot of baby stores simply don't have cheap books, and like pp mentioned, some people don't feel comfortable writing in books.
You could buy some cheap or used books and ask the guests to write something special in them or ask that they write down their favorite childhood book in a journal.
OP, this is a trend that has gotten way out of hand. Maybe you have seen it done at recent showers. Maybe you even had it at your shower. It's just not tasteful to ask for another gift on top of a shower gift, cute poem or not.
I understand that you are thinking that people will bring a book instead of a card, but many people won't write in books, so they will get stuck buying a book AND a card. Also, a good quality children's book will run you quite a bit more than a card, especially if the guest was planning on using the small tag that is often attached to a gift bag as a card.
If the MTB has specifically asked for books, the best way for her to get them is to put them on her registry.
BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12
If you post anywhere, you are opening yourself up to responses of all types. You don't get to pick and choose how people reply and react to you. Either grow a pair and put on your BGPs, or go to babygaga.
I agree with PP, please pass on this.
However, having books their for the guests to sign is a wonderful keepsake for the mother. Why not, as a hostess, pick up a few books for the guest to inscribe? Or if cost is an issues, perhaps do what the hostess did at my shower. She bought a copy of my favorite childhood book and had all the guests sign the one copy. Now, I have a book with notes from every guest at my shower.
Love this idea instead of one of those cheesy autograph books from Party City! Super cute!
This is great. I'm going to put it into the invites for the future baby shower I am throwing for myself.
And this is what happens when Crystal knows my password...
My idea would be NOT to do this at all. It is impolite to tell people how to spend their money. If they want to give a book then they will without being told to.
BTW...I would NEVER EVER write in a book...not even my name. I was taught a looong time ago to never deface a book.
Plus...what is the MTB supposed to do when she gets 3-4 copies of Goodnight Moon and people have written in them so she can't even give them away much less return them to the store?
I think you have to consider the guest list. I am a teacher and this is very, very common in my circle. We all seem to love the idea. I've never seen an invite dictate what to purchase, but a line similar to "Let's build baby's library" does not offend me at all. Some people give a book as a card and others give books as the gift.
You can buy a board book for $6.99 or a Hallmark card for $4.99.
I don't know many people who buy $4.99 cards from Hallmark for a baby shower. I sure as heck don't. I don't but $4.99 cards for ANYONE.
Often I buy a large box of mixed occasion cards from Costco to use throughout the year for various occasions. I have some of the most adorable baby-related cards in there. They are similar to cards that you would pay $6 or more for from a card store. The price-per-card to me is less than $1. So instead of using a card that I already have and paid less than $1 for (and will be nicer than any card anyone else would likely get), I now have to go and buy an additional gift?
The one shower that I have gone to that did this was for my husband's cousin and his wife (co-ed). It confused the heck out of my mother-in-law and stressed her out. It annoyed me as well as I had already bought her a gifts before getting the shower invite. So then I was supposed to go and spend MORE money.
I'm not a teacher, so I prefer my child be illiterate!
As for the bolded, it's not about the amount of money, it's about telling people how to spend their money. $4.99 or $499.00, it's rude either way.
Seriously. I have a PhD in literacy so I was really afraid my hosts would do this at my shower. I hate seeing people make the excuse of "but you can buy really inexpensive books/board books." If I want to build my children's library, I want to get them quality books--not thirty board books. So getting cheap books just defeats the purpose of the request.
Man, you women need to lighten up.
What I was saying is that it depends on your guest list. I agree, at a shower where the guests are a mixture of friends and relatives, this is not an appropriate practice. Totally agree with you there.
At a shower where 100% of the guests are teachers, who frankly, have a special interest in children's books, what is the problem?
You watch your wording on the invite. There's a difference between, "Please bring a book in lieu of a card." and "If you'd like to help build baby's library, please bring a book." At least in my opinion.
You're right. I'm wrong, and a horrible, stupid person.
And I promise to never again ask anyone to bring a board book to a baby shower.
But from a practical standpoint...you're asking people to write a little note to the baby...this totally sucks for any subsequent child born into this family. All the books are going to have the oldest's name in them. And sometimes the guests are closer to the host than MTB....so imagine being that child and reading a book from the library and wondering who the heck some of these people are...
And why ruin a perfectly good book like that?
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.
Yes this.