Baby showers

laurenlalap · November 2014

Let's talk baby showers! I'm not having one with this one, but I am throwing one for my sister next month and I need help / ideas! Tell me about the best and worst baby showers you've been to. Do you like games? Alcohol at baby showers? Present opening? Meal or just good apps and finger food?

ETA: and babies at baby showers. How do you feel about babies? I like the idea but my mom thinks it will take the attention away from my sister (a lot of her friends have newborns). My sister is indifferent on including / not including babies.

laurenlalap · November 2014

bookitup said:

I read this as baby show-ers. As in another call out to the 5,000 people who think they're showing at 6 weeks. That is all.

HAHAHA

FWIW, a woman asked me today if I was pregnant. So maybe ya'll are WRONG!

RachyDC · November 2014

@laurenlalap I HATE when women ask other women if they're pregnant!! Don't we as women realize that sometimes women are not (or not showing) and it sounds insanely rude! Such a pet peeve of mine. Just wonder to yourself in silence woman!

Reminds me of the time I was nannying a new born and one of their neighbors saw me taking her for a walk and said "Hey! Tryin to lose that baby weight, huh?" RUDE!

Beachy730 · November 2014

Nobody likes watching all the gifts being opened, but they want to see their gift opened and see the mom's reaction. So yes to opening gifts. Have people help with an assembly line to make it quicker. Alcohol should definitely be involved. My favorite baby showers are cocktail hour ones, or a brunch with mimosas. Just because the mom can't drink doesn't mean nobody else should be able to. I like games but don't care if they aren't there. I don't care either way about babies. If they are truly newborns then they should be allowed to come since the moms could be nursing. Nobody is going to forget that they there for the mom-to-be, and she probably doesn't want to have all eyes on her the whole time anyways. And this will probably be a horribly long paragraph thanks to the iPad.

sutavim2 · November 2014

I think games keep things alive- and who doesn't like winning prizes?

Last baby shower I threw, we had a lot of different appetizers- everyone was full and got to try many different things. We also had a diy mimosa bar which all the ladies loved. My favorite was a photo booth type of set up with props, etc,. Which mommy to be turned into an amazing scrap book

ashiscute · November 2014

I think 2 games is fine. I think it's proper etiquette to open presents. I like the idea of brunch and mimosas but just keep in mind the time when considering food. Don't do just apps at 12 but don't do a full meal at 2.

I would allow women to bring small babies. I don't really get the idea of taking attention away from the mother to be. I have never been concerned with having so much attention on me at my showers.

crason · November 2014

I'm not used to seeing alcohol at these type of events and would prefer not to have it at my shower. Games can be fun, just not too many of them.

Young_Love · November 2014

Alcohol...for the love of god, yes.

JennyJensing · November 2014

I would say follow your sister's lead on this one. Ask her what she's always imagined and see if she has a Pinterest board-after all, she's only getting one!

tigerlynx31413 · November 2014

I had the most fun at a shower that did games throughout. The prize for the games were tickets to be put in for a Chinese auction for the baskets. It made it easier for those hosting to not have dozens of baskets and they didn't have to limit the number of winners for baby bingo.
I would do food based on the time of the shower. And I'd let the kids/babies come. I found the kids were a good distraction at my shower and they helped a lot when bending over got to be too much for me.

thiscoffeechick · November 2014

At the last baby shower I co-hosted I handed out Baby Shower Gift Bingo cards as one of the games so everyone played bingo during presents and it made presents much less boring. You can google downloadable PDF cards but I used these: https://www.plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com/support-files/free-printable-baby-shower-bingo-cards-reva.pdf
::prays the link worked::

ETA: I used the paper cutter at work to cut off the blurb at the bottom of each page with the ad for the website and p.p.s. Definitely serve alcohol at a shower! They're bringing the MTB a gift, they deserve to get a little sauced.

DecemberGirl1216 · November 2014

Games are ok...just went to one last week with a game to see who knew the Mom-to-be be. The questions included what she did as extracurriculars in high school...long story short nobody did that well on the game which I am sure didn't make her feel great. They can be awkward.

Yes to all the food. I think babies being present would be fine if the guest of honor was ok with it.

mamabearRDH · November 2014

No games. All the booze. I think it's fine to bring your baby. Probably depends on the group though.

Beachy730 · November 2014

Oh and food served should be dictated by the time of the shower. If people will be there at a meal time then a meal should be served. But if it's at an odd time, like 2, then just apps are fine.

munchkinsmama · November 2014

I think all showers should be over brunch with mimosas. I don't love being the center of attention and was happy to have LO'S at my shower. Make sure your sister gets to eat before opening gifts. Depending on the size of the shower she might appreciate a break from gifts.

Side note: I highly recommend taking off from work the day after your shower, you will be exhausted.

WafflesFriendsWork · November 2014

Maybe one or two games if people don't know each other too well - hopefully it will help get them mingling. Yes to alcohol. Maybe set up a make-your-own-mimosa/bloody mary/punch so that no one accidentally picks the wrong punch bowl. I like heavy apps that can be a small meal, but this really depends on the time of day. If you do decide to do a brunch (which I highly suggest!!), make a bunch of quiches the day before, put out a parfait/granola bar, a green and a fruit salad, and offer something wrapped in bacon. I usually try to serve things that can be made WELL in advance when hosting. The extra benefit of brunch is that it doesn't mess with any one's day/weekend. You still have time to run errands, spend time with your family, and eat decent meals. I have several 1pm Saturday events coming up and I'm not really pleased about it.

ncjulia12 · November 2014

I think it all depends on your crowd. I live in the rural south and any shower that is mostly an older generation is exactly the same- open gifts in a circle, no games, punch, babies and kids everywhere, vegetable tray, cake, mints (definitely no alcohol!) and when we've tried to mix it up a little, it flops.

But with parties with mostly younger people, anything goes. My friend is pregnant and her family threw her one "traditional" one and then another couple, DH, and I threw her a co-ed cookout one- with games, alcohol, no kids, and a more laid back atmosphere in general. And it was so much fun. I think it all depends on the guest list.

JerseyML · November 2014

Love games. I have awesome luck at showers both wedding and baby.

I did the price is right game at my sister's. Had a bunch of baby products and ask women to try to guess the prices. The person who gets the most right wins a basket.

Yes yes yes to alcohol. And of course you serve food. If I go to a birthday, shower, wedding, ok basically any function where I'm bringing a gift, I expect to be fed. But in my circle you never have a function with out ample food and alcohol. It's unheard of.

As for kids I think it depends. If it's family than I think it's fine. They would be invited anyway. If it's friends, only if it's an itty bitty. Or special circumstances.

Chasity08 · November 2014

Now its been 7 years, so maybe I'm outdated haha, but my mom and aunts threw me a babyshower for DD and asked how I felt about games. I told her I didn't mind either way but felt people thought they were boring. So instead we bought a whole bunch of plain white onesies and fabric markers and people made personalized onesies and it doubled as my guest book too, because they put their name on it. We served a light lunch with mimosas, people decorated onesies which gave me a chance to table touch and thank everyone for coming individually, we cut the cake so people could eat cake during presents (lessen the painfulness of present watching with sweets is how I roll at every party I host lol) and then the party was over. I'd say..2 hours max? Maybe less? But it seemed like people liked it and had a good time with it. And I had so many cute/awesome/FUNNY onesies for DD. They were my favorite things to put her in.

So maybe an activity instead of a game? And definitely yes on booze. And feed lots of yummy sweets during present time :-)

JuneBug0611 · November 2014

I love games. A favorite from my shower was a quiz about parenting. Another was where each woman present told two truths and a lie about their own kid/pregnancy experiences and I had to guess what the lie was. That was fun!

Booze and food depend on time of day. I like the idea of mimosas in the morning but wouldn't feel the need to serve booze at a 2pm shower.

If she has lots of friends with newborns I'd say you better invite them or expect those friends may not come. It is hard enough being a mom of a newborn without having to pump in advance and find a sitter for your child... if these are good friends it would be rude not to invite them to bring their babies, in my opinion. (Maybe some would love a morning/afternoon off and will choose to leave the baby behind but that should be their choice.)

Young_Love · November 2014

JuneBug0611 said:

I love games. A favorite from my shower was a quiz about parenting. Another was where each woman present told two truths and a lie about their own kid/pregnancy experiences and I had to guess what the lie was. That was fun!

PLEASE don't do this if you have anyone at the shower who doesn't have kids. I went to a shower once where about half of the guest of honor's friends didn't have kids yet, and they did a game like this that went on forever. It alienated a big chunk of the guests.

ToAoShesha · November 2014

I agree with doing whatever your sister wants. This is her baby shower make it exactly as she pictured it. See if she wants a theme or even a color scheme (I totally agree to stalk her pinterest!)

At mine we had a separate party for the guys on a different day called a Diapers & Beer party. All the guys brought a pack of diapers and a 6 pack of beer.

My party we had snacks and non alcoholic beverages. If I couldn't drink neither could you. I asked for there not to be any children. I have friends with children that are 3/4 and we have very different parenting styles. I did not want to be annoyed, have the attention taken, or my house get destroyed because they were not watching their children. That being said, if I have a baby shower this time I will allow children because I will probably have DD there.

We did some games but I agree to stick with a timeline and keep it short.

Games we did:
- We played clips of songs (a few seconds each) the title had the word baby in it somewhere. The guest had to guess the title (artist was the tie breaker).
- Create a onesie- we had a station where people could color & decorate a onesie for the baby. This was awesome for some and a total waste for others. We got packs of all sizes so my LO still wears them now.
- We did the diaper chocolate game- where you take 6 or so diapers and melt a chocolate candy bar it in and guest have to figure out which candy it is.

We opened gifts in front of everyone. One of my friends (unknown to me) wrote down my reactions (ie. aww its so cute, look how little it is, etc.) then after gifts she read them out loud. She stated this is what I said the night my LO was conceived, it was funny because of all the size jokes.

There are many other games you could choose to play but make sure your sister wants games first. Either you love them or hate them.

Good luck

guentnel · November 2014

CALEO said:
Yes to booze. I didn't read the rest of the question.

A girl after my own heart! Love it!

bosco213 · November 2014

ToAoShesha said:
I agree with doing whatever your sister wants. This is her baby shower make it exactly as she pictured it. See if she wants a theme or even a color scheme (I totally agree to stalk her pinterest!)

At mine we had a separate party for the guys on a different day called a Diapers & Beer party. All the guys brought a pack of diapers and a 6 pack of beer.

My party we had snacks and non alcoholic beverages. If I couldn't drink neither could you. I asked for there not to be any children. I have friends with children that are 3/4 and we have very different parenting styles. I did not want to be annoyed, have the attention taken, or my house get destroyed because they were not watching their children. That being said, if I have a baby shower this time I will allow children because I will probably have DD there.

We did some games but I agree to stick with a timeline and keep it short.

Games we did:
- We played clips of songs (a few seconds each) the title had the word baby in it somewhere. The guest had to guess the title (artist was the tie breaker).
- Create a onesie- we had a station where people could color & decorate a onesie for the baby. This was awesome for some and a total waste for others. We got packs of all sizes so my LO still wears them now.
- We did the diaper chocolate game- where you take 6 or so diapers and melt a chocolate candy bar it in and guest have to figure out which candy it is.

We opened gifts in front of everyone. One of my friends (unknown to me) wrote down my reactions (ie. aww its so cute, look how little it is, etc.) then after gifts she read them out loud. She stated this is what I said the night my LO was conceived, it was funny because of all the size jokes.

There are many other games you could choose to play but make sure your sister wants games first. Either you love them or hate them.

Good luck

You sound like a real peach.

JerseyML · November 2014

I don't understand men at showers or something themed for the men. You know the guys want nothing to do with it! Why would you make them come to it?!?

In my group, many of the older women don't drive so when they get dropped off, the men are kinda in limbo for a few hours especially if they aren't local. Usually the dad of the mom to be will take those men to lunch. They drink, eat and hang out until the shower is over then they help load up the cars.

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