June 2017 Moms

Baby Showers

135

Re: Baby Showers

  • So my Mom is throwing my baby shower up in Michigan. I stay out of the planning process unless she asks me my opinion on something, or to do something for her. 
    With that being said- she asked me to order the invites and address/mail them out (with her return address) because she's horrible at ordering anything online unless it's through Amazon Prime... Wellllllll it turns out I ordered 4 LESS invites than what I actually needed  :# and because they need to be mailed out soon (I'm having it early in the 3rd trimester since it's an 8hr drive without stopping for potty breaks or gas). Today I had to run out and grab some basic ones for her friends so they'd still get some sort of invite.
    she literally gave me 1 job and I failed... lol I just had to share! 
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • Is anyone having their shower soonish? My first one is March 12! It was near impossible to find a date so that's why it is so early! Then my 2nd one isn't until May 7!
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
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  • We are having 2 showers as well. For those of you that don't know/remember: my ENTIRE family lives in Michigan, and we live in Tennessee.

    So my mother is throwing one for us back in Michigan on 3/25... it's earlier due to my DH's work schedule (corporate rotation), my SS being on spring break- so we don't need to pull him out of school or do a "turn and burn", and then the whole no traveling past 35 weeks thing. I'll be 27 weeks.

    My 2nd one my best friend is throwing for me down here, so that all my friends and co-workers that I'm close with can still celebrate. It will be much smaller than the one back home- but I'm honestly expecting it to be a lot more fun lol. This one is on 4/30 and I'll be 32 weeks.
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • I may have two showers. I don't know. My sister offered to throw me one, and yesterday, my sister was talking about having it in April when potentially both my mom and my MIL would be in town. I don't know if that would work out. And then she and my mom were talking about something small, meaning mainly just the two moms and a couple of my aunts in April and then my sister could throw the "real" shower in May or after the baby's born. As long as the guests aren't duplicated, I don't really care. We'll see what happens. I know I will get an absolutely adorable cake!! My sister owns a cake business and is already showing me her Pinterest board of ideas. 
  • I had two showers; my best friend had one for my church and church friends, and then my mom had one with family and family friends. One shower was a "cloth diaper shower" and the other was just a general baby shower. The only duplicated guests were immediate family (my mom and MIL, sister and SILs) and my best friend (who insisted on attending both).
     I don't really think it's odd or tacky to have two showers when you have two different people who want to host and the guests are not invited to both showers. 
  • Mine is one for local friends and one for family in our hometown. The only duplicates are SIL and a friend that lives way out of town so I invited her to both so she will come to which ever one is convenient for her. I think it's better this way, for me at least, because then I can hang out with my friends and talk about whatever and not have to worry about my grandma overhearing! 
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I'm having 3... my mom's side of the family, my dad's side of the family, and my girlfriends all insisted on hosting one. None of them will be massive, but this is pretty typical for a small Texas town.
  • @tjvan my mom didn't want to host with my MIL which would have made it 3 for me but I told her to suck it up!
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • So we registered for the Britax B-Agile 3/B-Safe 35 Travel System for our baby shower... aaaannnnnd it has now been retired & no one has it around. I guess I'm back on the hunt for another one. I feel like picking out the travel system and convertible car seat has been the most difficult. 
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • BellaO21 said:
    So we registered for the Britax B-Agile 3/B-Safe 35 Travel System for our baby shower... aaaannnnnd it has now been retired & no one has it around. I guess I'm back on the hunt for another one. I feel like picking out the travel system and convertible car seat has been the most difficult. 
    I could be wrong, but I believe the B-Agile isn't actually retired, but currently under a recall for a safety hazard with the car seat connectors. I received an email about it last week since I have one of the affected strollers (the recall doesn't actually affect me though, because even though I have the travel system, I don't use it as such).

    The strollers should be back on the market after they replace the connectors that come with the system. They are a completely separate piece from the strollers, so I wouldn't think it would take too long.
    Great choice on the B-Agile though; it is a wonderful stroller and worth an extra wait! We are planning to get the double B-Agile this time around, so it looks like we will have to wait a bit too. :smile:
  • BellaO21 said:
    So we registered for the Britax B-Agile 3/B-Safe 35 Travel System for our baby shower... aaaannnnnd it has now been retired & no one has it around. I guess I'm back on the hunt for another one. I feel like picking out the travel system and convertible car seat has been the most difficult. 
    I could be wrong, but I believe the B-Agile isn't actually retired, but currently under a recall for a safety hazard with the car seat connectors. I received an email about it last week since I have one of the affected strollers (the recall doesn't actually affect me though, because even though I have the travel system, I don't use it as such).

    The strollers should be back on the market after they replace the connectors that come with the system. They are a completely separate piece from the strollers, so I wouldn't think it would take too long.
    Great choice on the B-Agile though; it is a wonderful stroller and worth an extra wait! We are planning to get the double B-Agile this time around, so it looks like we will have to wait a bit too. :smile:
    Thanks! Yeah, their website is claiming it as "retired" but when I mentioned it to a friend of mine she said the same thing about the recall.. so I looked it up... then I saw/read your comment! :smile: I think I am going to wait for them to fix it... I just haven't seen anything else that I'm really as comfortable with. 
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • So..... after complaining I had no baby showers, now I'm having 3! Lol! My family, his family, and friends. I feel super greedy! I do like that they will now be smaller, however, and more intimate and will be able to be hosted in a home.
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • @Wearmi1 were you able to tell him about your out-of-town friends that would want to come?  I thought you mentioned ~ 2 ladies that would fly in for the shower...?
  • I told him... he said he passed the information on.  So I guess we'll see!  He's telling me he thinks it' will be the last weekend in April because there are 3 people in the family with birthdays in April.  
    Can I ask for those of you who are already mommies did you get stuff at your shower you didn't really want or knew you wouldn't use?  Did you just keep those things?  For example I don't want any Disney stuff.  I just don't care for it clothing/toy wise.  I didn't put anything like that on my registery but I'm also grateful for anything someone buys for Adeline and I.  
  • Wearmi1 said:
    I told him... he said he passed the information on.  So I guess we'll see!  He's telling me he thinks it' will be the last weekend in April because there are 3 people in the family with birthdays in April.  
    Can I ask for those of you who are already mommies did you get stuff at your shower you didn't really want or knew you wouldn't use?  Did you just keep those things?  For example I don't want any Disney stuff.  I just don't care for it clothing/toy wise.  I didn't put anything like that on my registery but I'm also grateful for anything someone buys for Adeline and I.  
    I'm so glad your out of town friends will be able to attend! Babies R Us will let you return things without a receipt, no biggie. 
  • @Wearmi1 One of my mother in laws friends was under the impression we were having a girl (we weren't) and got us baby girl clothes, bless her heart. I just didn't make a big deal out of and thanked her and said they were super cute and then took them back. Most people are gonna get you something at one of the major baby retailers, or target etc. so it shouldn't be hard to exchange stuff for things you need.
  • @Wearmi1

    I am a fan of regifting (maybe a FFFC) so you can always do that.

    You can try and return things and if they can't be returned, donated to a children's hospital or charity? 
  • @Wearmi1 I returned SO much stuff! Most people shopped from my Target and Amazon registries, but a few people also purchased clothing. Hardly anyone but my own mom knows how to pick out baby clothing to my taste (and we already had purchased a lot of clothing), so I think at one point I returned about $150 worth of clothing to Target and purchased items that we still needed, such as a pack n' play, nursing cover, and diaper bag. 

    I of course was very grateful for the gifts, even if they weren't quite what we needed. 
  • ellie111227ellie111227 member
    edited February 2017
    @Wearmi1 I either exchange or regift things that aren't my preference. Of course, I thank the person for their thoughtfulness and generosity and don't tell them I got rid of their gift! 

    A lot of stores will let you take things back without a reciept (or even for an extended time or without packaging) if they were purchased off of your registry, so one hack I did when i wanted to return something was add it to my registry, manually mark it purchased, and then take it back to the store.
  • Thanks ladies!  I really appreciate all of your inputs!  @ellie111227 I would have never thought to add something to my registery and manually mark it as purchased.  Great idea!  @ladylolly89 I've bought all of the clothes I think she'll possibly need.  I'm just excited now for the shower... I need to find something pretty wear now! 
  • I took a ton back to target and exchanged it for gift cards, they are really good about that. We got pacis and disposable diapers which I knew we weren't going to use and they took them back. We also got a lot of duplicates, even 2 of the pack n play we registered for. It was really nice to have all those gift cards after all was said and done. Also if you get clothes that just aren't your taste, or too much clothes you can take them to a consignment store, they love unused baby clothes. 
  • tjvantjvan member
    Has anyone thought of any creative hostess gifts?
  • @tjvan The host is my mom and I'm thinking of getting her a photo frame where I can put an ultrasound pic, maybe a picture of the two of us from the actual shower, and then a picture of my mom and the baby once she gets here. Either that or a nice photo album with just the first two pictures in there to start. 
    Babysizer Cravings Pregnancy Tracker
  • Oh shit. We are supposed to give hostess gifts?!? 
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • alm52386 said:
    Oh shit. We are supposed to give hostess gifts?!? 
    I think this might be more of a regional thing? Not sure, but no one has ever done this at a shower I've been to. I doubt the hostess would expect it, anyway; it can just be a nice gesture. 
  • I'm going to write a very nice, heartfelt thank you note! Hope that's enough!
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • alm52386 said:
    Oh shit. We are supposed to give hostess gifts?!? 
    I think this might be more of a regional thing? Not sure, but no one has ever done this at a shower I've been to. I doubt the hostess would expect it, anyway; it can just be a nice gesture. 
    I did it, but no one else knew. I'm not sure if it's normal or not, I've also never seen it done. I did it either before the party or with the thank you card. 

    I did did coffee mug, Starbucks card, pretty chocolates for 2 hosts. 
    Flowers for the person whose house it was at. 
    I did the smallest gift basket from bath and body works for the other hosts.

    i had 3 showers with 6 hosts! Lol I went by their personalities. 


  • tjvantjvan member
    Oh wow, I didn't realize this is regional! Hostess gifts are pretty expected around here.
  • I gave my shower host (last pregnancy, no shower this time) two bottles of wine, one red and one white.  I agree that you either give it to them before other guests arrive or send it with your thank you note. 
  • It could be more normal than I think, but I have hosted many showers myself and no hostess gifts. It's just not something I would ever expect. :smile:
  • @ladylolly89 ah. I've never hosted before, so I had no idea, I just did it because everyone on my bump club was. 
  • Hostess gifts are pretty common around me. I gave my mom a necklace for my bridal shower. For my baby shower, I gave her a bunch of small gifts but also let her take whatever doubles I got for her house. She took a high chair, bottles, play mats, etc..
  • It never had even occurred to me to give a hostess gift. Either I wasn't raised right, or it just isn't the norm where I live. Although now I'm seriously questioning things because I'm from CA and now live in NC. I hope I didn't offend anyone by not giving hostess gifts at my bridal shower or baby shower!
    ***BFP & Child Warning***

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  • I have never heard of hostess gifts (Ohio). I've hosted a few bridal showers and a very small baby shower and didn't expect or get anything. Sounds like a nice gesture though. I may get a little something for my two sisters who are hosting.
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • I've never heard of hostess gifts for showers until joining TK. I have hosted/co-hosted two showers and a bachelorette and never received a gift, nor have I given them for my wedding showers and bachelorette. I may give my sister something for my upcoming baby shower. We'll see. 
  • When my best friend hosted a shower for me for DD, I gave her a cute bag with shower goodies. A little cheesy, but she liked it. 

     

     

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker


    Pregnancy Ticker
  • I'm gonna admit, I haven't read any of this thread because I had no intention of having a shower for baby #2, now that it's getting closer to the end, my friends (and some family) are insisting that it happen, especially since it's a different sex. Which I don't think makes a bit of difference. With that being said, I don't want to seem ungrateful because I truly think it's so kind they care about this little boy so much already. So, I've been trying to figure out what I'm comfortable with.. because if I let my friends do what they want, it'll be a full on huge baby shower. Last night, I was researching sprinkles/invitations and I really like the wording of several of those.. about bringing something small if you chose. Then I saw some things about a "drop in" shower, which sounded awesome to me because it seemed SO casual. And super casual sounds perfect!!

    Can any of you ladies shed some light on what a drop in shower/sprinkle was like that you've attended or you've had? Pros/cons? If this has already been discussed I apologize, and if you'd point me in the right direction to look!
    BabyFruit Ticker
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