Hosting a surprise baby shower is a fun exercise in empathy. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the expectant mother – her feelings, her personality, her character, and her schedule. You also need to make it a fun experience for her; if there are tears, they should be tears of joy.

Pre-Baby Shower Preparations

Carefully plan the baby shower. Since this is usually given on the third trimester, you should have plenty of time for party planning. Prepare a checklist of the things you need to do, and procure including an initial list of baby shower gifts you need your attendees to bring.

Decide on the party theme, number and gender of invitees, and the date and venue. Decide if you want the party to be a surprise or not; you want a pleasant surprise for the honoree, not unpleasant shock. Prepare the guest list, which should include everyone close to the expectant mother.

If the expectant mother is registered for gifts, inform the guests should they inquire. Just like the wedding, send the invitations at least three weeks before the party. Prepare the menu to reflect the theme; you can prepare the food, order takeout, or engage a caterer. Make sure that the food is prepared and delivered as agreed.

If possible, prepare the venue a day before the party. Harried preparations have a way of ruining what could have been a great baby shower. If possible, rehearse the flow of activities to ensure smooth transition.

You also need to coordinate the attendees’ baby shower gifts. You need to ensure that there will be no unnecessary duplication of gifts. A diaper cake is a great gift – attractive and usable – but discovering that almost all the guests brought diaper cakes and nothing else is impractical.

During the Baby Shower

Make sure that the party activities are followed as closely as possible. However, remain flexible as baby showers are meant to be relaxed fun, not a military drill. Just ensure that the food is served satisfactorily, the guests and honorees are comfortable, and everybody is having fun.

Keep track of the baby shower gifts being opened. Sometimes, guests will bring extra gifts aside from the coordinated baby shower gifts. This is perfectly acceptable and the expectant mother will appreciate these extra blessings. Keeping track of these baby gifts will help you and the mother write appropriate thank-you notes.

After the Baby Shower

When the baby shower is finished, expect a lot of discarded gift wrappings, take-home gift baskets and diaper cakes and an assortment of baby equipment from bathtubs to cribs. These baby shower gifts must be organized and brought home, assuming that the venue is outside the expectant mother’s house.

Help in making the venue as tidy as possible. You want your honoree to feel relaxed from start to end of the baby shower, not act as the cleaning maid.

Assist the expectant mother in making thank-you notes to the guests for their participation and their gifts. Your tracking list should guide you in thanking the guests for the specific items they brought. Avoid social faux pas due to negligence.

When you host a baby shower, just remember that you are celebrating motherhood and a new life. Make the baby shower a celebration filled with good cheer and a joyful gathering of family and good friends.



By: Mandie Klein

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It is really a lot of fun shopping for a baby shower gift. A baby shower is the perfect time to give a gift. But this can prove to be a tough situation for you if you are clueless about babies.

Here are some tips and suggestions about baby shopping.

1. Browse through the toy store in any mall. There are tones of things there that babies love. You must take care not to buy the baby a potentially harmful toy, as babies are extremely delicate creatures. Baby books, soft toys and baby apparels are a few ideal gifts to give in a baby shower. If you are unable to make your mind up about a purchase, you can always take the help of the sales assistant.

2. Usually, pregnant women specify the items they need for the baby in a registry account. This makes it really easy for friends and family to purchase suitable gifts and they have to spend lesser time in guessing and searching. So if you are not particularly keen on surprises, you can always check the mom-to-be’s gift list to find out what exactly she wants.

3. You can also ask friends who are also parents to help assist you in the gift purchase. They will know from experience what are the items that a baby needs and you should make use of their expertise.

4. You can collaborate with other friends of yours to compare and check what you all might be buying. This way you can avoid buying the same gift for the event.

5. If you just cant get around to buying a baby gift because you have absolutely no idea on how to go about it, you can always ask one of your more baby friendly friends to come along with you for shopping. This way you wont waste time and won’t end up buying a totally wrong gift.

6. There is, of course, the option of just buying baby clothes. If you are a stylish person and have a great fashion sense, here is your chance to show off. For all you know, you might be setting trends that the future generation will follow ardently.

7. One of the cutest things to buy a baby is baby jewelry. Baby necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks, earrings and if it’s a boy, even tie bars, are terrific ideas. There are never enough cute things that a baby can have, so go ahead and add to their collection.

8. You can buy baby books to invest on their mind. You never know if you end up becoming the honorary uncle or aunt of a future scientist. Education is a true gift and you can never go wrong in gifting a child one.

9. You can even gift the baby a savings bond. This ensures that the child has a secure future. And after all, once the baby is grown up, you will be remembered as an extremely generous person.

10. Another practical idea is a baby shower gift basket, which is a reliable choice. They include all that a baby can need. There are even gift baskets with themes. For example a bath baby basket mainly consists of bath items like brushes, towels, combs, grooming kits and of course the always-important rubber duck.

Its not really so tough to come up with a good idea for baby shower gift. There might be some of you who are not so excited about babies and consider them to be little brats, so buying them something will probably be an ordeal for you. Well, it’s your lucky day, because now you can simply act on any of the suggestions mentioned above.



By: Abhishek Agarwal

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An interesting baby shower gift wrap arouses the curiosity of the receiver. Therefore, try to make your gift-wrapping as innovative as possible. Pregnancy celebration is an occasion of happiness and the baby shower gifts should reflect the happy environment making it essential for the baby shower gift-wrap to be stunning. The following tips will give you great ideas regarding creating innovative gift-wrapping.

Color Scheme For The Gift Wrap

The color of the baby shower gift-wrap is an important feature because this will give the attractive look to the wrap. However, you need to choose the color according to the sex of the baby. If you know the same, you should wrap the gift in baby girl pink for a female baby and baby boy blue for a male baby.

However, if you do not know the sex of the baby, you should use white or neutral colors like yellow and green for wrapping the baby shower gifts and two ribbons instead of one for tying the same. You should use one pink ribbon and one blue ribbon and tie them together to form a bow on the front of the package displaying both the colors. The back of the package should be taped.

If you have a particular theme for the pregnancy celebration and if you have selected baby shower gifts matching the theme, you should select a baby shower gift-wrap that would also be in conformity with the theme.

Topping

A baby shower gift-wrap can be adorned even further by adding a beautiful topping to the wrap. There are many options available for use as a topping. You can choose any cute little item such as a rattle, baby mittens, teething ring, small picture frame, hair bow, small stuffed toy or a Christmas ornament. The topping that you select can be tied to the ribbon on the gift-wrap. Besides enhancing the look of the wrap, the topping can also be used by the baby.

Teddy Bear Gift Wrap

Most children love teddy bears and you can use a teddy bear gift-wrap for wrapping the baby shower gift. The wrapping paper should have prints of a teddy bear on it. A soft cocoa colored wrapping paper can also be used. As an alternative, you can also take a small teddy bear and tie it on top of the package with a white or brown bow. Teddy bear rattles or teddy bear teething rings can also be used for this purpose.

You can also use a duck theme for wrapping the baby shower gift. Yellow paper or any paper with ducks printed on it can be used and a large orange ribbon should be tied on the package.

Create Your Own Designs

You can let your imagination run wild and dig up all your creative talents in order to come up with new innovative ideas regarding wrapping the baby shower gifts. When you create some new design that looks attractive, it will not only be appreciated by all the guests at the baby shower, but it will also provide immense satisfaction at the thought that your baby shower gift-wrap is the best.



By: Apurva Shree

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A baby shower is a celebration to welcome the arrival of the upcoming baby, and where expectant parents will be showered with lots of shower gifts for them and for their baby. The party will not only cater fun and enjoyment for this is also thrown so that happy parents can obtain items needed while raising their little one.

Traditionally, baby shower parties are thrown not by the parents but by the friends, relatives or colleagues. They are the people who should be responsible planning for a baby shower bash, because this party is primarily focusing on giving gifts.

When choosing a shower gifts, you should concentrate more on the newborn child. Traditional presents that are often given are newborn clothing, layettes, baby bottles, diapers and other basic essentials for babies. However, with all the innovative ideas today, you can choose a unique shower gift from so many choices, that can still assist the new moms and dads. A great example of this are trendy baby layettes such as personalized baby blankets with various designs and are made from fluffy materials to keep the babies comfortable. Another one is presenting diaper cakes, or packed in a not too small or too large basket.

To make a great impression as well as a long lasting memory, present cute personalized baby picture frames or albums. Picture frames and albums may seem to be quite traditional, but there are a wide selection of these keepsakes today that can be customize. Consider to have the baby’s name and date of birth be on the these keepsakes, and choose the one that has an amazing design to create a great impression, allowing to remember the special moment that the child will cherish as he or she grow up.

There are also choices for unique baby shower gifts that are meant for the baby’s gender, as well as gifts that are related to the parents’ hobbies. For instance, if the parents are sports enthusiasts, you can give sporty-themed gifts according to the favorite sports of the parents. Or perhaps, you can give gifts that are inspired by different children-like themes such as fantasy, cartoons, super heroes and the likes.

The practice of the baby shower party is not very popular in some parts of the world, but now it is starting to catch up. As a result, there are emerging unique and innovative baby gifts that are often can be customize. Choosing baby shower gifts shouldn’t be done lightly. When you want to purchase something special to welcome the newborn child, you should always consider some factors so you don’t screw it up. Give something appropriate and something that is very useful and functional, which can aid the new parents in caring their child. Lastly, consider the tastes of the parents, the gender of the child and many other things like that. You can find great choices of unique, personalized baby shower gifts ideas in online stores. Local stores can only offer quite little selection of baby items, while online stores can offer you endless choices that you might not even think are existing.



By: Janet R.

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Planning a baby shower for your best friend’s first born is both rewarding and exciting, even though you are still a bit clueless about it. Throwing a baby shower is one way to welcome the upcoming baby and to provide all the things the parents will need for their newborn child. Baby showers are fun but sometimes can be a bit emotional. It need not be lavish or too formal. It’s all about getting all the people the parents-to-be love most so that they get all the support and encouragements they need.

Any close person of the parents-to-be can be a host or hostess of the party. So if you are into planning of throwing a baby shower for a friend, you would want it to be as perfect as possible. If you will be the host or hostess of the said event, and you want the party to be remembered, you have to deal with several things that a typical baby shower need. On the list are, baby shower invitations, baby shower theme, baby shower decorations, menu, baby shower favors, baby shower games and baby shower gifts.

Baby shower gifts, in particular, are the things that are most awaited during baby showers. Again, these gifts are what the new parents need while raising their child. It is always a great idea to choose the right baby shower gift that not only for the baby, but also for the parents who will be looking after the newborn child as he or she grow. There are so many baby shower gifts you may consider, thousands of them are available online. Include are the most basic baby essentials such as diapers, baby feeding bottles, sterilizer for baby bottles, baby clothing, baby blankets, socks, hats etc.

Today, most baby showers let moms enlist their desired shower gifts in online baby gift registry. Online baby gift registry is the most easiest and fastest way to look for an ideal baby shower gift that no other guest has bought yet. This really work best for savvy online consumers.

Baby showers are not only about giving gifts to the new parents and the child. As the hostess, you should also consider the guests who shared their time to welcome the upcoming little bundle of joy. Baby shower favors are given as a thank you gift to each involved person at the party. Giving favors is one way to show appreciation and gratitude to those who give support and encouragement to the parents-to-be. Baby shower favors are of different variety to choose from. Favors can be anything from baby pacifier, baby socks to sweet adorable treats.

Aside from baby shower gifts, as the hostess, you also have to plan baby shower games. To keep the party lively, throw games that can give a big laugh to all the people at the party. You can create your own games if you want, or you can purchase some ideas at the nearest party shops. Just make sure that when planning a baby shower party, if you have a shower theme on mind, plan the other details according to desired shower theme. There are so many baby shower themes to choose from, choose the one that both you and the parents-to-be preferred most.



By: Janet R.

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Baby shower gifts are normally given by friends, close relatives or colleagues to the parents-to-be as a form of love, affection and congratulations expressing happiness at the pregnancy and at the prospect of the birth of a baby in the near future. Baby shower is normally organized for pregnancy celebrations and the baby shower gifts are mostly items that would be useful to the babies. At the baby shower party, there is an atmosphere of happiness, entertainment and enjoyment in the environment.

Baby Shower Gift Products

The range of products that are available for being given as baby shower gifts is endless. You can choose the items that you feel would be most useful to the baby. If you like to give simple items you can go in for a crib or various types of baby clothes. On the other hand, if you wish to give special gifts you can choose any of the following: activity toys, portable monitor, bouncers, special toys, baby bags, baby sheets, bath kits or children’s books.

Personalized Baby Shower Gifts

Gifts for baby shower can also be personalized as this reflects extreme care and affection. In the category of personalized gifts, you can plan a dinner for the parents and close relatives and friends, offer to baby-sit for a few days, offer your physical help in the baby shower preparations and generally offer to help with household work when the mother-to-be is not in a position to manage the home. You can also offer your services to prepare the cards for baby shower invitations and to distribute the same among the invitees.

Baby Shower Gifts Based On The Party Theme

Usually baby shower parties are organized based on a central theme. It would be a wonderful idea to select baby shower gifts that would match with this theme. This will also enable the hosts to use these gifts to decorate the baby’s room accordingly.

Take The Mom-To-Be In Confidence

Baby shower is another name for pregnancy celebrations and to herald the impending arrival of the baby. As such, it’s the day of the mom-to-be and you should ask her whether there is anything special that she needs. Besides satisfying the special need of the expectant mother, you will be able to avoid duplication of gifts as you will not give her anything that is already available with her. If you do a little research in the market, you’ll be able to find a vast array of baby shower gifts.

Economizing On Baby Shower Gifts

If you have a large circle of friends and relatives, it would be a good idea to buy clothes for newborns and for slightly higher sizes whenever you can find them at a discount in the stores and keep them for use as and when you are invited for any baby shower party. You can economize further by offering your services for any work that the parents-to-be find overwhelming.

You can also use your creativity to devise inexpensive gifts that would be very useful also. There is no limit to the possibilities of various types of baby shower gifts but it only needs a keen eye, a creative mind and the determination to find the best one.



By: Apurva Shree

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Baby shower gifts are as varied as the people who give them. You have the last minute baby shower gifts that friends who just remembered what the day was and who dashed out to grab the nearest baby shower gift that they could find. You will find baby shower gifts that are lavish and yet are meant to show the amount of money that was spent rather than the sentiment behind the gift. You will also find that there are personalized baby shower gifts just waiting for the mother-to-be to open them.

As you see there are many different types of baby shower gifts that can be gotten. The person who is giving such a gift will in general make sure that their gift is carefully chosen and that the new mother will appreciate the time that has gone into choosing the present.

Now you must make sure that you have chosen a baby shower gift that will be of use to the new mother or it should be one that will remind her of the bay shower. So how can you choose suitable baby shower gifts that say you wish the new mother the very best for her new life? The best way to show how you feel about this up coming event would be to talk to her family and find out what are the things that might still be needed for the nursery.

Other than this you can look through the new baby section in department stores and choose some items that you know that all new mothers need when they finally have their little bundle of joy in their hands. Some of the great baby shower gifts that you can buy include a baby bottle sterilizer set. You can make sure that this gift has a number of baby bottles, a sterilizing container, the cleansing tablets, the bottle nipples and if you want to include them, a number of baby pacifiers.

You can also choose whimsical baby shower gifts like a scrap book where the new mother can record her baby’s first steps and first everything else. You can see about buying a mini toy cart and filling it with lots of stuffed toys and baby clothes that the new mother might like. As you see the choice of baby shower gifts can be varied as your budget allows.

So the next time that you are invited for a baby shower you should take a bit of time choosing baby shower gifts that will really make the expectant mother smile as she looks at them. There is only one more thing to say about choosing baby shower gifts and that is to have fun with the choosing process.



By: Muna wa Wanjiru

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Baby showers are loads of fun, and all you have to do is bring along one of those baby shower gifts that will make the mommy happy. But how do you get the perfect gift?

Baby Shower Gifts For the Mom

If you’re in you’re twenties, you’re likely to be attending more weddings and baby showers. It’s a lot easier to buy wedding gifts, but when it comes to the baby shower gifts, you want something special. Who doesn’t? But the task can be daunting when you’re looking at dozens of colorful baby gifts. You just don’t know where to begin looking!

The problem is compounded when you have no baby experience whatsoever. Remember that you can also give the mom a gift to make her feel special, too. Ask your seasoned baby shower friends to help you pick out the gifts that is both practical for baby and mommy.

For the mom, scented bath salts with essential oils will make her feel like a queen when she soaks in the tub. These come in adorable glass heart bottles with dainty organza bows and different scents – jasmine, ocean, green tea, ivory, and white jasmine. You can also go for scented votive candles housed in frosted glass. Your friend can light these up for a relaxing “cuddle time” with her hubby.

Baby Gewgaws

Still, there is no excuse to forget the baby. You’re going to a baby shower, so gifts for the baby should be in your agenda, too. When you get a call to hop to a friend’s baby shower, don’t just skedaddle to the nearest shop.

Make a mental list of the possible things your friend would need for her baby, but don’t dismiss those fancy little gewgaws that can be added to the child’s cherished collection such as baby jewelry engraved with the mom’s name and the date of the baby shower.

Knowing the parents’ lifestyles can help you decide on the gift. If they love to take long walks or nature tripping, how about a baby backpack? Or, if they both love to read, start the baby on a library of nursery rhymes and stories and complement it with a Nursery Rhyme Vintage Keepsake Book Box. That would really stop the moms and dads on their tracks.

Or, you could rally your friends to chip in for a more expensive item like a stroller, a crib, or a changing table. If you’re getting baby furniture, go with your friends when getting something for the baby’s room. You’ll need to have it wrapped prettily (if possible) for the baby shower. Gifts that are gaily wrapped add a touch of glamor and fun to the party, so don’t stint on gift-wrapping if you really want to make a statement.

Think Outside the Box

Don’t stop at traditional gifts, though. Be creative! How about a compilation of baby recipes bound in a special cover and personalized with the mom’s name, the occasion, and the date of the baby shower?

How about giving a gift certificate for both mom and dad to spend time at a spa? They need all the pampering they can get during this time. Waiting for the baby can be a taxing experience, so help them take it easy with creative baby shower gifts.



By: Mandie Klein

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Want to make an impression with your baby shower gift? A baby shower is a party where expectant parents receive gifts for their expected child. By convention, it is intended to help parents get items that they need for their baby. Baby showers are a wonderful way to shower mother-to-be with valuable advice, useful baby items and your love and support.  Everyone wants their baby shower gift to be the best gift at the shower and hopes that the gift will be treasured forever.  You can send your warm sentiments of love with some special gift.

The anticipation that accompanies pregnancy and birth of a baby are overwhelming experiences. What is more important  in a baby shower party is that it’s something the mom-to-be will appreciate, may it be something for her personal use or an item that will make her prepared when the long-awaited baby comes along. Another criteria is that you must be happy while giving and giving something within your budget will definitely contribute to that happiness.

Though there is abundance of choices out there in the market, if you just go well-prepared, you are guaranteed to make any new mom happy. Here is a list of five lifelong baby shower gifts for mom-to-be and the yet-to-be born child.

1. Scrapbook-Treasuring and remembering every moment of the baby’s growing up becomes so important to new parents. Therefore, presenting a decorative scrapbook with your best wishes will be a good gift that every parent will cherish lifelong. These days you can gift online baby website memberships to the expectant mother, so that she can share the baby’s development with all her friends and family. SweetNewBaby.com is such one website.

2. Jewelries-The second unique gift for mom is baby jewelry. It is a beautiful item that new mom will be treasured for many years to come.

3. Books- A book is always a good gift idea, whether that will help mommy to be more prepared for the baby’s arrival or something that mom and dad could read to their baby when the time comes. And that book will always there with them lifelong.

4. Gift Baskets- These are baskets full of goodies that you could share them with the new moms and dads. It also includes a baby bathrobe, a baby sweater and diapers for the baby.

5. Toys- Toys are always favorite gifts to bring to baby shower. These include rattle, squeakers, stuff toys, stacking toys, noisemakers etc. Even very young babies can enjoy toys. They serve an important role in learning, socialization and fun. Babies respond better to bright and contrast colors. Toys take make noise are also winners for babies. Grown-up children also love to play with toys. 

 You can opt for old silver spoons, baby blankets or baby clothes or you can go with fresh new gift ideas. The newborn and his/her parents will love this unique, everlasting and personalized baby shower gifts. There you can write a note introducing yourself and your relation to the mom and child and your feeling about the yet-to-be born child.

 



By: John Rope

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