7 Different Spins on a Baby Shower
This is a sponsored post. The DESITIN® Brand compensated Rookie Moms to be guest authors on the DESITIN® Tumblr.
Baby showers are often happy, adorable get-togethers with lots of cooing and belly-patting. But the real magic is that an expectant mom is showered with love, advice, and GIFTS before welcoming her new baby.
If you’re the friend in charge of throwing the perfect baby shower, fear not! There are as many ways to do it – and not screw it up – as there are pregnant ladies.
Here are 7 non-traditional baby shower ideas we’ve enjoyed with our circle of friends.
1. Co-ed BBQ. Of course, Dads are parents too, so let’s bring the dudes together for the fun. Serve cocktails, mocktails, and beer. Post a “betting board” like our friend Olivia did; guests can bet on all manner of baby stats and the winner got a gift card.
2. Bare necessities. Keep the décor simple black and white and focus on the basics for gifts like diapers, wipes, onesies, Desitin, and medicine cabinet essentials like infant nail clippers and pain reliever. Game: Alissa’s friends had a contest to see who could drink a carbonated beverage (beer or seltzer) out of a baby bottle with a newborn nipple.
3. High-tech. One of the most useful items for a new parent is BATTERIES. Let’s go in a bunch with rechargers and some battery-operated gear: the bouncer, swing, or stroller that walks itself (plug-in technology is also welcome: baby monitor, slow cooker, and a TV upgrade). Game idea: Our friend Karen used a website to combine pictures of the parents’ faces with each other and celebrities and had people guess the “right” one.
4. It takes a village. If mama-to-be is coming to the parenthood party later than her friends, you know they have lots of tips for her! Ask each guest to write a page of heartfelt wisdom and get it off her chest: Favorite remedies? First foods? The hostess can make a little booklet of this collective wisdom. To increase the humor factor, guests can also share “worst advice” too.
5. Literary love. All guests are invited to bring a favorite children’s book with little notes inside. Aww. Decorations can be blow-up illustrations from any of the picks. Guaranteed to make you cry with hormones? Check out our list.
6. Psychic fun. Why stop the baby predictions with birthday, height, and weight? Let’s name all the traits of Mom and Dad we hope the baby inherits (this can be another tear-jerking activity). My friend Marcia had a psychic at her baby shower giving predictions about her baby (all true, she says!) and entertaining the guests.
7. Skip the shower. For my second baby, Whitney and some friends kidnapped me in favor of a prenatal-friendly spa day. We brunched, bonded, and relaxed without a silly game in sight. For gifts? Organize a food train or chip in for healthy food delivery.
The Rookie Moms, Heather and Whitney, have five children between the two of them and have attended dozens of baby showers so you can totally trust them!