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Baby Shower


Baby Showers Call for Celebration of a New Life

The impending arrival of a new baby is both exciting and a time of anxiousness for the new parents, close friends and family. This is especially true for first-time parents that do not have other children. There is an infinite amount of preparation for the new baby that is necessary, with almost too little time to feel as if everything can get done in time.

This is why the baby shower is so important for everyone involved. Family and friends can socialize and serve to excite the expectant mother, and try to ease her fears. The added benefit is that most guests will bring useful and wanted gifts that help to ease the financial burden that is inevitable when a baby first arrives. Several supplies, new furnishings and even helpful gadgets will all be needed to make their lives easier.

Although the types of baby shower parties held in modern times vary greatly, this basis of the traditional purposes and celebration still hold true. Whether casual or formal, small or large, women only or co-ed, everyone is excited about the coming baby and the new family.

If you’re considering hosting a baby shower for the expecting parents, it might be a good idea to confront them with the idea first. Some cultures actually consider a baby shower bad luck before the baby’s arrival, so ensure that they are just as excited about the party as you are before proceeding.

It may be more appropriate for some cultures to celebrate the baby after he or she is born. This allows guests to actually see the new baby, who is the purpose of the celebration anyway. Also, for parents who choose not to pick a name or find out the sex prior to birth, guests will be able to bring gender-appropriate gifts to one of these events.

Keepsake gifts are also possible with personalized engraving options. Information including the baby’s full name, date and time of birth, length and weight can be included for a special and unique gift after the baby is born.

However, if a baby shower is to be planned for after baby’s arrival, the host or hosts must consider that the time immediately following the birth is a very busy and stressful time. It may be best to plan such an event a few weeks afterward to allow everyone to become used to their new schedule and responsibilities.

Of course, this prevents guests from giving the parents much-needed supplies for when they first bring the new baby home with them. This is why many baby showers are held before the birth.

There are other options for first-time parent gifts when the sex is unknown. Neutral colors like yellow or light green can be appropriate for either gender, and stock supplies like diapers, onesies, booties, blankets, bedding, furniture and bath accessories are all possible gifts.

Whatever type of baby shower you choose to host, remember that the parents’ wishes should be adhered to, and some variations may need to be accounted for. The most important aspect is that the baby shower is the celebration of a new life!

Planning a Baby Shower on a Budget

Some baby showers today are very casual get-togethers with friends and family, structured much like a potluck dinner. Others may be more formal and elaborate, from everything from the food and theme, favors, talent and more. Costs can quickly get out of control without having a proper budget set ahead of time.

Hosting a baby shower is a gift in and of itself to the expectant mother, as it does require a great amount of time, money and effort to pull off correctly. Volunteering or offering to host a baby shower should come with this realization ahead of time.

Before beginning the first of the planning stages, it’s important to compose a baby shower party budget. The good news is that no matter how small it is, an adequate baby shower can be given to the mother-to-be. The most important fact is that everyone will be gathered in celebration of a new life entering the world.

Sticking to the budget, no matter how large or small, will also help to make some of the important decisions during the planning process. The guest list will remain controlled, as this directly affects the amount of food, beverage, cake, furniture, space needed to hold the event, baby shower favors and invitations and activities that will need to be accounted for.

A budget will also help making decisions when it comes to the many baby shower themes and items available. Smaller budgets may require a stock purchase from a local store versus special ordering, and becoming more creative with fewer decorations.

A great idea for boosting the budget and throwing a more extravagant celebration without increasing your individual responsibility is to co-host the baby shower with a group or at least one other party.

Each host agrees to contribute a specified amount of money, and the budget accounts for these funds only. Of course, if the expectant mother insists on more expensive options, it’s always possible to ask her to contribute if carried out appropriately. This should only be considered as a last resort, and is usually completely unnecessary.

If the mother wants specific items that the budget just won’t allow for, consider approaching additional close family members or friends that may be able to help. Explaining the situation that you simply want to host a party that the mother is excited about but the budget does not allow for may cause them to volunteer to help a bit.

If someone offers to help with the baby shower but can not contribute financially, this is a great way to ask for additional assistance in running errands the day of and before the shower party. Picking up the cake, decorations and other supplies, gathering RSVPs and final guest counts, and helping to prepare the food and decorate on the day of the baby shower are all great ways to help out.

You can also cut costs by planning well ahead of time and catching sales on baby shower favors, decorations and even the food if it can be frozen. Cash in on individual abilities as well by asking the amateur photographer in the group of friends to take pictures, or decide on a potluck type of celebration to stay within your budget and still throw an amazing baby shower.