Ideas for a Baby Shower

Baby showers have been popular in the US for years and now their popularity is growing in the UK. Increasingly we are being asked to suggest gifts or ideas for throwing a Baby Shower.

A baby shower is simply a party thrown for the mum-to-be where everyone gets together, brings a small gift for the baby, and has lots of fun! There are no hard and fast rules but these are a few guidelines;

When to hold it? Usually around 6 weeks before the baby is born

Where to hold it? Anywhere, but not at the mum-to be's house. She doesn't need the added stress of being the hostess and cleaning up when everyone has gone.

Who to invite? Friends and family, and new found friends from the antenatal classes. baby showers are often woment only affairs but men can be invited too!

What gift should I bring? You don't have to spend a fortune on a baby gift. Practical gifts such as baby lotion, a towel, some wipes, or even a fun rubber duck for the bath will all be welcomed. The party host could point you in the right direction by finding out what mum needs beforehand and compiling a list that can be referred to.

A hospital survival kit is a great idea. Ask everyone (on an invite) to bring one item to contribute to the "Labor and Delivery Survival Kit". Examples are stop watch, slipper socks, headband, back massager, body lotion, lip balm, lollipops, breath mints, disposable camera, bubblegum cigars, a contact list & of course a bag or baby change bag to put it all in.

One idea that doesn't cost a penny would be some IOU vouchers for babysitting duties. These are always welcomed!

Another unusual idea is to have a baby Time Capsule. Ask everyone to bring something small with them that could be put into a Time Capsule for the baby to open when he or she turns 18.

The party is also about having fun - some ideas for Baby Shower Games are below:

1) Guess Mum's Tummy Size: (Materials- String or yarn and scissors) Have each woman pull the string to the size they believe would fit perfectly around the Mum-To-Be's centre of her pregnant tummy. After everyone cuts their string, compare the results to the Mum-To-Be's actual tummy. Give a prize to the woman who is the most close! This is a baby shower favourite.

2) How Many Baby Items Can You Name: (Materials- pad of paper and pen for each woman). Have each woman write down as many baby products as they can name (bottle, blanket, dummy, etc) within 5 minutes. Sure it is easy at the beginning, but towards the last few minutes, the women will start racking their brains for more :) Give a prize to the woman who gets the most baby products named!

3) Who Can Make The Mum-To-Be's Baby: (Materials - Baby magazines, Scissors, Glue, Paper). Have the women group up into teams of 3 and give each 3 baby magazines. Have them cut out pieces of different baby qualities and put together a picture of what they think the Mum-To-Be's baby will look like. Have the Mum-To-Be pick which baby would possibly look like hers the best! Give prizes to the winning team!

5) Pin The Sperm on the Egg - Draw an egg and sperm and play in the same way as pin the tail on the donkey!

6) Place The Baby On The Mummy: (Materials- Cutouts of a baby with tape and blindfold). Another one of our favorite baby shower games is the baby shower version of Pin The Tail on the Donkey. Blindfold each participant and then give them a paper baby to then approach the mum and place the baby as close to the tummy as possible. The one who gets closest to placing the paper baby on the pregnant tummy wins.

7) Bottle Races: (Materials- Baby bottles with Milk or alternate drink). Have each participant take a bottle filled with a liquid and suck the bottle as a baby would. The woman who drinks the most in an alloted time wins the baby shower gift. This baby shower game gets everyone laughing!

8) Guess the weight of the baby sweepstake. Everyone guesses the weight and it is written down. When baby is born the person closest takes the winnings.

There must be loads more ideas out there - please let us know if you have any which we can add to this list.