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Baby Shower
Help For
Hostesses
Is this your first baby
shower? Are you in need of some tips and advice?
AbcFavors not only has a lot of favors and decorations and supplies
for your party, but we have a wealth of information on hostess do's
and don'ts.
1. Decide your baby shower
theme
Questions to ask
yourself and the mother are: Do you want to base the theme on
the nursery theme? If you know its a boy or a girl, do you
want to stick to the traditional blue or pink colors? Does the
mom like baby animals? Rubber ducky and pea in the pod themes
have always been ones you can count on not only to be a hit, but
also to find lots of supplies and decorations for your party.
There are also more modern themes such as Mod Mom or polka
dots. Retro themes and vintage baby themes are great to use as
well. It really comes down to the mom-to-be's
preference.
2. When will you have the
party?
How close to the
due date does the mom feel comfortable having the party? Will
she need to travel (by car at that point) very far to reach the
party destination? If yes, then you won't want to have the
party in the 8th or 9th month. The seventh month tends to be
the time most moms will have their baby shower. Most are not
in too much risk to go into labor and they can enjoy the fun since
the pains of late-pregnancy are normally not present
yet. The time of day that you have the party can
be dictated by the day that you have your party. If it is on a
weekday, night parties are likely, if the date is on a Sunday,
you'll want to have a mid-later day party in order to miss the
church times for some guests. Saturday is usually a safe day
to have the party at any time. Any time after 10:00 on a
Saturday is usually acceptable for most people.
3.
Where will you host the
party?
Some hostesses will hold
the baby shower in their home for a number of reasons. It
saves money, it is convenient for decorating and setting up the
party, and it also puts people at ease when they are at a party in
someone's home. A relaxing atmosphere. But, if you
choose this option be aware that you will need to have enough room
to have all guests seated at some point and not too crowded in one
space. Also, there is the task of clean-up that you'll
encounter. Some hostesses choose to host the baby shower at a
restaurant, at their church, in a hotel conference room, or in a
park.
4. What kind of food will your
serve?
You can either make
your own food or have the party catered, depending on your budget
and if you enjoy cooking/baking or would rather leave it to someone
else. Check with the mom on her likes and dislikes
first. A lot of pregnant women have aversions to certain foods
and you wouldn't want to make her nauseous during her party.
Ask her if any of the invited guests have food allergies (be very
careful to read over ingredients on packages and DO NOT
cross-contaminate the food utensils, etc...), are vegetarians, or
any other dietary restrictions. Be careful with any deli
sliced foods and fish when serving them to the mom-to-be. You
can add fun and whimsy to your buffets or tables when you use
decorated sugar cookies in baby shaped themes. We have them
here, or if you are a baker and have the time, then bake up a batch
or two for the party.
5. Should I serve alcohol
at the baby shower?
This is a
controversial topic since the party is geared toward babies and
pregnancy, both of which alcohol does not mix. The first thing
to do is to check with the mom-to-be and ask her opinion.
She'll know the invited guests more than you and will know if it
would be an accepted drink in her group. If you decide to
serve alcohol, make sure you provide other types of drinks such as
punch, soda, bottled water, and coffee or tea. And if one of
your guests gets a little too tipsy, please provide transportation
to her home either one of the husbands or a cab. You
don't want anyone getting hurt.
6. How should I
decorate?
Like anything else,
this comes down to preference. Since the party is for the
mom-to-be, then this should be your decision. She shouldn't
have to worry about these little details. You could decorate
very simply with some balloons and confetti on the tables.
But, you do want your guests to feel like they are at a baby shower,
not just a neighborhood party. So, by dolling up the tables
with some fun baby shower themed plates, napkins and matching
centerpieces, you can create that "baby" feel for the party.
Here are a few other things that you can find at abcfavors.com to
create a fun decorated baby shower:
Yard
signs - these are so cute and start the
decorating outside before your guests enter the party. Some
can also be used as directional signs with arrows on them to help
the guests navigate to your party (not everyone has a GPS).
Diaper Cakes - you can find these in many
baby shower themes and we have personalized
diaper cakes at AbcFavors.com. These are great
centerpieces that the mom-to-be can use after the party. So,
they act as a two-in-one decoration.
Personalized
Waterbottles - these are a fairly new
decoration in baby showers and even bridal showers. By
personalizing some wrappers and applying them to waterbottles that
you can purchase at your local grocery store or gas station, you can
create another fun element that is unexpected and appreciated by
your guests. You can find these inexpensively by wrapping your
waterbottles yourself with personalized wrappers. If you are
on a budget, be careful not to purchase from stores that make you
buy the water and the wrapper. You'd be paying a lot in
shipping costs since the water is heavy.
Banners
& Signs - there are many banners that match the
theme of your plates and cups. You can also purchase
personalized signs for the party.
7. Should I
play any games?
It
really can't hurt to play a few games. We've taken polls from
hostesses and the overwhelming majority say that they expect to play
games at a shower. How many baby showers do you get in your
life? Exactly - that's why if you or the guests think it may
be cheesy to play games, you should hide your true feelings for the
day and play a few of the them. Do it for the mom.
Unless, of course, she doesn't want them. Then, that changes
everything. AbcFavors.com has a lot of shower games such as
gift bingo, scratch-off games and mazes to play.
8.
What kind of favors should I get? Should I make them
or buy them?
The type of favor
comes down to personal preference and the party theme. If you
are having a tea or brunch party, you may want to buy tea
favors. If the shower is in the Spring, you may want seed
favors. If the party is in the Winter, you may want "bun in
the oven" muffin mixes or candles to warm your guests. If
your are having a baby shower around a certain holiday, you may want
to center the theme around that holiday. Such as Hershey's
Kisses with personalized labels reading "Kiss Me....My Baby is
Irish" for St. Patrick's Day.
Whether you make your favors or buy them from a professional baby
shower favors website, that is really up to you. If you are
crafty, then by all means make your favors. If you are
semi-crafty, you can find fun labels and tags and helpful pieces to
"do-it-yourself". If you are not crafty at all or just don't
have the time to commit to making your own baby shower favors, then
you will want to buy them. It will save you many headaches and
lots of sticky glue gun messes. You'll know that one thing is
taken care of for the party. If you do order personalized
items, please make sure that you allow for enough time for the
company to make them and ship them to you. A couple of weeks
is normal.
Regardless if you accidentally order a race car
tablecloth or you burn your cookies, the party will go on and the
mom-to-be will be appreciative of any effort given to throw her a
party this special. There is much to do, so if you have read
this far....get going. Start with your guest list and the rest
will fall into line. Have a great party and try not to stress
over the details. No one will remember if you forgot the dip
for the chips or you didn't set out the candy dishes that you stood
in line for to buy. They'll remember that you hosted a party
for your friend/sister/daughter, etc.. and how wonderful it
was.
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