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Baby showers may have been invented over in The States, but they are now growing in popularity on this side of the Atlantic as well.
Baby showers are special (often themed) parties, usually about four to six weeks before the due date, where the guests shower the
mum-to-be with gifts and good wishes.
Traditionally, baby showers were intended to help provide parents with much needed items for their baby, especially things they
may not have been able to afford themselves. Today baby showers are a great excuse to get a group of friends and family together and
celebrate bringing a new life into the world.
While a baby shower is often a girls-only affair, many men like to get involved in the celebrations - it can be a nice way for
dads to feel involved.
The whole event should be great fun and completely stress-free for the mum-to-be. In fact it's traditional for the mum-to-be to
have as little to do with the organisation of a baby shower as possible.
If you are not organising the baby shower yourself, make sure to give the names and addresses of anyone who you'd like to attend
to the person organising it. Don't forget to invite friends met through antenatal or exercise classes.
The last trimester is usually the best time to throw a baby shower but you might not feel up to having large crowds descending
on your home. It's probably a good idea to consider the location before deciding on how many people to invite.
You could hire a small room in a local playgroup, church hall or health club, but you may want to keep costs down and have a more
intimate event. Think about inviting fewer people and ask friends if they could host it at their house.
You could also spread the cost of the baby shower by asking each guest to chip in. Even small contributions go a long way.
Costs can be lowered by designing an invitation on a computer and emailing them. You can also ask everyone to bring a dish and borrow
the right number of plates and glasses if you don't have enough.
Many baby showers have a baby theme to get everyone in the mood. You can make or buy decorations with your chosen theme.
Teddy bears, nursery rhymes and books are all popular. You can even get guests involved in by encouraging them to bring presents
related to the theme. Don't forget, if they're not mums themselves, it can be difficult for guests to know what to buy. Why not
prepare a list of things you'd like to receive?
Games can be great fun at baby showers. A few light-hearted activities will keep the mood light and get everyone involved. Baby
Shower Bingo is a fun game to play. Simply print out bingo cards but, instead of writing down numbers, use the names of baby-related
objects such as teddy bears or nappies. Remember to make each card different. Then call out the different items at random, until
someone says "bingo".
Another good game is The Tray Memory Game. Put 15 to 20 small items associated with babies on a tray. These should be items such
as a bottle, dummy, baby sock, safety pin, baby's brush, baby oil etc. Let everyone see the tray for one minute and then cover it up.
Give each of your guests a piece of paper and a pencil to write down their answers. The guest who gets the most items correct is the winner.
Any small prize will be appreciated, but if the guests are mums too, try something like two tickets to the cinema, a promise of one
evening's babysitting, or a small bottle of relaxing bath oil. It's also nice to give a goody bag as guests leave as a way of saying
thank you for coming and for any presents given. Small treats such as chocolates or scented soaps are perfect.
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