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Planning a Baby Shower or Christening Party
Are you planning a baby shower, christening party,
or other special occasion? Follow our plan, outlined below, and then
check out fabulous christening gowns and special-occasion clothing
and accessories offered exclusively here, at OneSmallChild.com.
Planning a Shower or Party
The best way to win the laud and adoration of your guest of honor
is to get organized and plan ahead for your baby shower or
christening party. Since you should send out invitations two to four
weeks before the date of the occasion, you will need to select your
party theme and venue three to six weeks in advance.
Party Themes
Choosing a theme for your baby shower or party for christening is
an indispensable first step for coming up with great decoration and
food ideas. Your theme can carry over to invitations, games, game
prizes, and party favors. Invited guests may be encouraged to bring
gifts to coordinate with the theme. Here are a few ideas to get you
started:
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Baby-room theme. If the baby’s room follows a theme (for
example, bears, Noah’s ark, jungle animals, primary or pastel
colors, Winnie the Pooh), consider using the theme in the baby’s
shower or christening party.
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Around-the-clock. As you write out invitations, assign each
guests to bring a gift appropriate for a certain time of day. For
example, a guest assigned 3 a.m. might bring a CD of lullabies and
teething gel; another guest might bring a bib, spoon, and dish for
10 a.m., or a blanket for 10 p.m.
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Nursery rhymes. Can you still remember some of your childhood
songs? I’m a Little Teapot . . . Little Boy Blue . . . Bah-bah Black
Sheep? Choose a song and find decorations and games to coordinate.
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Literary Child. Start the new baby’s library with a
children’s book shower. Try Mother Goose, Winnie the Pooh, or
Penelope the Pig for character decorations and invitations.
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Marvelous Mom. If your guest of honor already has everything,
consider throwing a new-mom shower. Babysitting coupons, scented
lotions and bubble bath, and diaper service would be great gifts for
this theme.
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Diapers. Did you know that the average parent spends nearly
$2,000 on (disposable) diapers before a little one is potty trained?
If the new mom is particularly practical, she might really
appreciate a diaper shower. Of course, gifts need not be restricted
to diapers —diaper bags, rash ointment, and changing pads are a few
alternate gift ideas for this theme.
Baby Shower Locations
Since they are primarily occasions for family and close friends,
baby showers and christening parties are traditionally held in
homes. However, if your home is small, too far out of the way, or
just not fancy enough for the crowd, you might want to choose a
different location, such as an office, restaurant, park, or special
events center.
Formal Venues
A restaurant, special events center, or banquet hall can be a
great timesaving option for the busy shower hostess since she need
not worry about the setup or cleanup. With her "leisure" time, the
hostess can more freely focus on the guests. If you choose this
option for your baby shower or christening party, plan far enough in
advance to choose a venue at convenient location, to sample and
select a menu, and to make reservations. The menu should accommodate
guests who may have special dietary needs. If you will be bringing
your own food for the baby shower or party for christening, okay it
with the restaurant or special events center beforehand.
There are a few drawbacks to hosting a baby shower or christening
party away from home:
- There’s no place like home. The setting, although
perhaps more elegant, may lack the intimacy of a home baby
shower or christening party. You may need to make an extra
effort to facilitate conversation and comfort.
- No boisterous behavior. Unless your venue is reserved
only for your group, games and loud activities are usually
inappropriate.
- Too little time. You risk having to shoo guests out of
the building if the party lasts longer than your reservation.
Office Baby Showers
The office can be a fun, casual location for a baby shower or
party. If you are hosting the occasion, check with the personnel
department in advance to reserve a room (during the lunch hour,
after work, or at another convenient time). If your company is
large, consult with the guest of honor to ensure that no one is
inadvertently left out when invitations are distributed.
Unlike home baby showers, office showers are usually a team
effort rather than the burden of a single super-hostess. Coworkers
generally pitch in for shower decorations and supplies (which should
afford easy cleanup). Decorations and food are often low-key;
potlucks and pizza are favored food options.
One of the plusses of office baby showers is that people can give
better gifts since they are more likely to pool their money
(sometimes in addition to individual gifts). Gift certificates may
be most practical for office parties since the guest of honor is
responsible for getting the gifts to her home. Appropriate party
favors might simply be photos of the occasion that can be
distributed the following week.
A few drawbacks to office baby showers include the following:
- A restricted pool of guests. Generally, coworkers, not
close friends or family, are invited to baby showers held in the
office.
- Forgetfulness. Since there is no one hostess, some people
are bound to forget their delegated assignments. Try assigning
someone to remind everyone what to do. . . and maybe another person
to remind the person who does the reminding.
- Tight schedules. You will have to be creative to keep the
party fun, intimate, and brief. Since most of the people will know
each other, games can be kept to a minimum. For a diversion, you
might have guests write a “baby-pleasing suggestion,†which they can
read just before the guest of honor opens their respective presents.
- Huge messes. Remember the little red hen who couldn’t get
anyone to help her make the bread or clean up the mess? Avoid this
headache by assigning setup and cleanup crews.
Gifts
Before you send out invitations, find out the guest of honor’s
gift preferences, just in case someone contacts you to ask what the
new baby needs. Remember the stores at which the new mom is
registered, and keep a list of gift ideas that coordinate with the
baby shower theme. For guests planning to give baby clothes, suggest
sizes other than just newborn to three-months (the size of many
babies’ wardrobes shrinks at six months!). Be prepared to host or
delegate a gift pool for those who want to contribute to a larger
gift for the baby.
If you, as the hostess, are looking for a very special gift for
the baby shower, consider a beautiful christening gown or baby
blessing outfit from One Small Child. Since this is an online
christening store, you can easily coordinate with the new mother on
her favorite styles and accessories. You might want to direct guests
to One Small Child to select coordinating accessories, including
baby jewelry, blankets, personalized storage containers, bibs,
socks, shoes, and slips.
The guest of honor will open gifts after the baby shower games.
Make sure everyone can see her (and the gifts) and that someone is
sitting nearby to record the gifts and their givers. The official
recorder should also announce the giver’s name before the guest of
honor opens each gift.
Invitations
Your baby shower or christening party invitations need to go out
two to four weeks before the special occasion, so prepare early! If
you have the time and the knack, make or buy invitations to
coordinate with the party’s theme. Invitations should include the
following information:
- Guest of honor’s name
- Party date
- Party start time and end time (two to three hours’ duration is
typical)
- Clear directions, a map, and a phone number for the hopelessly
lost (Nothing is worse than a room full of guests frustrated
from an hour wasted trying to find you!)
- Party theme (including suggestions for theme gifts)
- The name or gender of the child
- An RSVP request, including your contact information
Be sure to keep your list of addresses for the guest of honor to
use when she mails out thank-you notes.
Group Dynamics
Whether you host your baby shower or christening party at home or
away, you must consider the size of the party group to plan
appropriately. For large groups, provide name tags that indicate
relationship to the guest of honor. Place cards are helpful if you
are hosting a luncheon. If you know the prospective guests, arrange
seating that will encourage lively conversation. Seat
detail-oriented individuals near the guest of honor to deal with
discarded wrappings and to record gift givers and their gifts.
Consider throwing a co-ed baby shower or party. Working couples
have little enough time together, and many enjoy social functions
they can attend together. Co-ed groups can also help fathers feel
more involved in their children’s special occasion celebrations. If
you plan to host a co-ed baby shower or party, make a special effort
to help the men in the group feel comfortable: tone down the
decorations, beef up the food, and de-fluff the games. Choose games
that are simple and funny, like making baby names out of the letters
in the names of the parents-to-be: the funniest name gets the prize.
For themes, you might consider the outdoors or the round-the-clock
duties of a parent.
Decorations
Decorations are like the emotions of a party—make them as simple
or flamboyant as you expect the occasion to be. Banners, balloons,
and flowers are common standbys at most baby showers. Unseen accents
like background music and scented candles add a great finishing
touch. To save time, you might try combining decorations with other
preparations: use party favors to make centerpieces, or use fishing
line to hang up prizes or gifts (for example, little stuffed bears
or baby blocks).
Food
Whether you plan to provide a luncheon, potluck, or simply
appetizers, be creative with baby shower food! If you are planning a
potluck, invite contributors to bring some item that symbolizes the
baby’s gender or name. If you have more control over the menu, be
sure to choose items that are easy to eat, especially if not all
your guests will be able to sit at a table.
Last-Minute Preparations
Remember, if you are prepared, you have no need (or at least less
need) to fear. On the morning of the shower, tie a bouquet of
balloons and a sign in a prominent location outside your house.
Arrange the furniture to encourage conversation and comfort. Make
sure the guest of honor has a comfortable chair in a prominent
location; there should also be chairs for those who will take care
of the gifts after the new mother unwraps them.
Go through your checklist of things you will need for games,
food, decorations, and gifts. And if you haven’t put it on your list
yet, remember your camera! You can earn extra points with the new
mom by taking pictures of her with each of the guests; later on,
make doubles of the photos—one set for the mom and the other to send
out with thank-you notes.
Baby Shower Games
As you plan games for the baby shower, remember that the group of
party-goers may include people of varied ages and cultures. You may
need to strike a delicate balance to keep games both fun and
interesting for everyone. If you just can’t bring yourself to avoid
a game that may cause some embarrassment, prepare an extra special
prize for the winner.
The Internet abounds with great ideas for baby shower games. Here
are a few for starters:
- Baby portraits. Guests hold a paper plate on their
heads while drawing on it a picture of the baby boy or girl.
Once the artists sign their names, these drawings can make funny
additions to a baby book.
- Now-and-then photos. Have each guest bring a baby photo
and a recent photo of herself. Attach the photos to a poster
board and assign a number or letter to each. Challenge guests to
match each baby face with the appropriate adult face; the guest
who matches the most photos wins.
- Bottle chugging. Fill bottles with a favorite beverage
(non-alcoholic, of course), and see who can empty the bottle
fastest. Burping is optional.
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