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When my son's wife was expecting my first grandchild, I decided to throw her a baby shower. The guest list had no limit. The baby wriggling around in there was a girl. That's where I started! So I'm going to give you all some tips for hosting a baby shower!
Tip #1
Round up and corral some help! Do not try to do this on your own! You will be so tired and cranky you won't be able to enjoy the festivities! I recruited my mother and my sisters. While we went 'round and 'round about everything, having more hands is great!
Tip #2
Decide whether or not you will have a general baby shower or a themed one. My daughter-in-law wanted to decorate the baby's room with a Noah's Ark theme, so away we went. Now I cannot begin to tell you just how many Noah's Ark gifts, decorations, clothing and housewares are avilable.
Tip #3
Plan your shower well in advance. Don't wait till the last minute. Please do ont try and co-ordinate dates with everyone. You will lose your mind! Set a date and if someone really wants to come, they WILL show up, gift in hand!
Top #4
Decide your budget for your shower, Including food, drinks, tableware, decorations, and games. Your pocket book doesn't get hit so hard when you're sharing expenses with friends and/or relatives.
Tip #5
Send invitations as if you are the recepient. Around 3-4 weeks in advance for the guests that live nearby. 4-6 weeks for those who live a long distance away. Make sure you add clear and concise directions. Also include several RSVP telephone numbers. Tiny Prints has some cute and fantastic baby shower invitations!
Tip #6
Plan your decorations, party favors, drinks and food. Try to stay within your budget. You are only limited by your imagination! For my daughter-in-law's shower we tied balloons to beanie baby animals and spread them EVERYWHERE. When you walked into that house, it looked like a fairyland! We used a diaper cake as a centerpiece on the table. Noah's Ark was around every single corner!
Tip #7
Greet all guests at the door as they arrive. It shows how much you care for them. Provide name tags so that everyone can identify other guests that they don't know. Introduce shower guests at the beginning of the shower. Having a seating arrangement helps by sitting people together who know each other or have something in common. Don't worry! Everyone will know each other by the end of the party!
Tip #8
Right away as they enter the door, engage your guests in some games so that they can have fun and interact with each other. The entrance game we played was a blast! We had done our homework and come up with celebrities that were pregnant. We included celebrity husbands, too. Each guest had a celebrity name pinned to her back and each had to ask the other guests questions about the celebrities, trying to guess the identity.
Tip #9
Be sure to have enough party favors! A few extra is good just in case! Get things moving on time nad keep the pace mocing at a good clip. Just how long does it take to eat, open presnets, play games, talk and eat cake? That's anybody's guess! Walk each guest to the door. I know that makes me feel special!
Tip #10
Understand that if you are hosting the shower you should show responsibility and consideration to everyone. The mom-to-be may be tired as well as excited. your mother may get on your last nerve!
Your sister may be uber angry when someone YOU invited wins all the shower games and gets all the gifts (including the Champagne gift basket she donated).
Just take a deep breath and relax...and swear you'll never do this again!
DISCLOSURE:I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a Tiny Prints gift code worth $50, plus 25 FREE Tiny Prints greeting cards—a total gift value of $149.75! For more information on how you can participate, click here.
About Tiny Prints:
Tiny Prints helps you get together, keep in touch and share your love—one little card at a time. Tiny Prints was started in 2003 by three friends and a dream. With a shared a love of babies and an affinity for beautiful paper, they set out to create a stationery company that would offer the experience of a local boutique with the ease of an online retailer. Specializing in the celebration of all of life's special occasions, we're thrilled to offer a fresh selection of exclusive designs, from birth announcements and baby shower invitations to personal stationery and more, delivered with the best customer service you can find online or in stores.
Stop by the Tiny Prints Blog and follow us on Twitter @TinyPrints to discover news, trends and creative inspiration for social stationery, family celebrations and so much more!
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