Hosting A Baby Shower

One of the best ways to show you care for a mother to be is to host a baby shower in their honor. This is a great way to get everyone together, have some fun, and help out the new mother by giving her gifts for the baby. There are many different ways to go about throwing the shower, although a surprise shower is the most traditional. The dress can be informal or casual. Usually small pastries are served. Baby themed games should be played. Here are a few suggestions:

Guess the circumference of the tummy. In this game all the guests write down, in inches, how big the mother's baby bump is. The winner is the one who comes closest.

When will the baby drop? This requires some planning. A small plastic baby is put in an ice cube tray with a ribbon. Fill the tray with water and let it sit in the freezer overnight. Once all of the guests have arrived hang the ice cube by the ribbon above a doorway. Guests must guess what time the baby will drop as the ice around it melts. You will want to put a bowl or cup under the ice as it is melting. The guest with the closest time wins.

Name that candy. For this game you will need several diapers and different kinds of chocolate bars. Put one bar of chocolate in each diaper. Put the diapers in the microwave for about 30 seconds each. The guests must guess what kind of candy bar is in each diaper. They can go by look, smell, and, of course, taste. This is a messy game, but it provides some great photo opts. Again, the winner is the one with the most correct guesses.

Baby themed scratch tickets can be found in your local party store. They too can provide a lot of fun for the guests.

You will need small gifts for the winner of these games. Something as small as a baby bottle candy will do just fine, and can be found at almost any convenience store. You may want one large gift for a bigger game. An oversized baby bottle bank filled with candy makes a great grand prize. These can also be found at any party store.

When hosting a baby shower, it is important to remember that today is really all about the new mother. She should her own chair, perhaps a decorated rocking chair, to sit in while she enjoys the games and opens the presents.

Seeing as this is a party, the host should have plenty of snacks on hand. A full meal is usually not expected, as most of the guests will be having too much fun playing the games and watching as the mother to be opens gifts. A cute idea is to have all "baby" sized vegetables, such as baby carrots, and dip. This is an easy option for the host, as little preparation is needed. Another idea is to have petit fours for dessert. These small pastries are bite sized and come in many flavors. You could make them yourself, if so inclined, but your local bakery should have a decent selection as well. The main idea is to keep potions small and bite sized. As host of the baby shower, it is your job to keep the baby theme in as many areas as possible. This could even include sandwiches cut into quarters, if you are having a party in the afternoon.

Of course, you will want your guests to leave with a small gift or favor. Usually this favor is baby themed, such as a small figurine found at your local party store. You could also buy regular baby bottles and fill them with candy. This makes a particularly cute setting when placed with the large one used as the grand prize.