Friday, November 25, 2011

Baby Shower Game Ideas: Planning

There are several factors to consider when planning baby shower game ideas. Use your judgment to make sure that you create an enjoyable experience for all of your guests.

Length of the Baby Shower Game
There is a limited amount of time at a baby shower to get everything done. If you are renting a space or having it at a restaurant, this is especially true since they will typically charge you by the hour for the room space. You need to plan time for guests to mingle, food, and gift opening in addition to any games you plan. If you know that you are going to be short on time, opt for a game that can be played throughout the shower like baby word scrambles or one that can be done during the gift giving like baby gift bingo.

The Guest List
If many of the guests on the list do not know each other, stay away from games that could be considered embarrassing or that make people interact heavily with people they don’t know. If you have a group of good friends that know each other well, you have a wider selection of games to choose from. Know who is on your guest list before you plan baby shower game ideas and make it a point to understand how well everyone on the guest list knows each other.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thank Yous for Baby Showers

Some people say that thank yous for baby showers are not necessary. As a matter of courtesy, it is important for the mom-to-be to send thank you cards to everyone who attended her baby shower. There are very few cases where this nicety is not necessary.

Ways to Make It Easier
Have the thank you envelopes at the baby shower and ask guest to write their address on the envelopes. This will help eliminate the need to try to hunt down addresses later. Ask someone at the shower to help the mom-to-be by writing down who gave each gift. You can do this with just a pen and pad of paper or you can write in the cards what that person gave. Having a list of the names of the guests will make it easier for the person writing.

When It Is Not Necessary
If the mother-to-be is in the hospital because of pregnancy complications and the shower is being held there, thanking the guests at the shower is appropriate and guests should understand if they do not get a thank you card. If the shower is just a small intimate gathering of family and friends, a verbal thank you at the shower or one over email is fine. It is still nice to send a card but these are all people that know the mom-to-be well and talk to her frequently.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Baby Shower Cake Ideas for Boys

If you know that the mom-to-be is having a boy, having a boy-based theme makes for fun and easy shower planning. But finding unique baby shower cake ideas for boys can be more challenging.

Using Blue Creatively
While blue is typically a color used on most boy-based baby shower cakes, you can use the color creatively to make your cake stand out. Trying using different shades of blue frosting on the cake: a light blue for base color of the cake, navy blue for the lettering, and varying shades of blue for whatever design you put on it. If you prefer a cake topper to a design, be sure to get something that is mostly blue like blue baby shoes or a blue rattle.

Make the Cake Blue

To add a fun surprise to the cake, try making the cake itself blue. Either make a white cake or buy a white cake mix and add blue paste food coloring to the batter before baking. To make the blue cake a surprise, frost it with white frosting and decorate it. If you are looking for a dark blue color, add a touch of violet food paste coloring as well. If you use regular liquid food coloring, the cake will likely turn out to be more of a greenish-blue color.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Easy Themes for Baby Showers

There are as many themes for baby showers out there as there are mothers-to-be. If you’re crunched for time or simply need an easy theme that won’t take too long to put together, here are some simple ones that you can get done in no time at all.

Girl or Boy Theme
One of the most common and most popular is to simply have a theme based around the gender of the baby. If the parents-to-be know what the sex of the baby is going to be, it can be fun and easy to make a pink or blue based theme. There are plenty of decorations and invitations you can choose from based on this theme. It can also make it easier for the guests to pick out a present since many items are boy or girl based.

Animal Based Themes
Monkey, rubber ducky, and teddy bears are all fun animal based themes that can work for any shower. You should be able to find invitations and decorations for any of these themes although you might need to look in the kids birthday section of your local party supply store. Any of these can also be customized for a boy or girl with a few touches of pink or blue.

Season Based Themes
A baby shower theme based around the season that the baby is born in makes for simple planning and preparation. It is simple enough to find fall decorations and cards almost anywhere at this time of year. Autumn leaves, pumpkins, and apples would all make simple decorations and can be made into more of a baby theme by adding baby items like pacifiers, rattles, and bottles.