How to organise the perfect baby shower?

by Becca Smith • @beccasmith_tomlins

Baby Showers are becoming more and more common over here in the UK – adopted from our friends in the USA, the event for the mum-to-be is a rite of passage now. There’s so many different options to choose when planning a baby shower, so here’s the lowdown of the rights and wrongs of babyshowers….

DADS

My husband was very happy not to be invited to the shower but some men would love to feel included. So always ask the dad – he may want to bring some friends along too.

GIFTS

Every baby shower must have gifts. BUT, don’t go too OTT! Remember that you will be getting A LOT of gifts once baby is here. Try and hint to your friends, or to that special friend or family member who is organising it for you that you either want something specific or something that is theme-related.

BABY BOOKS

At my baby shower my sister organised everyone to buy the baby their favourite children’s book. This was SO lovely as it was a fun activity at the shower and everyone loved finding books they loved as children. My son had an immediate library which we continue to love and add to. I’d recommend this as it’s a relatively cheap way to do gifts – which guests will thank you for!

WISHLISTS

If you want to send over hints to your organiser then collate a wishlist. Here at moKee you can add all of the items you love and create a list of your favourite products. This stops you getting any unwanted items. You could include some of moKee’s fun accessories – the playmat is an ideal gift for any mum-to-be. You could also include larger items such as moKee’s Moses baskets – they’d be a great joint present from your friends and family.

GAMES

Games are essential at any baby shower but the main one to remember is guessing the birth weight! This is super fun and if you want to add some high stakes you could all put in some money and bet! You can also bet for the birthday and whether it’s a boy or a girl.

Another fun game is to guess how big the bump is! Grab a piece of string and make everyone take turns in wrapping it around your waist and they then have to guess the measurement. This can be really funny with people guessing crazy though some people can be spot on!

Why don’t you get your guests to bring a photo of them as a baby and you, as the mum-to-be, has to guess who is who – a great ice breaker for your guests as they might not all know each other.

A fun game to get people moving is the nappy change race! Split yourselves into teams and see which team wins – everyone must change a baby doll’s nappy. The fastest wins!

GET CREATIVE!

A fun game is to get your friends and family to design their own baby grows! Buy everyone a plain white baby grow and get paints and pens that can be used on material and that will won’t wash off. I did this at one of my friend’s baby showers and it was a lovely activity that got everyone talking and she went home with 20 baby grows- which are always useful!

WISHES FOR BABY

Once the games have stopped you can get your guests to focus on your impending arrival and get them to write down wishes for your baby. It’s lovely to read this out to your baby once they are here and to go back and read them.

If you are planning a baby shower, please share with us @wearemokee – we’d love to see the fun you have!