Posts Tagged ‘New Mother’

Fun and Economical Baby Shower Games

Are you planning a baby shower?  Are you trying to figure out what to do?  If so, here are a few fun baby shower game ideas for you.

The key to great baby shower games is to be short and fun.  The games will serve as ice breakers if the guests do not know each other, and the themes should always be babies.  For a typical baby shower in which no full meals are served, expect to be able to play two or three games.

Icebreaker Games

These games will get your guests interacting.  

Who Am I, the Baby Version – In this game, players are each given a piece of paper with the name of a famous person on it.  They do not look at the name, but tape it to their forehead.  They then must figure out who they are by the reactions of the other guests.  In the baby version, consider using only famous celebrity mothers, or perhaps cartoon characters.  Be creative!

Who Is That Baby? – Before the party, have guests send you photos of themselves as a baby.  Have each guest try to match the baby picture with the correct adult.  The person with the most matches wins.

Don’t Say It – When guests arrive, give them each a pacifier on a ribbon which they can wear over their neck.  Instruct them that they are not allowed to say “baby” during the party.  If another guest catches them at it, the can take their pacifier.  At the end of the party, the guest with the most pacifiers wins.

Word Games

Baby Boggle – Come up with a fun sentence about the baby and the mother-to-be.  See how many baby related words guests can make in three minutes from the letters.  Everyone reads their list, crossing off duplicates, and the person with the most remaining wins.  Use a phrase such as “So there’s going to be a new [parents' last name] in the world!”

Advice Poem – Have someone write down a short piece of advice to the new mother.  Then have the next person write down a line to create a poem about advice they have for the new mom.  Continue with each guest adding a line, but each time, fold the paper so that the only line visible is the last one that was written.  At the end, have someone read the finished poem.  It is sure to contain lots of good advice in quite a funny way.  This can also be done with guests writing a poem about the mother-to-be.  This is especially good at a “Pamper Mommy” themed party.

Time Capsule – Have each guest write a short note to the baby.  Seal the notes in a plastic bag and place them in a box for the mother-to-be, telling her she can open them with her child on his or her fifteenth birthday.

Games with Gifts

Assuming everyone is bringing a gift, you can easily create a game around them.

Baby Box – Ask every guest to bring a small item such as a rattle or a pacifier.  As they arrive, place the items in a box which has a small hole cut in the side.  After all the guests have arrived, give each person 20 seconds to touch as many items as they can (no peeking!), then have them write down what they felt.  The person with the most correct wins.

Active Games

These games will get the guests up off the couch.

Diaper Tower – Have guests stack as many diapers as they can without the tower falling over.  Of course, the mother-to-be gets to keep the diapers!

Tree Planting – Have guests help plant a tree in honor of the baby.  This is especially nice if the mother-to-be recently moved into a new home.  (Of course, get her input on the type of tree she would like.)

Dirty Diapers – Buy ten different chocolate candy bars (Snickers, Hershey’s, etc.).  Melt the bars and put each into a separate diaper.  Hang diapers along a clothesline before the guest arrive.  Give each guest a piece of paper and have them smell all the diapers (take lots of pictures!).  The winner is the guest who correctly identifies each candy bar.

Other Games

Are You Hungry? – Before dessert is served, bring in a tray of various baby foods, with the labels removed.  Number each bottle and have the guests look at each (no tasting or smelling!) and write down what they think it contains.  The winner is the person who identifies the most correct foods.

Pacifier Pass – Have everyone put a pen or pencil (or chopstick) in their mouth.  Place a pacifier on the end of one of the pencils.  Guests must pass the pacifier around the circle without using their hands.  If a guest drops the pacifier, they are out.  The winner is the last person still in the circle.

Bottle Race – Time guests drinking juice from a bottle – the fastest time wins!  This is best done as a race, with white grape juice or something else that won’t stain.  And once again, the mother-to-be keeps the bottles.

Gifts for the Winners

Gifts for the winners of the baby shower games can vary, but something inexpensive like shower gel or coffee will do nicely.  Or guests can rack up points for each game they play (100 to the winner, 90 to second place, etc.) and at the end of the night the grand prize winner can take home something a little nicer, such as a restaurant gift certificate or bottle of wine.

While you can buy baby shower games from most party stores, the games that are the most fun are those you create with the mother-to-be specifically in mind.  A new mother will also appreciate it if any of the games result in baby items she can keep, and the guests will love a door prize.  One way to get something every mother needs: tell guests that there is going to be a raffle, and the cost of entry is a pack of diapers.  They can enter as many times as they would like.  Then either buy or make a gift basket.  For instance, the prize could be a bottle of wine, pasta, sauce, parmesan cheese, and some yummy cookies in a basket.  It could also be a gift certificate to a restaurant or spa.  This will keep the new mother in diapers for quite awhile!

Baby Showers for New Mom-to-be Baby Shower Party Invitations Cards

Baby Showers for New Mom-to-Be Baby Shower Party Invitations Cards!

Baby showers are a great way to celebrate and have been around a while, but they are not as old a tradition as you might think. Learning the history and some customs related to infant showers can be a fun and interesting way to prepare for one of these special events.

Early Showers for Baby

No one really knows how long the idea of giving gifts to a new mother and her baby has been around. Some evidence suggests Egyptian and Roman women often did this for their female friends and relatives who had just given birth. It makes sense because birth showers also instill a sense of community in which everyone celebrates the new arrival to that area. Today, that feeling wouldn’t be practical – no one could buy gifts for the hundreds of babies born each year in their cities.

For people in the United States, babyshowers had been practiced for a long time but mostly among people with higher incomes. Those infant showers were usually held in conjunction with the baby’s baptism and involved giving gifts to the newborn. Then women were the only ones who participated in baby shower party games not only because raising children was considered their sole domain but also because the new mother and her baby had to remain in seclusion for roughly a month. She needed those guests from her baby shower invites to keep her company. Even with the more well off families, personalized baby shower invitations were only given for the first born child in a family. That’s because the gifts received were intended to be passed down for any future children.

The Baby Showers of Today

Things are a bit different with modern printed baby shower cards. After World War II, the United States saw a huge growth in population, usually referred to as the Baby Boom. At the same time, families were more financially successful than ever before and were celebrating an impressive living standard. This also caused many of the middle class and lower class families to adopt the customs of the more wealthy, including the practice of throwing these events.

One of the big differences between the babies shower, however, is that most of the ones held today are done before the birth of the baby. A cynical person might assume that makes it easier to get more gifts since presents are often brought to the baby after birth and at the baptism or christening. Others might argue that it makes sense so the mother-to-be can get her home ready for the new baby and pick up any items she doesn’t receive as gifts.

Another difference is that our baby shower announcements are sent to almost anyone. Today’s baby showers, http://www.express-invitations.com/baby-shower-invitations/baby-showers.php can include men, children and almost anyone the mother-to-be and the host of the party want to invite. There are many different types and purposes including couples, co-ed, sprinkle, surprise, adoption, welcome home and more. That’s a big change because it means people have recognized that raising babies is a family affair.

Origin Baby Shower, Baby Shower Invitations, Baby Shower Party Celebrations

Origin of Baby Showers, Shower Invitations for Baby Shower Party Celebrations

If you’re preparing some Shower Invitations, you may have stopped for a moment to wonder how the entire tradition of hosting these events even began. After all, they seem so commonplace today that it’s hard to imagine a time without original Baby Shower Invitations. However, if you’re interested in learning about the Baby Shower Party then now is the right time to learn a little history.

The Early History of the Baby Shower Party

The Origin of Baby Showers probably took place thousands of years ago in one of the earliest human civilizations, such as Egypt or Rome. Some historians believe they have found evidence that suggest women practiced similar types of events to what we call baby showers today. However, these events were less about celebrating and more about helping the new mother prepare for her baby.

Generally, you wouldn’t throw one of these events until after the baby was already born. That was probably a good idea since ultrasound machines hadn’t been predicted and the sex of the baby would be unknown until after birth. Plus, many newborns didn’t live for very long in these early civilizations so there was no point celebrating until it was clear the new parents had something to celebrate.

How Baby Showers Got Started in Modern Times

Even in more recent times, the baby was rarely celebrated immediately. During the 19th century, for example, new mothers and their babies would be secluded from the rest of society for about a month. Then they would make a stunning debut with a party (their equivalent of baby showers) and usually another major event, such as a christening or baptism.

The seclusion and debut tradition continued throughout Victorian times. However, some women began to also have tea parties for women who were expecting. During these women-only get-togethers, the women could talk about their relationships before the baby arrived. They might also be able to share some helpful advice on being a mom. In fact, these women were sometimes also allowed to visit the new mother and her child during their secluded period. These visits would be accompanied by gifts and plenty of conversation to keep the mother occupied. Most of these traditions have now been incorporated into today’s Baby Shower Invitations. However, the real changes didn’t begin until the 1900′s.

Baby Shower Planning after World War II

Many parts of American life changed dramatically after World War II. Because more money was being made, people were able to buy more things and they could live in ways their earlier generations had never dreamed of. Baby showers became a part of these changes. In fact, the origin of baby showers modern came because people wanted to show off their newfound prosperity with any excuse for a great party and what better excuse was there then a new baby.

What began as a practical event which allowed new mothers to receive what she needed for her new baby eventually became a huge celebration with Baby Shower Games, food, entertainment, Baby Shower Diaper Cakes and lots of gifts for the mother and the baby. We’ve clearly come a long way from the original baby shower.

Baby Shower Types

As you begin planning your shower party, you will want to review the Purpose of Baby Showers, and try and select the most fun Games Baby Shower. To plan for the big event, you will need to decide from among the various types of baby showers you want to host. Surprise Baby Showers are one of the more popular, but only if the circumstances are right. For new moms who have already given birth to another child, third or other baby born, Sprinkle Baby Showers are really popular, and if you are having the event after the baby is born, you might try the Welcome Home Baby Showers. And, for both sexes, you will want to have Co-ed Baby Showers or Couples Baby Showers.

Once you’ve chosen invitations that match the theme, you’ll need to get those Baby Invitations in the mail and manage the RSVP responses. If it sounds like a lot of work, just remember the big reward of baby shower planning is the happy face of the mom-to-be during the event.

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