Baby Shower Ideas & Etiquette

Baby Showers are supposed to be a blessed and happy occasion, but often times people and circumstances can make them seem stressful. They don't have to be. If you're hosting or co-hosting a shower-so many party ideas are available on line now. You can do everything from download printable invitations to baby shower games. Plus, there are numerous sites about baby shower etiquette such as this site.
If you're a MOM-TO-BE or a mom having another baby shower always remember this is for YOU and your baby. It's tough trying to please everyone and if your shower is in the last trimester like most, you've got enough to deal with. Don't worry about pleasing everyone and you don't have to heed everyone's advice. If there is ever a time to do what you want-it's now and you can even take advantage of your condition (mood swings) to justify your behavior.

If you're a GUEST, PLEASE ONLY BUY WHAT THE MOM HAS REGISTERED FOR!! Not what you think the mom wants. It's a difficult chore to register for all that baby stuff and new parents shouldn't have to worry about returning stuff they didn't even register for in first place. EXCEPTIONS-If there is some absolutely needed item the mom left off her registry or you want her to have a basket of the little oft-forgot things-I like to call the mom and/or add something from the registry if I go that route though.

I'm helping throw a baby shower for my cousin and found these sites helpful Baby Shower Central and The Baby Shower Site. Hopefully, the mom has a baby book for the guests to sign and for a host/guest to mark the gifts and who gave them. If not, a book will be necessary-talk to the mom-to-be about the style she prefers. It's always fun to have everyone guess the baby's weight & height, the sex if it's unknown or even how long the labor will be and the time of birth. You can print out a simple spread sheet as a keepsake for the baby book and have the guests fill it out when they first arrive.
The guest list for my cousin's shower is large so I'm keeping the games simple and to a maximum of three. For any baby shower size, if games are played-I'd keep the maximum the same-but the games could be more involved with a smaller party.
I loved the guessing the Mother's waistline game at my shower and it's a good way for the large number of guests to get a little one-on-one time with the Mom-to-be. The guests cut pieces of ribbon or yarn to match their guess of the Mom's belly circumference. The person with the closest guess wins. My other favorite game is a memory game. You buy several baby necessities and place them in a basket. Show the guests the basket and the contents and then set it out of sight. The guest who remembers the most items wins. The Mom-to-be is the big winner though as the basket is great for baby items, toys or laundry and most often she'll forget to register for infant gas drops and teething gel!

Here's a list of several items to choose from for the basket memory game or for an "oft-forgot-baby-necessities-gift basket": (Moms-to-be might want to take notes)

-Basket (if one is not on the registry- a plastic laundry basket is just fine-I bought one from the dollar store)
-Baby Ora-jel (for teething)
-Infant gas drops (Mylicon brand is the best)
-Infant Tylenol (Motrin or ibuprofin products can't be used the first 6 months)
-Baby Vicks Vapor Rub
-Extra infant medicine droppers
-Baby Nasal Aspirator or "snot sucker"
-Saline drops (help to clear baby's stuffy nose)
-Diaper Cream (Boudreaux's Butt Paste worked best on my kids)
-Travel baby wipes or baby wipe refills
-Baby shampoo, wash & lotion (can't have too much of these)
-Travel size baby shampoo, wash & lotion (perfect for keeping in diaper bag)
-Travel kleenex (for mom & baby)
-Hand sanitizer (there is even a version that comes with a clip-also perfect for a diaper bag)
-Newborn & size 1 diapers (can't have too many of these-but varied sizes are good as the baby could be big and outgrow newborn diapers quickly)
-Nursing pads (thick & thin sizes if the mom will be breastfeeding)
-Lansinoh Cream (if the mom will be breastfeeding-this is the best & safest cream for cracked skin/nipples)
-Diaper Genie (or similar) refill bags (if the mom's registered for a diaper dispenser)
-Bag of clothe diapers (even if the mom's using disposable diapers-the diaper clothes make great spit-up rags, etc and you don't care about staining them like the real, aborable burp clothes or bibs)
-Gift from the registry- if you're making these items for a gift basket (a grooming kit or thermometer would fit nicely)