In this growing world of internet assessiblity, more and more friendships are being formed online. The internet has also become a popular, inexpensive way for families to stay in close contact. It’s only natural that the next step would be Internet Showers!
Planning an internet shower for your expectant friend or relative is just a little bit different from planning one in your home. For starters, no one will notice if you didn’t finish vacuuming! LOL
There are two types of showers you can plan. The first would be for a friend or relative. This shower would basically work the same as one in your home. The second would be for a group of women due in the same month or in the same time frame. In this type of shower instead of everyone sending a gift to everyone, the shower cooordinator would take everyone’s name and address and assign each present swap partners. Each person would send their gift out in time to reach the recipient before the party.
You will need to set up a chat room for everyone to meet in on the designated day. Talk City has free, easy to use chat rooms. Talk City is also webTV compatitble which can be a nice advantage if you have webTV users attending your party. Be sure to include the url and chat room name in your invitations.
Speaking of invitations, you will want to do those next. There are several sites you can send invitaions from, far to many to list. Here are a couple of my favorites.
You can still play games at an online party. Some ideas would be to play the baby item word scramble like the one found here. Another idea would be to play baby trivia games. You could ask questions such as “Which brand of diapers features Barney?” (Luvs) “What brand of baby food features a baby’s face on the label?” (Gerber) or “What brand of diapers come in a red and white bag?” (Huggies) You can make up other questions by looking at the baby items around you, or in the store.
As the online honoree opens her presents, she can describe them and everyone will get the opportunity to ooh and ahh (virtually, of course) If the honoree has a digital camera, a fun idea it to take picture of each gift and upload it to a photo hosting page as the party is going on. You can find free photo hosting on the following sites:
When planning a baby shower, you may invite as many people as you wish, depending on how much you can reasonably manage and depending on the location and how many it will accommodate. Determining just how many people are invited to the baby shower will help you with the rest of your planning, from how much food to buy to which games to play. The key is to keep the atmosphere light and intimate. The guests will want to spend time with the mother, but with proper planning and interactive baby shower games this can be pulled off even if you have a rather large number of people in attendance. If you have in excess of 25 people that have confirmed their attendance, make sure you have enlisted the help of a couple of your friends to help you pull it all together when the event takes place. It is wise to have one person in charge of greeting, taking their coats, and directing them to the baby gift table. It is fun at this point; to go ahead and have a game begin from the moment a guest arrives, such as pinning a baby pin on them, and telling them, not to say the word baby. Advise them they can take someone else’s pin if they hear them say the word baby. This starts the baby shower out on a very fun note. If possible have another person that will be in charge of offering a beverage to the guests and introducing them to other guests they might not know. During this time, you will be mingling with the guest and making sure everyone is having a good time.
Once you have determined the guest list, you can get started with the baby shower invitations. These should be sent out 4-6 weeks before the shower so that your guests have plenty of time to R.S.V.P. as well as buy a gift. The baby shower invitation wording should include all the particulars about the event, including what the theme are and gift registry information. Etiquette dictates however, at the very least, registry information should be on a separate slip of paper, not on the invitation itself. Another option regarding the registry, is to not include it at all with the invitation, but instead let guest know when they R.S.V.P. The neat thing about a registry is that for a large shower, it assures the parents-to-be are getting items they need, without getting several duplicates.
Small intimate showers can also be a lot of fun and allow for each person to spend more time with the mom-to-be. Regardless of the size of the baby shower, making it fun, welcoming each guest and making each one feel special, and having a well organized baby shower will certainly make a memorable occasion for everyone including mom-to-be.
Most showers are held in the last trimester, usually 4 to 6 weeks before the baby’s due date. Planning the baby shower too close to the due date can be risky in the event the baby comes early. On the other hand, it is fun when the mom-to-be has a large belly. Most showers occur on the weekends, but they can also happen in the afternoon or evening depending on people’s schedules. Check with the mom-to-be to see what works best for her.
Another aspect to take into consideration is the desired location of the baby shower. You will need to determine if it is available during the time you wish to hold the baby shower. Depending upon the number of guest that is invited, will of course help you decide upon the location. If it is a small group, the home of the hostess might be a good choice. For larger baby showers, consider a larger location such as a church facility, restaurant or rental location.
If you are planning on hosting a baby shower, there are no certain rules or guidelines that one needs to follow. Anything can happen at a baby shower as long as everyone enjoys it. Baby showers are a great way to congratulate the new mom and her family and shower her with lots of gifts and blessings. Typically baby showers are given to a mom who is having her first baby, or if she has had a long time between children.
Generally at the baby shower, there will be light refreshments served, games to be played, and laughter abound. Baby Shower Games are lots especially good to play if guests do not know each other well. In that case games act as a big icebreaker. Typically, three to five games are played at a baby shower, depending on how much time each baby shower game takes. Most of these can even be free baby shower games by using items from around your home. For example, you can take a roll of toilet paper with you to the party. Each guest is asked to tear off how much they need. (They do not know what the need is…which is really funny). Once everyone has how much they need…They are to try see who can got the closest amount to circle the mother-to-be’s tummy. Certain games, such as ‘caught ya saying baby’ can be ongoing and really doesn’t take up any time…other than the laughter of getting caught for instance when saying the word baby, and having your baby pin stolen. Other games might be a thought provoking game such as naming the baby, and guessing the weight and arrival. Having small gifts for the winners is another great idea…such as candles, picture frames, bath soaps, coffee mugs, etc.
During the shower, make sure mom-to-be can participate from a comfy chair. Traditionally, baby showers were “women only†celebrations but you will find that these days men are also being included and loving it! The baby shower is generally held about 4-6 weeks before or after the birth. Whether to have the shower prior to the birth of the baby, or after the arrival would be up to the parents-to-be. It is thought helpful to have the shower before the baby arrives, so that the parents are prepared with all the tiny things baby needs…and given far enough in advance, they have the opportunity to really prepare the nursery for the baby.
Often it is tempting to want to throw a surprise party, but this should be thought of very carefully. Sometimes, the mom-to-be just would prefer to be put on alert. More importantly, wouldn’t it be terrible to plan an event, only to find out the parents-to-be couldn’t not be in attendance? Think very carefully on whether a surprise party would be a good idea.
To assure a well planned and organized baby shower, perhaps try using the following pointers:
Prior to the Shower:
You should consult with the parents-to-be as to who you should invite. Often times, the parent-to-be will have more than one baby shower. The church group may give one, co-workers may give one, and perhaps you are in charge of family and close friends.
Send the invitations 4-6 weeks in advance.
Is the mother-to-be registered anywhere? If so, include this on the invitation. Likewise, if there is a special theme you can also include this on the invitation.
Prepare baby shower decorations. An awesome useful centerpiece is a diaper cake…a cake which is created using rolled diapers and held together with a beautiful ribbon and bow. Craft stores are a great source to find decorations and ideas.
If you are serving food, decide on what will be served. Contact the caterer well in advance.
During the shower activities:
Upon arrival, greet the shower guests, put the gifts on the gift table, give them a name tag and offer them a beverage.
Provide a gift table near where the mom-to-be will be seated to open them. As guests arrive, ensure their envelope or gift tag is securely attached to their gift before putting it on the table.
Introduce them to other guests.
When everyone has arrived, start with an icebreaker game to get things started.
Now is the time to serve light beverages to everyone.
If serving a meal, let the guests know when to help themselves.
While guests are enjoying their desserts, the mom can open her gifts.
Play one last game and pass out any gifts for the shower guests to gently bring the shower to a close.
As these are one-time events for many couples, try to capture every single moment on video camera. It’s also a lot of fun to have disposable camera’s sitting at each table, so that guest can feel free to pick it up and take pictures during the shower. With careful planning your shower will be a very fun and memorable event. The guest of honor is sure to feel happy and loved!
As a general rule of thumb, a baby shower can be hosted by anyone except the expectant couple themselves. This could be a close friend or group of friends, co-workers, church groups. In the past it was thought that only non-relatives should host a baby shower out of fear that it seemed the family was asking for presents. This thought should be thrown out the window, because throwing a baby shower is much more than presents.
A baby shower is a party for the pregnant mom herself. It is a time in her life where she can share one of the most important, exciting milestones in her life with her family and friends. Baby showers are a way for friends & family to share in that joy and make the mom and dad feel very special. Throwing a baby shower begins the first pages of memories that the mom can share with her child of all the preparation that was put into his/her most awaited arrival.
Therefore, it has become much more common for mothers and sisters of the expectant parents to throw the shower. The most important thing is that someone takes the honor of hosting the shower and sharing with the family. And what an honor it is to be a part of the celebration for the new bundle of joy!
if you have any questions or comments!