Need help pleeeeease....!

So I've volunteered to host a baby shower for my friend. She's from Iceland, and has no family support here, and she's a really good friend. Her 5 yr old son and my 5 yr old dd are like best friends. She's due in May, but does not know the baby's gender yet.

The thing is though I've got 2 kids of my own, I've never had, or been to a baby shower, so I'm not totally sure what to do.

I've looked on the internet and found a few ideas, but would love to hear from you guys about what works best. I'm definitely doing a diaper cake, but still need ideas for finger foods and games.

Pleeeeease help me out here - I really want it to be a success. Oh, we're expecting about 10 ladies to attend.

There were two things from my shower that I loved and would use for others. One, ask people to bring books or a package of diapers sz2 and up instead of a card. Two, rather than buying paper cups, plates, and such to candy and such use sippy cups or bottles with baby spoons that she can use later.:thumbup:

we're planning a baby shower for my cousin's girlfriend...i'm going to attempt the diaper cake and a candy bouquet (luann posted the instructions on her blog...they are too darn cute)...

we're going to play a few games (not quite sure how many)...here are a few that i know of...use yarn or ribbon to guess the size of the mommy's belly...the clothespin game where you can't cross anything on your body (legs, arms) if someone catches you they get your clothes pin, whoever has the most clothespins wins...fill a baby bottle up with jelly beans or skittles and everyone will guess the number of whatever is in the bottle whoever comes the closest wins...make a list of baby animals and everyone has to guess the animal...a word scramble with words associated with a baby...

i'm trying to come up with an idea for favors...something quick and easy...

We usually eat first and while we are eating we go around and introduce ourselves and everyone gives the mother-to-be some sort of advice/tip (have someone write them down as this happens so she can refer to them later), then play a few games (tons listed on the net) and then open up gifts.

I agree with having them bring a board book instead of a card! I loved that at mine. The other thing someone did for mine was (at that time I was a paper scrapper) they made up a scrap page with room for a picture, then on the other page they left room for everyone to sign their names. It was really neat.

2 other friends and myself are currently planning a baby shower...for a friend..who finally has gotten pregnant and we're sooo thrilled! Lets see we are making diaper cakes...each in a different size diaper and using those plus baloons as party decoration. Finger foods...lets see...i'm donig turkey and tuna sandwiches...a soup...several kinds of salsa, tortilla chips...cake of course...several games..the say baby game...the whats in the diaper game...and there is one more...but I forgot honestly what it is. Lets see we have a piggy bank we're passing around for everyone to empty they're change into or loose bills...that way they can maybe have a little saving for emergancy diapers or something...the cards for the presents will be books signed by the person giving the present. lol its almost 1 in the morning my brain is sleepy lol...but that's about the general details...i can think of..Oh and we're doing a paper scprabook of advice each person wants to give or a special memory thats another one i forgot

With only about a dozen people there, why not make it simple on yourself?

Maybe have a game to start, eat and then open gifts? The "bring a book" as your card is a wonderful way to get some books for the baby.

Many showers these days just don't do the games like they used to. and believe me, it's wonderful. The last 3 I've been to have had minimal games. Maybe make it more into a luncheon/tea. 2-3 hours and we were out of there.

as far as eating and drinking from baby bottles and spoons, um, I don't think grown women would go for that and as the Mom to be, I don't think I'd really want to use them after they've been used by someone. call me strange LOL

wildblueeyez said:

as far as eating and drinking from baby bottles and spoons, um, I don't think grown women would go for that and as the Mom to be, I don't think I'd really want to use them after they've been used by someone. call me strange LOL

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LOL, no you don't drink from them :blink:... I didn't expalin that very well. You use them for candy, nuts ect. the dry finger foods you would pu out in a bowl

I made about 50 of these necklaces for a babyshower I co-hosted. They are sooo cute, made with white lifesavers and jellybellies.

Lifesaver Pacifiers

Everyone got a necklace, and they weren't allowed to say the word "baby" (I think we had a few other words they weren't allowed to say either). If anyone caught you saying the word "Baby", they got your necklace. The person wearing the most at the end got a gift.

The most fun shower I went to, someone brought stuff to do hot-wax manicures and a girl who works as a massage therapist gave hand a foot massages and gave a manicure and pedicure to the mom to be, and other guests too. SO fun!

Offer to write down gifts and who they came from for the mom to be, so she can just enjoy opening them, and that will make thankyou cards so much easier!

One really fun game I've played at baby showers is to put common baby items (bottle, paci, bib, spoon, diaper) into brown paper bags and staple them shut. The guests then pass them around and try to guess what's in the bags just by feel. Some things are really easy, and some things are hard.

The other thing that's been a staple at almost every shower I've been to is the dirty diaper game. Each person gets a diaper when they enter that's folded/pinned as if it's on a baby. You can use cloth or disposable, and with cloth, the clean ones can be reused. Everytime someone says the word "Baby," everyone passes the diapers around the room. At the end of the party everyone opens their diapers, and the one with the mustard in it is the winner of the dirty diaper game.

If that grosses you out, you can substitute the diapers with envelopes and the winning envelope has a photo of a baby in it.

Whenever I've hosted a baby shower in the past, we always buy the mom-to-be a baby book, and use either the back or front cover as the guestbook. Some books come with a page just for this, and even have a space for people to write advice.

Yay, these are great ideas! Thanks so much you guys!:thumbup:

Another dirty diaper game (I've never heard of the other one-- that's fun!) is to melt different candy bars into a diaper- one candy per diaper. Number the diapers. Everyone is supposed to pass the diapers around & sniff, taste, touch, whatever, to identify the candy bar. I use an answer sheet to have them write the candy bar names to the corresponding numbers on the diapers.

I've also given three clothespins to each person as they come in. Then I explain that they cannot say the word baby. If they do, and they are caught, whoever catches them gets one clothespin. Whoever has the most clothespins at the end, wins.

Also for decorations-- use baby food jars with tealights, bottles for vases, hang a "clothesline" across the serving table or in the room somewhere and hang onesies, socks, burp rags, etc. Then give the items to the mom-to-be.

I held a baby shower in November. We had apples & caramel dip, turtle cheesecake, and a cheeseball & crackers. I've also served a baby theme- baby croissants w/chicken salad, baby spinach salad, baby carrots, etc.

You could also have each guest write a piece of advice for the new mom and put them together in an album or scrapbook.

I'm another that doesn't like games...it just seem to rushed and smahed together!!! Here are some things I liked about my baby shower and ones I've been too.

1. Have a stack of envelopes at each table and each guest can pre-address the thank you note for the mom to be

2. Gift bingo (the only game I approve of): pass out blank bingo card to all guests, instruct them to fill in the card with "common" gifts given at baby showers. As the mom to be opens all her gifts the guest "mark" their cards and can call BINGO when they get matches.

3. Another gift giving "game": as the mom to be is opening presents set a timer for 5 minute intervals (fewer or more depending on the number of guests) when the timer goes off the person's gift the mom is opening gets a gift!!

4. Although I like the ides of bring a book or pack of diapers I would not ask a guest to bring that AND a gift!!! Most books now adays can run anywhere from $10 to $20 dollars...and most diapers run anywhere from $6 to $18 dollars....to me that's alot to spend ON TOP of a gift. If I got an invitations that stated to bring a book instead of a card I'd definitly deduct the $$ from my gift....so if I had planed to spend $30 on a gift and I bougt a $10 dollar book...well I'd only spend $20 dollars on the gift....ect. You'll also find that some people might concider "that" (the book/diaper) their gift and not even bring one!!! Plus I think it's kind of rude to tell people to bring essentially "two gifts".....but that's just me!!