The period of waiting for the baby is shrouded in pleasant excitement and anticipation of the long-awaited meeting. To give the expectant mother even more positive emotions, they organize an original and fun holiday - Baby shower. It is unique in that it is organized in honor of a baby who is just planning to be born, as well as in honor of a pregnant woman. The holiday is just gaining popularity in Russia, so it will be interesting to know how to organize it, what design to choose, what is appropriate to give as a gift.
Baby shower: translation into Russian
The Baby shower holiday has foreign roots. The literal translation into Russian is “baby shower.” This name for the celebration can be called strange, to say the least. But you don't have to take everything literally. This translation can be interpreted as “throwing gifts for the baby”, “showering gifts”.
In this understanding, the name is ideal for this holiday: guests bring gifts to the expectant mother and baby, say pleasant words and instructions. The effect of surprise is important. Usually the holiday is prepared in secret from the pregnant woman in order to surprise her. But modern women often take charge of the organization in order to take into account all the nuances and ensure that the celebration goes the way they want. This is important during pregnancy and when you are about to meet your baby. I want everything to be perfect during this period. This is possible if you adhere to a certain plan of action.
Secretly or openly
You can prepare a Baby Shower in two ways: secretly and openly. The secret method assumes that you will not tell the pregnant woman about your intentions for the holiday. You will need to come up with a reason for the pregnant woman to come to her Baby Shower. For example, let one of your friends, in whose house the party will be held, invite the expectant mother to visit her so that she does not suspect anything about the holiday and gifts for her. When the hero of the occasion comes to “visit”, the friends who had gathered in advance can greet her standing with the words: “surprise!” It is very interesting to see how pleasantly surprised pregnant women are when they attend a secretly planned Baby Shower. In this case, you need to warn everyone invited to the party so that they do not accidentally reveal your secret to the expectant mother. Everyone prepares gifts for the Baby Shower, agrees on the location of the holiday, the host draws up a program, and all this is done secretly from the pregnant woman in order to make a pleasant surprise for her friend. If you don’t see the need for classification, it will be easier for you, because... in this case, you won’t have to invent a reason to invite the hero of the occasion to her holiday. Also, you won’t have to worry about the fact that one of your friends suddenly, unable to restrain yourself, will let the expectant mother know about the event being prepared for her.
Baby Shower Party History
The history of the Baby Shower party dates back to the times of Ancient Egypt. Then the tradition began to pay tribute to the unborn baby and his mother. That version of the holiday was in no way reminiscent of the modern version of the celebration.
In a more familiar form, Baby showers began to be held at the end of the 19th century. At that time, it was considered bad manners for a pregnant woman to attend noisy parties and meetings. Therefore, the holiday was held after the birth of the child. As now, it was customary to give gifts to a newborn and a woman, to bring baked goods and various goodies.
After the Second World War, the traditions of the celebration became more loyal. Now it was held almost before the birth and the holiday became the progenitor of the modern party. An impressive company gathered there. The more fun the party was, the better.
A modern holiday is also held in the last months of pregnancy, many friends are invited. Particular attention is paid to the decoration of the hall, refreshments, and competitions. A certain amount of intrigue is also possible: the sex of the child is often announced at such parties.
The history of the Baby Shower party does not stand still. New nuances appear that make this holiday even more beautiful.
The more original the better!
Often a Baby Shower is organized as a themed party. Of course, a party in the gangster style of Chicago of the 20s of the last century is not quite a suitable option for a Baby Shower, but an imitation of the Oscar ceremony or the laying of a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame will not surprise anyone - such Baby Showers are held all the time.
Confetti in the shape of stars is showered on the guests of the evening, dressed in gold and silver clothes. Instead of famous names on the “slabs” you can find the names of future parents and their relatives. One of the main decorative elements are stars of different sizes. Options that are easier to implement are also popular - for example, the theme is plush toys - they decorate the room with them, and they are also presented as a gift.
Another popular topic is “around the clock”. Here the invitees can get creative, coming up with what items the baby might need in the morning, afternoon and evening. “The Pea Festival” is a popular theme in families expecting the birth of two or more babies. Bean-shaped balloons are hung everywhere, and green bath towels are tied at the ends to create pods filled with toys and gifts, carefully wrapped in green paper...
Child's Day: How it's celebrated in the USA
The holiday of the unborn child is very popular in the USA. It is also actively organized in Europe.
They begin to prepare the party when the woman is 7 to 9 months pregnant. A pregnant woman should feel good because she will have to lead an active lifestyle, listening to congratulations and participating in competitions. If there is a threat to the health of the baby or his mother, then you should postpone the party or cancel it altogether. After all, excessive positive emotions can be just as harmful as negative ones.
A baby shower is usually held at the home of one of the pregnant friends. Recently, the option of celebrating in a restaurant or cafe has been chosen. For the expectant mother, the party should be a surprise.
Who is invited to the holiday? All friends, regardless of whether they have children or not. In the classic version of the celebration, the environment should be exclusively female. But now men are also invited to the Baby Shower.
It happens that you cannot do without the help of a pregnant woman when organizing. This is especially true when a woman wants to reveal the gender of her child. Then the room is decorated in a certain color. You can also prepare a surprise for the future father in the form of sealed boxes. When he opens them, blue or pink balloons will tell him the answer to his exciting question.
The room must be beautifully decorated. Personalized garlands, balls, and toys may be used. The woman is seated in a comfortable place so that she can comfortably receive congratulations.
Separately, you need to think through the menu for the holiday. Usually they resort to a buffet: they prepare fruit slices, light snacks, and sweets.
A themed cake will complement the atmosphere of the celebration.
An entertainment program should also be thought out: competitions, games, quizzes. Mothers with experience can share their stories of motherhood, recommend useful products and other necessary things.
Traditionally, such a holiday is held before the birth of the first child, but few people pay attention to this nuance.
Treats for guests
Baby Shower is not a reason for long feasts with multi-course treats. Therefore, at the holiday there are enough light snacks that can be diluted with delicious desserts. In order not to rack your brains and think about what treats to surprise your guests with, you can invite catering: professionals will take care not only of the set of dishes, but also of their original presentation.
By the way! Many pregnant women develop their own culinary preferences. If you know that the expectant mother has a special love for a certain dish or product, try to include them in the list of treats.
You can also order a stylized candy bar for your party with cupcakes, macaroons, gingerbread and fruit skewers.
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Baby shower hall decoration
Decor is of great importance for holding a baby shower. The decoration of the room at a Baby shower should be appropriate, using themed accessories, photographs, children's goods and toys.
Before you think about what decorations to buy, you should decide where the event will be held. If the room is small, then you need to choose a minimum of accessories, but they all must be “on point.”
If the hall is large, then you can resort to massive decor (balloon structures, hanging garlands, etc.).
If the party will be held in a cafe, then you need to take into account the “native” decor of the room and successfully combine it with the theme of the party.
The choice of style is another important point when decorating a room. Of course, you can resort to the classics and choose a cute “Waiting for a Baby” theme. Or you can come up with something more interesting. The following directions are popular:
- cartoons;
- sweets;
- "boy or girl";
- costume party;
- “waiting for a super hero”, etc.
You need to start decorating a room from the front door. Balloons are suitable for this. There should be a table nearby on which you can put gifts. An original solution is to place a book of wishes nearby. In it, anyone can leave a written congratulation to the parents and the future newborn. To do this, you can buy a simple notebook with suitable decor or order the scrapbooking style option.
Walls are the perfect palette for ideas. You can decorate them with:
- garlands, personalized banners, flags;
- photographs of the baby's parents as children;
- pull up a clothesline and hang cute baby clothes.
One of the most important points is the decoration of the table with treats. You can choose from two directions:
- Decorate the table in the chosen theme, but in an “adult” way;
- Select the “children’s” design option.
The latter option means that drinks, for example, can be served in baby bottles, each guest is given a bib, and food is placed in baby food jars.
Often the table with treats is also decorated with balloons, paper flags, and flowers.
Food can be varied, but it is best to give preference to light food: fruits, canapés, sweets.
The usual cake can be replaced with a “healthy” one made from diapers. This decision will not only surprise others, but will come in very handy in the first days of the baby’s life.
The pregnant woman’s chair also needs to be beautifully decorated. The main thing is that it should be comfortable. You can attach balls to the back, and wrap the railings with ribbons or serpentine. You can also attach a funny inscription to the back of the chair, for example, “I’m in charge here.”
Practical fun
Healthy Baby Shower - what does it mean? It is understood that the organizer will plan such entertainment for the guests, as a result of which the guests will personally make a practical and necessary thing for the little one. The simplest version of this task is the invention of a unique design for children's clothing. In advance, purchase several white or light-colored T-shirts and bodysuits, as well as several pieces of cardboard that can be placed under the fabric for greater convenience. Buy special textile paints, making sure they are non-toxic and suitable for decorating children's clothing. Place things on the tables and invite guests to take turns approaching each T-shirt and adding paints with some pattern or detail of the design on their own. Instead of clothes, you can decorate a crib sheet in a similar way - or replace the drawings with written messages. It would be a good idea to prepare things of different sizes in advance - this way good wishes and funny images will remain with the child for several years to come.
Baby shower decoration
Decorating a Baby shower involves not only decorating the hall, but also many other important details.
First you need to think about the invitations. These should be sent to each guest indicating the location and time of the party. The theme of the invitations must exactly match the theme of the holiday.
Then you should start decorating the venue for the event. It is best to divide it into separate zones: one will contain gifts, another will be a place for competitions and dances, a third will be a place to relax, etc.
It is important to start designing competitions and games. From the beginning you need to figure out what kind of entertainment to choose so that everyone has fun. Then - select everything necessary for holding competitions. Don't forget about the prizes for the winners.
All preparations can be done with your own hands. If desired, all the burdens of decoration will be taken on by a trained person - a decorator. He will be able to realize all your ideas and desires. This is especially useful when you need to do everything in a short time.
Where to begin
If your friend is expecting a baby, ask her about her expected due date. It is best to organize a “Baby Shower” a month before the baby is born, and if the pregnant woman has health problems, then it is better to organize the party 1.5-2 months before the birth. In this case, firstly, you will not be late with the date of the event, and, secondly, it will be physically easier for the expectant mother to respond to your invitation a few weeks before giving birth rather than a few days. After consulting with friends, the organizers set the date, time and location of the holiday. Then the pregnant woman herself is invited to attend. If necessary, the date, time and place are adjusted taking into account the wishes of the expectant mother.
Baby shower script
A Baby Shower party can be led by an experienced host or have “self-government” in the form of one of the pregnant girlfriends. In any case, a holiday script will be needed. It should include a welcoming speech, competitions, games and viewing of gifts.
Host (friend):
"Dear guests! Today we have gathered not just to eat delicious cupcakes, but to congratulate our friend Yana on an important event - the upcoming birth and the birth of a long-awaited baby. I would like to note that this may be our last party, which will not be repeated for the next 3 to 5 years. Therefore, I invite everyone to have fun from the heart.”
Guests take snacks, approach the pregnant woman and congratulate her.
Then the host offers to have a little fun and play:
“As we all see, Yana has become the owner of an ideal waist. Who can guess how many centimeters she is now? But you don’t need to say numbers, you need to take toilet paper and measure out as much as you think is necessary. The one who is closest to the truth will receive a prize."
After an active competition, you can offer to play a quiz. Questions can be varied:
- who the future baby will be according to the horoscope;
- when his parents met;
- when was the first ultrasound done, etc.
Leading:
“Now let's see who is the fastest. I need three willing people. On the table in front of you are three juices with a straw. You need to drink it as quickly as possible. Go!"
Now it's time for a quiet competition. You can invite girls who have already become mothers to share their stories of how they found out that they were pregnant. This is a very touching moment, so it can move you to tears.
For active recreation, the presenter suggests again choosing those who want to and again organizing a speed competition. But this time the winner will be the one who dresses the baby doll the fastest.
After this the presenter says:
“And now I invite everyone to feel like predictors. On the table you see sheets of paper and a pen. You need to take turns and write on the sheet the date of birth of the baby. We put all the answers in a box and analyze them after the birth. Someone will receive psychic status in our company.”
Leading:
“Has everyone managed to write their prophecies? Then let's go to the center of the room and ask our pregnant woman to perform an important procedure - throw a pacifier to her friends. Let’s see who should take over the “pregnant” baton next.”
After this, the guests sit next to their friend and open gifts, enjoying conversation and pleasant company.
Where to celebrate?
Before you calculate the final number of guests, think about where you would like to host the party. Ideally, this should be a good friend's house or a specially commissioned space. It is unfair to organize a celebration in the house of the expectant mother: she will once again worry about the condition of the apartment before the guests arrive, and after the end of the holiday she will have to clean up the mess. If, on the contrary, it is more convenient for a pregnant woman to host friends, the organizer should make sure that after most of the guests have left, several friends remain to help the hero of the occasion with cleaning and washing the dishes.
Baby shower games
Games at the Baby Shower, like competitions, should be varied. Games of erudition and ingenuity are often popular.
erudition game
Each participant receives a list of words in which the letters are scattered. For example, it is written not “crumb”, but “hakro”. Each word should be in a “pregnant” topic. Whoever quickly gives the words a normal appearance wins.
like animals?
This game will also make you flex your brains. Each participant takes a piece of paper and a pen in his hand and listens to the presenter. The last one names the animal, and the rest must guess how many months it bears its cub. Then the answers are checked and whoever has the most correct answers (or at least close to it) wins.
game “Hold it - pass it on to someone else”
The rules of this game are familiar to everyone without exception: you need to pass on a child’s item while the music is playing. When the music stops, the one who did not manage to get rid of it is out of the game.
Present
Gifts are what a baby shower is for. Friends give the expectant mother various things that will be useful to her during motherhood. These could be children's toys, clothes for a baby, a stroller, a cradle, and all sorts of accessories. Guests can buy gifts at their discretion, but it would be better to make a list of things that the pregnant woman has not yet had time to buy. Then everyone will be able to choose what they want to give to the expectant mother. Guests can write their names on the card or write nothing, asking the pregnant woman to guess who gave the gift.
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All gifts are placed in one place around which guests gather. The expectant mother opens the gifts and shows them to everyone.
Baby shower wishes
The best wishes for the Baby Shower are sincere, from the bottom of my heart. If your own imagination fails you, you can use the following options:
What to give for Baby Shower?
The theme of gifts is especially important for this holiday. I would like to give not only a beautiful thing, but also a useful one. These tips will be useful for those who are far from the topic of childbirth and cannot come up with a gift for a newborn on their own.
guests
Guests will be very pleased if they are noted not only with a word of gratitude for their visit, but also given small souvenirs. This could be handmade soap, chocolate in an original wrapper with a photo of the hero of the occasion, or a flower arrangement.
If only women are present at the holiday, then you can give handmade jewelry and body cream. It will be an especially sweet moment if you give all your guests invitations for the baby’s first birthday.
for girl
Usually, for such a celebration, gifts are given for the unborn baby without division by gender. There is plenty to choose from: bottles, creams and powders, diapers and clothes that will suit both boys and girls. But if it is known that a daughter is expected, then you can present:
- a handmade doll (the girl will grow up and appreciate it);
- outfits, shoes and accessories;
- gold or silver jewelry;
- a lip-shaped pacifier;
- carrying in a girlish style, etc.
The main thing is not to give soft toys. Babies are indifferent to them, and when the baby grows up to them, soft toys will be covered with dust.
for boy
It would be a good idea to give the boy:
- handmade bow tie or tie;
- high-quality toys (cars, railway, etc.);
- clothes and shoes in the form of booties;
- engraved spoon;
- certificate for the first photo shoot, etc.
When choosing a gift, it is important to also focus on the tastes of your parents in order to please them as well.
Location
As a rule, the holiday is held in the apartment of one of the pregnant women’s friends. The room before the party should be cleaned and decorated on the theme of pregnancy and motherhood.
Balloons, fresh flowers, silk and lace ribbons, funny posters and inscriptions, bows and garlands are great decorative elements. The design should be bright and cheerful. In addition, you can use baby dolls, dolls and plush toys for decoration.
Party invitations can also be made on a children's theme, decorating them with cute ribbons, buttons, and lace.
