Baby Showers

I recently organized a baby shower for one of our pregnant colleague. It was a simple one - short and sweet surrounded with gifts that she truly liked.. I've attended at least one baby shower every year for the past 3 years and witnessed simple ones as well as grand ones. My best friend who is also in the family way will have her first baby shower sometime end October.

I will try to share what I partly knew of baby showers. I am not an expert so feel free to fill me in. The ultimate objective of the baby shower is to help mom-to-be prepare for the coming of the baby and showing her how important she is to you! Baby showers are normally hosted by friends or relatives to the mom-to-be. In short, a mom-to-be should not organize her own baby shower. I haven't seen a dad-to-be either organizing his wife's baby shower. A mom-to-be should at least have 1 baby shower prior to giving birth.

As to when to conduct baby showers normally depends on the party host. Rule of thumb would be to hold it at least a month before the estimated due date of pregancy. Not too early in the pregnancy (as something unfortunate might happen to the baby - knock on wood) and not too late (as the baby might come out already!)

How to do the baby shower depends on many factors as well. If someone likes it grand - then so be it! It can be a planned one with mom-to-be informed in advance or a surprise one. Gather as many people as you want who is close to or knows the mom-to-be. If there are lots of meaningful friends and relatives willing to donate some food and other stuff, it will be greatly appreciated. There can be programs in between or simple gathering of friends where they can talk baby stuff or updates from each other especially to the parents-to-be or anything under the sun!

On where to conduct the baby shower is highly dependent on the budget, time, number of attendees and resources. A simple lunch together, late merienda or dinner will do. Baby showers can be done in the couple's own home with permission from the husband first (though food and the like should be brought by the party organizers), in a common friend's house, village clubhouse, at a nearby restaurant, in the office canteen or even in a videoke room if parents-to-be are still up to it.

What to bring: Food and gifts and some baby paraphernalia to decorate the place if budget and other resources allows for it! Souvenirs can be made upon the discretion of the party host/organzier. Attendance to the baby shower is a must and equally expected would be bringing in gifts for the baby or for the mom-to-be. For experienced moms, they will tend to come up with their baby registry earlier than when their baby shower comes. For first time moms, mommy friends should remind them to come up with their wishlist for gifts and apply for baby registry in every available baby store in the metro! For guests who don't know yet what gift to bring, they can choose from a wide array of gift choices provided by mommy-to-be.

If you are a first time mom and still don't know what to put in your baby registry, suggest you bring a mommy friend along to help you out complete your list. For guests who don't know what to give or who might not be able to get a hold of the baby registry, a few of my tried and tested gifts that won't fail to please supermom would be diapers, diapers and lots of diapers! Gifts related to feeding essentials (such as breast pump, milk bottles, breastmilk storage bags, sterilizers), bath essentials (towels, bath items, baby bath tub) and clothing essentials (onesies, burp cloths, tshirts, socks, bibs ) are a few of the practical choices.