Planning a baby shower

Mention a baby shower and it immediately conjures up images of afternoon tea and cakes. 

The standard venue for a baby shower is someone’s house or a quiet little tea room somewhere that serves cu[cakes and bottomless pots of tea. Which is great – unless you want something a little bit different. If that’s you, then why not try one of these alternative venue ideas?

A spa – a lot of people think that pregnant women can’t use spas, and although it is true that there are some areas that are off limits, such as the hot tub and sauna, the rest is perfect for a girly get together. A swim, a lounge around by the pool with glasses of something fizzy (and non alcoholic of course) and even a pregnancy friendly massage for the mum to be. In fact, that could be one of the gifts. It would be a truly lovely, relaxing way to prepare for a new arrival.

Craft studio – have a crafty party and create some handmade items, either as a gift for the new baby or as going home presents for the guests. Think ceramic painting, designing tshirts/bibs, making and decorating cupcakes or even face and bump painting!

Restaurant – instead of afternoon tea, dress up and head out to a favourite restaurant for dinner. It’s still a great place to have a gathering, everyone gets to enjoy good food with none of the clearing up, and a new baby is a great excuse for everyone to indulge in a dessert too. 

Farm or adventure park – this one might sound odd, but bear with me. If there are older children to consider, maybe arrange to hold an informal gathering at a family farm or adventure park. The older children will be happy with a fun day out, and the parents can pack a tasty picnic and sit in the sunshine enjoying the food, the company and the feel good factor of having given your kids a great afternoon. It could be as simple as a local park with a paddling pool area, or as adventurous as a theme park – the choice is yours.

If you need some ideas for games, head over to Pinterest – there are SO many ideas out there. Favourites include:

• Guess the baby food – blindfold your friends and try the baby food taste test. How many can they get right?
• Guess who? Get everyone coming to the party to bring a photo of them as a baby. Put them all on a board and see who can guess who is who.
• Baby weight game. Guess the weight of a baby. You could even place bets on this one using a site such as Betulator. The winner wins the jackpot!
• Dummy pick up. Lay out a line of dummies and try to pick them up on a straw in your mouth!
• Blindfolded nappy change. Who can do the best job?