Balloon anyone? Tips for throwing a fab baby shower!

I’d like to think I’m writing this article because I know a thing or two about these girlie gatherings, having hosted no less than eight (two in the last fortnight alone!) and have been a guest at oooooh… about 14!

A good baby shower (just for the record, the word “shower” is used because the mama-to-be is literally showered with love and gifts!) is often the last chance to celebrate with mama bear as she anxiously awaits the arrival of her precious bundle of joy. There’s an abundance of soft and fluffy gifts to elicit plenty of oooohs and ahhhs… mums reminiscing of days gone by (or praying to the heavens it’s no longer their turn!) and those sans children quietly wondering what an earth it is you do with a nasal aspirator!

There’s no better excuse for a girls’ day out – think champers, cakes and plenty of good girlie gossip! Here’s a few of my tried and tested tips and tricks for throwing a mean baby shower… balloons anyone?!

Invites
If like most of us you’re stretched for time, EVITE is a great way to send out your invitations; I’m only just learning of the convenience and ease of this tech savvy way to send an invite and it’s a total godsend. Simply go to www.evite.com and you’ll see a variety of invitation styles and designs (including lovely baby shower ones here); you just fill in the boxes and type in the guests’ emails and voila!

Sassy Mama are also big fans of e-invites from Cocodot – check out their beautifully-designed baby shower invites here.

Timing
Try not to organise the baby shower too close to mama bear’s due date. Due to circumstances, I had mine only ten days before Ava arrived and by then I was a little weary and doing a whole lot of waddling!

Location
If you’re not having it at someone’s home, look for an area that can be separated from the rest of the restaurant/bar/café, which can be handy if there are more than half a dozen women and/or games are involved (no need to alarm other guests!). Mums often bring their bubs too so check for highchairs and stroller space.

Decorations
Decorations add a nice touch if possible. Ask the venue if they can decorate for you or if you’re feeling energetic, take some balloons to liven up the area. Pink and/or blue of course! DIY it with Sham Shui Po’s finest or try Matteo Party for ready-made ones.

Food
Most baby showers are daytime affairs, but it doesn’t have to be a full-blown menu – why not have snacks instead? High Teas are always popular, not to mention delicious and make for easy chatting/game playing over a pink or blue cupcake or two; we recommend the child-friendly Yummy Mummy Tiffin Tea at The Langham. For cupcakes, look no further than the delicious Sift, whilst mamas seem to go mad for Mrs B’s almost too-beautiful-to-eat cakes too!

Games
If the guest of honour is keen (and some won’t be, so do check first) there are plenty of ideas online. A couple of popular and easy ones tried and tested by moi include:

– Who’s this celebrity baby? All you need are a few celeb mags, some paper, glue and plenty of pens for the participants.
– Guess the width of mummy’s tummy (often to her horror!). All you need is string.

Make sure you buy enough prizes in case there’s more than one winner; you don’t want to get caught short.

Presents
The list is endless! Perhaps if you’re going it alone, try to get something you know she won’t buy herself… or if it’s something she’s going to get duplicates of, make sure it’s stuff she needs more than one of. Often the host can find out if there’s something more specific she needs and get everyone to chip in.

If you plan on buying baby clothes, remember to think about what season it’s going to be and how big the little critter will be when they enter the world! It might be safer and more practical to buy a gift certificate for them to shop to their heart’s content and get what they really want – try Sassy Mama faves Baby Central, Tiny Footprints or Cosmo Beebies.

Don’t forget…
To bring your camera! Photos, photos, photos all the way!

[If you really want to take the stress out of things and are planning a shindig on a bigger scale, why not bring in the professionals? We LOVE HK party planners Sweet Soirees.]

So sit back, relax and let the gossip begin!