Telling It Like It Is» second baby shower

4 Cool Ideas for Planning a Second Baby Shower

Lin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:06:53 +0000

Some people say that there should only be a baby shower for the first baby in the family. Of course the parents need a lot more “things” before having their first baby, but a baby shower is not just about the gifts. It’s about bringing the family together and celebrating the new bundle of joy. In this article you will find 4 cool ideas for when you’re planning a second baby shower.

Since this is the second child, this means that there is a big brother or sister. Even if the sibling is a toddler you can still include him or her in the celebration of the new baby.

1- Include the children.

Usually there are cousins and neighbor’s kids too, so involving them in the celebration is a great idea. You can separate a place in the living room to be the arts and crafts corner.

See if you can find an adult that will volunteer to be responsible for craft time with the children at the party. All of the kids can create artwork featuring the baby. Tell the children to draw pictures of the baby that will be arriving and picture what he or she will be like.

Be sure to have materials like paint, crayons, markers, glitter, fabric, scissors, glue, and magazines for them to use their imagination. Children love having the freedom to create. After they are done, each one can explain to the adults what their artwork represents. Not only will this help the kids get excited about the baby, it will also give them the chance to shine during the event. If you’re doing a themed event such as a ladybug baby shower or a frog baby shower, you can provide themed activity and coloring pages for extra fun. (By the way I created free themed activity pages for children to use that you can find at those links.)

2- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

When you start planning your party, you’ll notice that the costs quickly add up. The best thing to do is to call the more intimate friends and family and ask them to help. Also check out these tips for a more affordable baby shower. Asking others to help out not only will make things cheaper but it will also relieve the workload. You will be amazed at how many people actually love to be of service.

If you don’t know where to start in planning the food for the party, here’s an article I recently wrote with tips for planning a baby shower menu. Ask family members which item they would prefer to bring to help out. If someone in the family is great at cake decorating, have them make the cake instead of ordering it from a bakery. Decoratives take a lot of time so have at least 4 family members come the day of the party to set the party up.

3- Record and take pictures of the baby shower.

It’s important to take lots of pictures and if possible even make a video of the event. Find someone in the family that is good at taking pictures and have him or her be the photographer of the event.

Since this is the second baby, take lots of pictures of the sibling and the “mommy to be”. Ideally someone else will record the event on video. Before the party begins, have them record and take pictures of just the decorations of the shower. Have the sibling give a video dedication. Start the photo album and video just with the decoratives. Make sure that everyone at the party gets their picture taken with the “mommy to be” and her tummy. These will be wonderful memoirs for the arriving baby and for other family members.

4- Think of ideas for alternative baby shower gifts.

If the mom already has a lot of baby items and doesn’t need more of those, then you can do an alternative party. One idea would be to have a “freezer party” where guests bring food that can be frozen and used in the first few months after the baby is born. Those beginning months are the most difficult and not having to worry about making food is a huge relief for the parents. Ask the mom if she likes this idea and if she does, then implement it.

Make sure that if you are going to throw a shower around a theme, that it is something that she would enjoy. Here are several creative baby shower ideas for you to think of before choosing. And if the mommy wants the gifts to surround that theme make sure to let the guests know too.

Another thing that you can do is have each guest think of something that they can do to help out in the first few months after the baby is born. Whatever their idea is, they can bring a gift certificate with this idea instead of a physical gift. Examples of great gift certificates are: baby sitting, mowing the lawn, household chores and errands, a day off for mom to take care of herself, etc.

I hope you enjoyed these tips for planning a second baby shower.

Blessings always,

Eren Mckay

Eren Mckay is a work at home mom to 3 boys. She loves to share baby shower ideas and help others with party planning. She is also the founder of Embracing Home which is a website created to inspire, encourage, motivate and provide resources for families.

Similar Posts:

Readers who viewed this page, also viewed:

Second Child Baby Shower Etiquette – Is a Second Baby Shower Ok?

Lin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:00:09 +0000

Is having a second baby shower for a second or third baby ok, according to proper baby shower etiquette? Is it appropriate and ok to have a couples baby shower, where boyfriends or husbands are invited to a coed baby shower? What is a “baby sprinkle” baby shower? Who should throw a baby shower, when should a baby shower be given and who should be invited to the shower?

The question and answer to who gets a baby shower is dependent on who you talk to. Some prefer to stick to the old-fashioned, traditional custom of baby shower etiquette of baby showers only being “allowed” for first-time mothers, and just the idea of throwing or attending a baby shower for a second or third baby is believed to be offensive, greedy and unacceptable.

Traditional rules of who should be thrown a baby shower have changed to a more modern view of also throwing a baby shower for a second child, and in some situations, a third or fourth child. Baby showers are not about greed but are a celebration of the birth of a new baby, and all babies should be welcomed into the world with a celebration party.

Fortunately, society has lightened up quite a bit on the “traditional” customs from past generations of planning a wedding, and it’s about time that so-called traditional rules about baby showers no longer require fitting into a specific category, like baby showers only being proper or appropriate for a first time mother.

Modern Baby Shower

What is a Baby Sprinkle Baby Shower? A “baby sprinkle” baby shower for second, third (or more) babies are becoming more common in our modern society. A baby sprinkle shower is a unique and creative scaled-down baby shower idea for subsequent children after the firstborn child, where a baby is “sprinkled” with gifts instead of “showering” gifts on a baby at a typical, full-blown baby shower.

Since the expectant parents have most likely had a baby shower for the firstborn baby, a second or third baby is not likely to be in need of baby furniture like a crib, highchair, car seat, stroller, etc. For a baby “sprinkle” shower, guests bring gifts like diapers, baby wipes, teething rings, undershirts, bath accessories and other necessities that are always on the list of baby needs anytime there is a new addition to the family.

A baby shower is always a lot of fun, regardless if the shower is for a first, second or third (or more) soon-to-be born boy or girl. The archaic tradition to only throw a baby shower for first-time mothers, or where only women are invited, have been replaced to include the father or father-to-be in a couples baby shower if desired.

Couples Baby Shower

From my experience, a coed couples baby shower is often a lot more fun than a baby shower with just a bunch of a women friends, relatives and co-workers. Baby shower games for coed baby showers are often more unique and creative than the tired, worn out games from previous generations our mothers and grandmothers played.

Several years ago and unbeknownst to me beforehand, a few of my friends surprised me with three different baby showers, for three different children. One of the baby showers was held a few weeks before my due date, and the other two showers were thrown a couple of weeks after my second son and first daughter were born, a couple of years apart.

The first baby shower thrown for me was a boy baby shower for my firstborn son, and it was a couples shower that included hysterically fun baby shower games that kept everyone in attendance laughing and having a good time.

In one baby shower game we played, my husband and I were blindfolded and had to race to see who was faster at undressing, diapering and redressing a baby doll, but I haven’t seen that game played at a baby shower in many years.

Planning a Baby Shower

Who should throw a baby shower? When should a baby shower be held? Formal etiquette queen “Miss Manners” may disagree, but anyone can throw a baby shower for an expectant mother-to-be or new mother. Formal, traditional baby shower etiquette says that whoever throws a baby shower must not be a relative to the expectant mother, in order to avoid the appearance of the family simply asking for presents.

In these more modern times, it is perfectly fine for a relative, close friend or co-worker to throw a baby shower. A baby shower is usually held a few weeks before the baby is born, but some mothers prefer a baby shower after the birth, so guests can bring gifts specific to the baby’s sex. It’s always best to confer with the parents-to-be about the What, When, Where and How a baby shower will be held and who should be invited, in order to avoid scheduling problems or conflicts.

My niece is planning a baby shower for my daughter later this month, even though close friends offered to host a girl baby shower for my daughter, since we know it is going to be a girl. Baby shower planning can be very stressful, time-consuming, and expensive if you’re not careful.

My involvement in the planning of the baby shower is very limited, although I’ve offered suggestions and ideas for a cheap baby shower by trimming down the extravagant baby shower list of things not really needed for a “perfect baby shower”. Making your own baby shower invitations allows you the opportunity to create and choose baby shower invitation wording that is unique, creative, personalized and inexpensive, especially when you add baby shower clip art to the invitations.

I wish I knew more about making baby diaper cakes. If I knew how to make a diaper cakeÂ with cloth diapers or disposable diapers for my daughter’s baby shower, my niece wouldn’t be so worried about what to use for a baby shower centerpiece anymore.

If you’ve ever seen pictures of baby shower cakes and diaper cakes online, you know how cute and adorable diaper cakes are for a baby shower. Maybe if I search for “diaper cake directions”, I’ll have better luck finding instructions on how to make a diaper cake in time for my daughter’s baby shower.

Similar Posts:

Readers who viewed this page, also viewed: