Fun Filled Baby Shower Games: A Blueprint For Success
by: Suzanne Webb
A baby shower is a celebration of family and new additions. A couple of well chosen baby shower games can help to break up the time between eating and opening presents. A baby shower game can also serve as an ice breaker for guests who may not know each other.
Here are some simple guidelines for a memorable baby shower game:
Rule #1: KISS: Keep It Simple, Silly!
Choose a baby shower game that is has simple rules, and is easy to follow. If the game is too complex, guests may not feel compelled to participate.
Rule #2: Be Original!
Try to find a baby shower game that may be new and exciting for most participants. The internet can be a great resource for this. There are hundreds of baby shower websites that list and rate baby shower games. Some even offer a printable form, as in baby shower Bingo. - a personal favorite!
Rule #3: Don't Embarrass Your Guests!
A good rule of party etiquette: Don't choose baby shower games that are geared toward humiliating the participants. You won't have many willing players if you choose this route. There are plenty of fun baby shower games that are kind to all, and a blast to play.
Below are Some Safe Bets for Fun Baby Shower Games:
Baby Shower Bingo
An online search will produce a plethera of different printable bingo cards that you can copy and use for your guests. A prize for the winner would be a nice gesture.
Who's That Baby?
Though this requires a bit of preparation, it is always a fun baby shower game to play. Have each guest bring a baby photo of themselves to the party (without showing them to others). Display them on a table with a letter or number under each one. Have guests try to guess who is who, writing their answers on a simple photocopied guest list.
Baby Bottle Bowling
Arrange 10 baby bottles for pins in bowling pin fashion. Guests "bowl" with a tennis ball to try to knock them all down. Highest number of bottles knocked down after 3 tries, wins the game.
Stick to this simple blueprint: Keep the games simple, (and not too many), keep it original, and keep it tasteful. Your guests, and the mom-to-be, will thank you for a memorable, fun-filled time.
Can't afford nice things for your infant? Think outside the mega-baby store box.
For many low to medium income families, providing for their newborn and toddlers can be a major source of anxiety and financial strain. Browsing the prices at your local baby store can easily drive a shopper into sticker shock. Fortunately, there is a viable alternative. The garage sale.
According to the owners of the webs premier site for advertising Garage Sales, YardHopper.com, one of the most common items you will find at a garage sale is baby stuff. They say about 4 out of 10 sales posted on their website offer items for newborns and toddlers. In some cases, many of these items are almost brand new!
After recently having a baby of my own, I realized why this is. Not only do infants grow really fast and grow out of their clothing, carriers and high chairs, but also, when a family is expecting their first child, they go to their local BabiesRUs and register for a bunch of stuff they THINK they will need. The fact is, the only things they really need are diapers, burping cloths, onesies, and a diaper genie. That is pretty much all they need. They end up with swings, bouncy chairs, boppys, Baby-Bjorns and many other items that they and/or their child may use once and shortly thereafter it begins collecting dust. Enter the garage sale. I for one know that I have a Baby Bjorn that costs at least $120.00. I've used it about 4 times. If I could get $20.00 for it at a garage sale, I'd be happy. I have a bouncy chair that plays music. My newborn hates it. If I could get $10.00 for it at a garage sale, I'd be happy. The list goes on and on. I received two boppys for our baby shower, a real nice one that probably cost $50.00 and a hand-me-down. Guess which one my infant likes. Yes, the hand-me-down. If I could sell the "real nice one" (which was used only once) for $10.00, I'd be ecstatic. The point is, there are great deals to be had on relatively new items!
If you are shopping for infant products at a garage sale, you must be careful however. Buying from a garage sale comes with a few risks. It is no secret that babies spit up and use the bathroom quite often. It is very important to wash and/or sterilize just about any item that you purchase from a garage sale. Many baby safety products (car seats, swings, chairs, etc…) are regularly upgraded and improved upon for safety regulations. If you purchase a car seat that was manufactured 5 years ago, it may not be equipped with the most recent safety technology. Another thing to watch out for are items that have been recalled. Infant products are recalled every day. To determine if an item has been recalled, you can use the BabyCenter.com recalled item lookup tool.
In closing, providing for your newborn or toddler does not always have to break the bank. Garage sales offer a great alternative to the inflated prices of most baby mega-stores. If you are careful and selective, you can find great items for your newborn, and maybe even a little something for yourself.
Get Dad Involved in Breastfeeding
Many fathers feel excluded from parenting their children during the first initial stages of life. This feeling of exclusion and helplessness is exacerbated by mother breastfeeding her baby. So, can a father get more involved when it comes to feeding his baby? The answer is, yes.
The number one thing a dad can do to get involved is to support mom. At times, both parents will feel very tired when caring for the newborn infant, the mother especially. This is why it's so important for the dad to support mom. So, exactly how does dad provide support? The most obvious thing to do is chores: preparing meals, cleaning house, laundry etc. He can also directly help take care of the baby by changing its diaper, bathing and burbing. But the most important thing he can do is to provide emotional support. To listen to what his partner is saying and to let her know how pleased he is with her as a mother. A new mother needs support at this time of life more than at any other time.
A dad can also get involved with feeding his child, even though mom is breastfeeding. A mother can express her milk and store it for later use. The baby can then be fed mom's milk with a bottle at a later time. No reason why dad can't do this. In fact it can be a real benefit to the mother during those nighttime feeds as she can stay in bed and catch up on some sleep while dad does the feeding.
Breastfeeding can be a 'selfish' activity for a mother. A lot of women who breastfeed, cherish the intimacy between mom and baby. Breastfeeding can be the most intimate experience for a woman; a physical bond between two people where one is nurturing the other in the most fundamental way. So, it's understandable that some mothers are reluctant to hand over feeding of their baby to someone else, even if it is the baby's father. But, if the father is feeling somewhat left-out-of-things then perhaps it's time to let the father bottle feed the baby with the mother's expressed milk. The level of intimacy they feel toward their baby when feeding surprises most fathers.
A be patient with dad. When he first starts to bottle feed his child he is bound to feel a little unsure of how best to do things. Show him how to hold the baby; how to soothe; how to notice signs of when the baby is hungry and when he's satiated. Soon, with a little gentle instruction, he'll be feeding baby as good as mom. And, he'll probably exchange notes with mom on the little improvements the baby is making at feeding time.
A couple raising a child need to approach it as a team effort. Sometimes, both mom and dad do things together and sometimes they swap roles. Flexibility is key. When one of the parents is feeling too tired, or fed up to take care of baby, the other can step in, thereby giving the other a rest. This swapping and sharing responsibilities can also include breastfeeding.
Robin O'Brien is the founder and editor of http://www.breast-feeding-information.com and http://www.selfimprovementtechniques.com and http://www.winchester-tourist-information.com
