Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    I don't know if it's in or not, but I think it would be lovely to
    include the father as well as the expectant mother.
    
    Marge

    I second Marge's suggestion. Also one idea for gifts would be
    offers of free baby sitting.
    
    and take lots of pictures.
    
    For all 5 of our kids I only had one shower and I really treasure
    the pictures.
    
    Bonnie

	 Something for the parents after the delivery......(especially
	 the mother)....like some nice lingerie.....a bottle of
	 champagne and two glasses......a certificate for dinner for
	 two at a nice restuarant..........etc.....



	 kath

    For the shower of one of my friends, we all pitched in and bought
    her a year's worth of diaper service.  
    
    --bonnie

    As many weeks/months of diaper service as you or a group of friends can
    afford, and maybe some diaper wraps for those who are afraid of pins. 
    This is not only a goddess send for exhausted parents, whose budget is
    taking a readjustment, but an investment in the little one's future in
    less land fill space. 

    re .3:
    
    champagne is fine unless the mother is nursing... 
    
    Marge

    Ladies your gift idea's are great. When my older ones were little
    ones the diper service was a God send. But what I'm looking for
    are idea's for the actual shower. I should have explained in the
    base note. Like what party games are played? What type of decorations
    should I buy or make. 
    
    thanks, bk

    Before the baby is born. Everybody should write down their pick 
    for the sex and weight of the baby and kick a buck into the pot. 
    If they are correct within an oz or 2 they get the pot. Otherwize 
    it goes to the baby.
    
    Little Storks holding bundles of candies are great for party favors.
    In my family we use confetti. Not the kind you throw. They are pastel
    colored almonds candies for showers.
    
    Betty, who's having a baby? Will the shower be before or after the
    birth? Does the Mom know the sex already? Is it a first birth?
    
    Just Nosy,
    As always,
    Kate
    

My neighbor had a baby shower and decorated the hall in pink and blue
    streamers.  On each table she had a baby bottle with one pink and
    one blue carnation (died for her by the florist), and multi-colored
    ribbon around each bottle.  Attached to the chair where the mother
    to be sat was a bouquet of balloons (pink and blue naturally) and
    another balloon which said baby shower on it and a picture of the
    stork with a baby in a blanket.  She also used pink and blue plates,
    cups, napkins etc.
    
    

    If this is the first born, I suggest waiting until after the baby is
    born to have a shower for the parents. I have been to several "after
    birth" showers in recent years. The new parents are grateful to receive
    gifts that are appropriate to the baby's gender. Plus, all the guests
    get to see the newborn child in most cases.

    When I gave a shower for a friend last year she made me promise we
    wouldn't play the party games. Most of them border on being
    downright stupid. I'm sure there must be games that are fun but all
    I've ever seen don't seem appropriate. At any rate, we had a Baskin
    robbins ice cream cake decorated in pastels and just chatted and
    visited. The mother to be had given me a list of things they still
    needed and most of us chose items from the list for gifts.

    I know some folks may think it's a bit cheeky to get a list for the
    presents. I'd rather spend my money on sommething that's really
    needed rather than guess. We also included the colors used in the
    baby's room so people would know. liesl

    re: .8
    
    Kate, Thank you. The shower is for Sh'Kena best friend.
    
    The baby is not born yet and we do not know the sex the mother 
    
    wants to be surprised. Keep the idea's coming.
    
    bk

    I usually make a quilt for the baby and matching pillows and a teddy.
    I have a great book on things for showers and they have a centerpiece
    for the table that is a dozen diapers (cloth) rolled together to be 
    the same shape as a 2 layer round cake.  It is then secured and covered 
    with white mesh and "decorated" with the little satin rose buds.  Kinda
    a cute idea.
    
    Baby showers are great fun.  We had a shower for a mother-to-be here at
    work and a group of us went to a childrens store and purchased
    different pieces of a layette in the same pattern.  So the little
    T-shirts, gowns, jammies, towels, face clothes, booties etc etc all
    match but one person doesn't purchase it all.
    
    Have a fun time......

    Here are some baby shower ideas......
    
    Either make or have your local bakery make pastel colored bread, slice
    thin and cut out teddy bears,(whole wheat bread) bunnys,(white or pink) 
    ducks,(yellow) or what ever excites you and make the sandwiches. Use large
    cookie cutters and use simple fillings like chicken salad (finely chopped),
    tuna salad, cream cheese and olive, or anything that dosen't hang out of 
    the bread. Get a large punch bowl or if a large crowd a small wading pool 
    for the punch, float real rubber ducks and other bath toys in the punch 
    (be sure to pre wash things first).
    
    Pick a theme, when you send out the invitations tell every one what the
    theme is and have them follow it. For example: Teddy bears, have gifts
    wraped in teddy bear paper, gifts of teddy bears, clothing with teddy
    bears, like nighties, sheets, sweaters, or baby dishes with teddy
    bears. For favors you can get teddybear pencils and tie a little net
    sack to it with gummy bears in it. I only suggested bears because they
    are readily available. You can play the teddybears picnic song as
    background music.  Serve cookies made with the same or smaller versions
    of the cookie cutters used to make the sandwiches. I even have a cake
    pan that makes a 3D bear. On the invitations you could tell everyone
    that they will have a beary good time. 
    
    I have never played games at a baby shower, most of the ones I have
    been to have had the time filled with socializing and nibbling. 
    
    I love planning showers and parties.
                                          

    The only enjoyable baby shower I have attended had both women
    and men in the guest list.  (Yes, I had to *drag* Ed by his teeth
    to get him to go. "If I'm the only man there, I'm leaving!")  Nice cake
    and home-made goodies, soda and beer to drink, mostly chatting and
    socializing.  No stupid games and no delivery-room war story
    competition.  It was a great party.

    When I was in college, we had a shower for one of my professors --
    the theme was toys.  It was coed, of course, since her students
    were coed.  We got a laundry basket and decorated it with colored
    ribbons, then each brought a small toy or stuffed animal that we
    wrapped and put in the basket.  The cake was a rocking-horse ice
    cream cake from Carvel.  I don't remember what we had for favors,
    etc. -- probably just paper napkins, considering the poverty level
    of the average student!
    
    We used bright primary colors rather than pastels.  Babies see the
    bright colors better, and that was back in the '70s when we
    thought gender-typing through color was going to die away. 
    
    Gee, I'm glad this question made me remember the party.  It was a
    lot of fun -- but it's scary to think that that little girl is
    probably in college herself now!
    
    --bonnie

    Pat,
    I love your ideas on colored sandwiches and bathtoys floating in
    the punch. Real creative.
    
    When my 1st shower was held everyone brought a babyfood item and
    put it in a decorated diaper pail (clean one of course).

    I love showers!
    Kate
               
    

    What a neat batch of ideas!
    I too, love planning parties, and baby showers are the best! getting 
    teary-eyed just thinking about it!
    
    The best shower I ever helped with was given by my children's
    preschool class (3-5 yr-olds) for their assistant teacher.
    (It was actually a wedding shower, but the idea still applies)
    They all brought umbrellas, and we decorated the classroom with them --
    hung them from the rafters in this wonderful barnlike space they had.
    Parents added balloons of all colors, and we put all the presents in
    the largest umbrella, upside down of course.  The children loved 
    transforming their classroom in such a dramatic way!  Punch, cookies,
    a few songs, and present-opening took up all the available time.
    Then we "showered" her with pretty confetti.
    
    This was an especially nice thing, because the young woman is from 
    Finland, and only teaching in our town (in North Carolina) 
    for a year, so she had no local
    friends except the children and parents.  Her spouse and future home
    were in a town a couple of hours away, and the wedding was to happen
    in the summer, so it was doubtful that many of the school families
    would attend the wedding.  As a consequence of all those geographic
    facts, this event was her only celebration of the upcoming wedding.
    
    Now I wonder what her new school did for a baby shower the next year
    ... ?
    
    More generally ... please make it co-ed if possible.  I once got the 
    men in my office and lab (all unmarried at the time)
    to throw a baby shower for a male co-worker, and I
    understand it was a good time (they went in together and got an 
    "umbroller" -- buying gifts individually baffled them). They un-invited
    me at the last minute, turning it into a traditional "stag party".
    Whatever!  At least they celebrated the baby some way!
    
    Have a good time with the party -- and the planning!
                                        Julie