Planning a Baby Shower
When a mother is expecting a baby, she is lavished with enough attention to last her a lifetime. It is a time when friends, family and colleagues shower her with love. But wait a minute, is the attention directed at the expectant mother or the baby she is carrying? In our society, the arrival of a baby is one of those occasions where everyone wants to share and celebrate. Throwing a baby shower is one of the best ways of celebrating the upcoming birth as well as showing some much needed love and support to a mother-to-be. In some cases though, baby showers may come after the baby is born.
Baby showers may seem like a western idea but even in our African traditions, the arrival of a baby has always been welcomed with celebration not just by the immediate family, but also by relatives, friends and neighbours. However in modern times, the aunts who were always on hand to celebrate the baby’s arrival are not always there and have been replaced in many cases by friends and colleagues. Baby showers are a good time to have some fun, reconnect with friends, bring gifts towards the baby’s upkeep and even offer some unsolicited parenting advice.
Baby showers started well over a century ago, and are called ‘showers’ because the attendants usually ‘shower’ the new mother with gifts. Though it was at first a tea party attended primarily by women, nowadays men participate in the celebrations. Planning a successful baby shower is easy because it is generally a small affair involving close friends, family members, or colleagues at work. Make sure the guest list includes all the people the mother-to-be would like to have attending her baby shower.
The highlight of any baby shower is the gifts showered on the mother. There is no limit to the kind of gifts to be given to a mother to be. If she is expecting her first baby, focus on practical things like clothing, bedding, baby food, feeding equipment, and toiletries. Baby clothing may include diapers, cloth nappies, socks, undershirts, hats, unisex clothes (if you do not know the sex of the baby), bibs and shoes. Bedding includes a baby cot, fitted mattress and bed sheets, blankets, mattress covers, and mosquito nets, among others items. Baby food and feeding equipment includes bibs, bottles, a breast pump, nipples, a tipper cup, feeding spoon, baby burp towels and baby dishes. Baby toiletries include baby lotion, soap, petroleum jelly, shampoo, talcum powder, and a bathrobe, just to mention a few.
Buying a gift should not be stressful because the list of things to buy is endless and most of the items are quite affordable. With a low budget, one can buy a packet of diapers or baby wipes. If you have had a baby of your own, you can also offer used clothes that your baby no longer needs-as long as they are in good condition, properly washed and ironed before being offered as gifts.
Women love to talk about their experiences and this will no doubt turn out to be an avenue for those who are already mothers to share experiences with the mother-to-be; just be careful not to scare her with your horror stories! New mothers are often overwhelmed by women who seem too eager to tell them how much worse their own experiences were!
During the baby shower, pamper the mum-to-be. If possible, let there be someone on hand to take care of her, ensuring she drinks enough water, sits in a cosy position, eats her favourite food, and puts her feet up where practical! All this will serve to make her comfortable and happy and she will remember that day long afterwards!
Be sensitive to the new mother by having the baby shower at four to eight weeks before the expected due date. This gives the new parents time to organise themselves and enables them to only buy what they have not received during the baby shower.
For various reasons, some people prefer having the baby shower after the baby is born. In such a case, at least four weeks after the birth would be appropriate because before then, the new parents will be overwhelmed by the new baby and they need some time on their own.
END: PG 9 / 54