When planning a baby shower, the theme can sometimes be a great way to entertain, amuse and make your party unique. One very popular theme is the Baby Basics 101 Theme where the entire party is focused around educating and entertaining your party guests and the new parents.

A unique way to integrate this theme into your next event, is by asking everyone to bring a small gift that emphasizes good mothering. For example, ask your guests to bring things like cabinet locks for the kitchen cabinets, outlet plug covers, or corner bumpers.

Another great way to play out this great baby shower theme is to ask guests to brings item such as baby books, baby carriers and other how-to books that will help the new mom and dad bond with their new baby.

Another great idea is to ask your guests to bring different age items – for example, baby onesies and hats, shoes and booties will be quickly outgrown if everyone brings the same size. Instead, you can assign a different age group to each of your guests and put that in your invitation. Don’t forget about the crib gyms and pull toys and other items which are not age dependent and can be used by babies from 1 month to 12 months as well and assign those to your guests as well.

Also, first time moms are usually very anxious and apprehensive about the entire labor and delivery process especially as the date draws nearer. You can help the new mom relax by asking each of the baby shower guests to bring little notes of encouragement for her which she can read during the labor process to help her keep her focus. These notes are also a great way to relax after the labor is over and she is in recovery and will let her know that everyone is thinking of her and praying for her. You can present all the notes to the new mom by stacking them in a pile and tying an adorable bow around them for an extra special touch.

Baby Shower Favors are another great way to enhance your Baby Basics 101 theme and can also work as decorations to spruce up the party atmosphere. For example, a great way to create your own baby shower favors is to ask the new mom to write Thank you Notes for all the guests. Then attach a small gift certificate for a craft store or a similar type of store, roll It up along with the thank you note and tie it with a colorful ribbon. Then, at the end of the party, present each guest with the party favor! This is sure to be a hit with the mom as well as she will not have to worry about writing thank you notes after the party.

Follow these ideas for some inspiration and you will be sure to come up with your own great ideas to make your party unforgettable.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury baby gifts boutique offering variety of baby shower favors, baby gift baskets, handprint footprint kits and more.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Ever wondered what to buy for an expecting mother? There are heaps of goodies that you could buy: diapers, pacifiers, clothes, toys etc. Any gift is nice, but there are certain advantages and disadvantages to buying certain gifts.

Diapers make a great, practical gift for any family expecting a newborn. Diapers are more expensive than you might think and babies use a lot of them (10-15 diapers a day when they are just born). Most new parents have no idea that babies are going to use this amount of diapers. In short, although the new parents might laugh at you for gifting them diapers, in the end they will be extremely grateful, especially when they see how much diapers cost.

A pacifier is another useful but not flashy gift. When newborns are not sleeping and eating they are usually wiggling and crying. This is normal as they are trying to adjust to the newness of this world. A pacifier will go a long way to calm down the baby and give the new parent some time to enjoy the baby while he or she is awake and not fussing. Note that some debate exists as to whether or not babies should use pacifiers (some claim it can cause dental problems in the future).

Another simple and inexpensive suggestion for a gift is baby clothing. For newborns most suggest baby onesies. Baby onesies provide several comforts to expecting parents and are more fun to buy than diapers or pacifiers. Here are five benefits baby onesies provide.

Benefit #1 – Easy Access to the Diaper
If you are an expecting Mom or Dad, you’re probably not enthralled about the numerous diaper-changing "opportunities" that await you. Changing diapers is hard enough (trying to hold the baby still while not making him/her cry, not to mention the lovely aroma can be challenging), baby onesies make life a little easier by having snaps near the crotch area that make it so you can have access to your favorite region without having to completely unclothe the baby. This sure beats having to undress him or her every time.

Benefit #2 – The Onesie Stays in Place
Babies are wigglers; they have so much wiggly-ness in them that they sometimes wiggle their clothes right off. Normal shirts can ride up on your baby, exposing her belly to her "favorite" uncle Bob, who just can’t resist giving a wet raspberry. Baby onesies on the other hand, always stay in place thanks to the great snap feature.

Benefit #3 – Inexpensive
Pretty cute baby onesies can be purchased for only $6.99 at stores like Wal-Mart and Target, though top-end onesies can cost you quite a bit more. Try buying yourself an entire outfit for $6.99!

Benefit #4 – Many Uses
Baby onesies can easily be worn as a shirt by simply placing shorts or pants on the baby over the onesie. Or if baby is feeling especially wild today and wants to run around with his pants off, that’s okay too (the private areas will be well covered by the onesie).

Benefit #5 – Cute
You must admit it, the fact that a baby can fit into a little piece of clothing is adorable. The cute or funny sayings on the onesies make them even more lovable.

Purchasing gifts for expecting mothers and new born babies can be difficult, but hopefully you now have some ideas. Gifting diapers and pacifiers represents a pragmatic choice. Giving baby clothing is perhaps more fun, although maybe slightly less useful. The best of luck in your search for the perfect gift for those expecting parents.

Kimberlie is a mother, author, and baby clothes guru. Come find out all about baby onesies at her blog:www.babyonesies1.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan