Prior to being pregnant, I'd never really known what having a baby shower entailed. Aside from all your nearest and dearest gathering to talk all things newborn, nappies and night-time feeds, I wasn't really sure what you were meant to do at a shower. But, never one to turn down the opportunity for a party, and with a new house to show to everybody, I dived in head first and began planning an afternoon of laughter with the ones that I love the most.
The Food
I didn't want to go overboard when it came to nibbles, so decided that a buffet setup was the most plausible option. Going for a children's party theme, Ryan and I headed to Iceland and Aldi and stocked up on mini pizzas, sausages rolls, crisps, macaroons and breaded chicken galore. A very good friend brought up homemade chocolate lollipops for everybody, and PG made the cake (lemon drizzle - it was delicious). We adapted one of my favourite cocktails into a mocktail, turning it from "Sex on the beach" to "Cuddles on the beach" instead, then popped non-alcoholic prosecco for everyone to share as well as various fizzy pop options. There was plenty of food for everyone, with the option of seconds or thirds, and this definitely was the best route as - all in all- I think we only spent about £40 on everything.
The Games
This took a little bit of thought and planning. Deciding from the get-go that I wanted to go for team games, I chose ones that would be easy for everyone to get involved in. As everyone was settling, I planned an ice-breaker to get guests talking. The Who Knows Mummy Best Quiz was easy to type up on the computer, and got everybody chatting away and getting very competitive in the process (I think the incentive of prizes for the winners helped).
Next was the most gross, and yet one of the most fun. The Dirty Nappy Game made all the guests squirm and squeal as "dirty" nappies (filled with melted chocolate) were passed around. The aim of the game was to guess which chocolate bar filled each soiled nappy. Guests could smell and touch the contents but not taste. I think we put everybody off chocolate for a bit, but to see the reactions on everybody's faces was well worth it.
The third and final team game was a Blindfolded Nappy Challenge. Two players were selected from each team to take part in this "against the clock" challenge. With several experts amongst the guests this was a really close call, with everyone putting a fresh nappy on Fake Baby within a few seconds.
I threw in one fun free-for-all game at the end in the shape of Feed The Daddy. Taking it in turns, each guest was blindfolded and supplied with a spoon and bowl of baby food. Ryan sat centre stage, draped in a bin bag and sporting safety specs. Similar to Pin The Tail On The Donkey, guests had to try and feed Ryan baby food and not get it all over him. This was by far the most hilarious game, and got everyone laughing (some to the point of crying).
To end the afternoon's entertainment, I had put out a babygrow guest book for all the guests to sign, alongside a Baby Predictions chart. Again, these were relatively easy to put in place. I took a bodysuit from Baby Ginger's stash, filled it with a sheet of cardboard broken off a box, and supplied fabric pens. The predictions chart was easily whipped up on MS Word and printed off for everybody to fill in. I did have to prompt a few times, but led to some really cute and funny messages left for Baby Ginger.
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I think traditionally someone is meant to throw a baby shower for you, but I wanted to go down the DIY route. Ryan made a brilliant co-host, acting as my lackey for the afternoon so that I could mingle. It was great having him there to join in the fun and I honestly couldn't have managed without him. I think it's a bit against the grain to have your husband at the baby shower, but because all of our friends are located across the country, it meant that we could see everybody at the same time, as in the start at least, travelling will be a little out the window.
If you have ever been to or hosted a baby shower, let me know what yours entailed in the comments!
Such a fun day! It was a hilarious afternoon and that feed the daddy still has me in stitches when I think of the shenanigans that went on hehe!
ReplyDeleteSarah :)
Saloca in Wonderland
Haha - I should have posted some of the videos really! xx
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