When you are invited to that baby shower you probably are thinking about what to get as a gift.  Before you go into that store think about all the options out there first!
1.     You want to make sure that you check to see if they are registered.  If this is their first child they will most likely be registered somewhere.  However, if this is not their first pregnancy then there may not be that registry to fall back on.
2.    If you do not have a lot of extra money to spend on a gift then you may want to get together with others to get a group gift.  Instead of everyone getting onsies and a burp cloth why not pool your money together to get a cradle, high chair or a stroller.
3.    If you found that cute little outfit that you would like to get but it just doesn’t seem like enough then get a nice basket to put it in and garnish the basket with baby lotion, diaper ointment and a travel pack of baby wipes…things that will be used on a daily basis.
4.    If the mom to be already seems to have everything then you may want to get something for her.  Pamper her a little with nice lotions and bath supplies.  You may want to get her a gift certificate to get that pedicure, manicure or that pregnancy massage.
5.    Check to see if there is a theme to the shower or to the baby’s nursery and get things that will coordinate with the theme.
6.    A personalized gift always goes a long way.  And there are many unique things out there like puzzle stools with the baby’s names on them and personalized shelves to store other little trinkets on.
7.    Make your own gifts.  You could knit a blanket or sew a very unique outfit.  Or if you are crafty then you may want to make a diaper cake and decorate it according to the theme of the shower.
8.    Make a baby coupon book.  Put together a coupon book for the parents for services you will give them.  For example, coupons for a babysitter for a date night or a Saturday cleaning service coupon…you can be really creative with this one.
9.    Plant a tree or donate to a charity in the baby’s name.  Or better yet…buy a nice tree for the parents to plant in their yard when the baby is born.
10.    A nice camera or video camera makes for a great gift along with scrapbooks and keepsake boxes.
11.    You can never go wrong with diapers – 2 packs of diapers cost around $50 – so this is a great gift to give!

Author Kimberly green recently gave puzzle stools as a gift and it was a hit!

Planning a baby shower can seem like a daunting task. With the right information and organizational tools, you can plan a baby shower to remember!

If you were picked to throw a baby shower, create a checklist of everything you need to do, such as:

1. Decide who will be covering the expenses to throw the shower and what your budget will be. Will it be your expense entirely, will a family member be picking up the tab, or will there be a co-host to help with the costs? Plan accordingly.
2. Pick a shower time and date about 1 – 2 months before mom’s due date.
3. Create the guest list.
4. Pick a location that will accommodate the number of guests you are inviting. Will it be in somebody’s home, in a hall, in a restaurant, fellowship area of a church? Will you need extra tables and chairs to accommodate the number of guests you have?
5. Gather information together on baby registries the mother-to-be has registered with so that you can include this information in the invitations. Encourage mom to include large items like cribs, car seats, and playpens for family or groups who may want to go in together and buy a significant gift as well as including smaller gifts like clothing, baby gift baskets, bedding, and bath items.
6. Will there be a theme? If yes, decide what it will be.
7. Plan the menu. Will you serve a full meal or appetizers? Will it be catered or will family and friends make and bring the food to serve?
8. Will there be games? Baby shower games are generally considered optional.
9. Send out invitations at least two weeks before the shower date (include registry information, a map/directions to the location, and RSVP information).
10. Plan and buy or make the baby shower favors for guests.
11. Order the cake.
12. Pick up decorations and plan to spend some time decorating your intended location the day of or the day before.
13. One week before the baby shower, confirm you final guest count. Make any phone calls you need to for those who did not RSVP.
14. If your baby shower needs to follow a schedule, write a timeline prior to the date so you stay on time and organized.
15. Ensure somebody is preserving the baby shower memories with cameras and videos for the mother-to-be.
16. Have somebody keep track, in writing, of gifts that the mother-to-be opens and who it is from for thank you cards. Have garbage bags nearby for discarded wrapping paper.
17. Relax. Enjoy the day with family and friends.

There is a lot that goes into planning the perfect baby shower, but if you stay organized, you can pull it off!

Kimberly Green has planned many baby showers and always goes with the perfect gift – baby gift baskets

As baby showers get more and more popular the celebrations get more and more extravagant. This is a guide for getting the most out of your baby shower by giving tips on the best entertainment, party favors and baby shower gifts.

With babies come baby showers. These are great parties that celebrate life and the birth of a new child into the world, family and community. In some cultures these parties go on for days. The party can be pre-birth or post birth, boy oriented, girl oriented or even unisex oriented. They can be small social gatherings among family and friends or they can be large community celebrations with entire towns joining in the celebration. They can be blow out bashes with celebrity entertainment and expensive baby show gifts or low-key intimate settings. It’s obvious to see that every culture celebrates the birth of a child in many different manners but one thing remains the same across all cultures. That celebration is one of joy, excitement and rejoicing!

Planning a baby shower can be a daunting experience as well as a rewarding one. If you are the one in charge of this task and you plan to plan the party on your own there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you want o gauge the size of the party. Usually contacting the parents of the expected mother or even the best friend (if you are not that person already) to obtain a guest list. Not much can be worse then if you forget to invite that one special person. When this happens it can be a downer for the whole party. Once you have the guest list completed it makes planning much easier. It allows you to determine how many party favors, place settings, food and drink you will need to keep things lively or the full party. Just guessing on the amount of people you plan to attend the party is a recipe for failure. Failure is not an option! After all, you have an expected mother to make happy!

Once the basics of the party are planned you need to make sure the mother to be is taken care off. One of the big pluses for the expecting family is the fact that they will receive baby shower gifts to help sustain them for the first few months of the baby’s life. It’s expensive to raise an infant so this is a great opportunity for that family to get a little help from their friends. If the mother to be has announced the sex of the child it makes it a little easier to plan for gifts. If they have not, you will need to stress to the guest that unisex items will be best. This will help to ensure all gifts given will be affective and useful to the parents. Try to get the mother to register at an online store and a retail location. A gift registry makes life very simple for a party planner and also helps those attending the party ensure they get a gift that is useful to the guest of honor. All you need to do with the baby shower gifts is make sure everyone knows what sex they should be buying for and where they should buy (if the family is registered somewhere.) It’s then out of your hands and fate will be your guide!

Once you have that taken care of you need to figure out your entertainment. There are many online guides for baby shower games that are fun for everyone. In many cases these games are free or can be put together with general household items. Most people like games because it helps the time pass and it keeps everyone excited about the party. It’s also a good transition between food and diving into those baby shower gifts. Depending on your level of party professional entertainment might be sought out to ensure party goers and the mother to be are fully entertained. This can be expensive but if this is an option for you, it’s likely that you are aware of this.

The key to a successfully party isn’t always how much you spend. It’s the celebration of life that makes it special. It’s easy to hit a home run at a party like this. Simply make sure you celebrate baby and mother above all else and make sure the focus remains on the celebration of life!

K. Green loves to shop and always finds the best baby shower gifts

If you have been invited to a baby shower, then you’re probably thinking about baby shower gifts. The mommy-to-be surely has a gift registry available, but you want to try and find something special and unique. So, where to look? Hopefully this article will give you some ideas for not-so-common gifts that are perfect for a baby shower.

The day of the baby shower is just around the corner, and you’re still wracking your brain, hoping to figure out the right kind of gift to buy for the expecting mother. With so many options out there, where should you start? Gift registries, gift idea magazines, even articles such as this have so many ideas to throw at you, that it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed. Well, you should try and start simply.

First, consider the big ticket items that are very popular as baby shower gifts. Cribs, bassinets, Moses baskets, and other furniture items are popular choices for gifts for a baby shower. Of course, these items are somewhat expensive, so in many cases it is the close family member or friends of the mother to be that purchase them. Or, party guests may get together and purchase a playpen, car seat, recliner or other high-priced baby shower gift as a group present.

More economical choices for baby shower gifts are popular for obvious reasons. It’s always nice to be able to give the mommy-to-be your very own present, one that is just from you, will be enjoyed, but won’t necessarily send you over budget. These types of gifts for a baby shower include such essentials as diaper bags, travel packs for the car, baby wipe warmers, diaper pails, crib bedding sets, baby monitors, bottle warmers, slings and baby carriers.

Finally, there is quite a list of low-end baby shower gifts that don’t cost a lot, but definitely provide the recipient with function and appeal. Packages of diapers, diaper organizers and changing table organizers, books on parenting and babies, baby toiletries like nail clippers and brushes and combs, bibs, bottles and pacifiers, other eating utensils like plates and bowls, and toys and soft, plush animals.

Of course, you don’t necessarily have to purchase pre-manufactured and pre-packaged baby shower gifts. If you really know the interests and preferences of the expecting mother, consider putting together a care package for her, her baby or even both of them. If she is planning on breastfeeding, skip the purchase of bottles, and instead assemble a care package that contains supplies and essentials for breastfeeding. The same approach could be used for a woman who is planning on using cloth diapers for her baby. Your choice of baby shower gifts for her might be a package of cloth diapers and covers.

Remember, no matter what you choose to purchase for your choice of a baby shower gift, be sure to remove price tags and include a gift receipt before the day of the shower.

The baby shower is a time-honored tradition that has transcended many different cultures over centuries of generations. While times have changed, the idea of offering practical, helpful and unique gifts has remained paramount when trying to find that perfect gift for mommy and baby.

Today’s incarnation of the baby shower started shortly after WW2 and has become quite the celebration of life. We’ve transitioned from small family oriented celebrations to larger parties that, in some cases include entire towns and last several days. In America, traditions have stopped with pre-birth celebrations that usually see party sizes ranging from close personal family to large circles of friends.

If you are the mommy to be, a baby shower can be one of the most exciting times of your life. After all, that day is strictly to celebrate new life and a bond between mother and child. It should be a blessed day filled with joy. For a party participant it can be a day filled with emotions that stir up memories of a first child or for future plans for children. It can also stir up emotions of competitiveness. After all we are all human and pulling out the “best gift of the day” award is quite the accomplishment!

If your goal is to share in the glowing light of mommy-hood as well as being the top gift giver in the crowd it is very important to select a thoughtful, useful and exciting gift that will not only serve as a functional item but as a keepsake for years to come. One such item is the tiered diaper birthday cake that not only gives a great cake for future diaper storage it comes with 200 very practical disposable diapers. If you are going for the sentimental “hand me down” heirloom, the Rockabye Baby Rocking Horse would be an excellent time honored and traditional choice!

Often the grand slam of baby shower gifts will be the baby’s first plush teddy bear. A unique gift in that same realm would be the Jo-Jo Giraffe stuffed animal or Bailey the bunny cashmere bunny. If you decide to go this route, be cautious and check out the color scheme and layout of the baby’s new room. A bunny in a room of teddy bear prints would stand out like a sore thumb.

Ultimately the perfect baby shower gift doesn’t come down to how much money is spent but the thoughtfulness of the gift. Listen to the mommy, take notice of what the baby’s room looks like and find the perfect gift that will not only fit the needs of the mommy but will serve as a great keepsake for the baby.

K. Green sharing her insight to finding the perfect unique baby shower gifts. She knows that thoughtful baby shower gifts are definitely among the most cherished.