Tips For Choosing Baby Shower Foods

A baby shower is a very exciting celebration in every parent's life. Since this event happens for only a few times in every family's lifetime, it is important to make this event memorable for the family and all the other people involved in it.

Throughout the times, the way showers are held has changed. Before, it was only held to welcome every family's first born child but now any children may be welcomed to the world with it. It also used to be an all-women celebration where men were not really allowed to join but today, there are already some showers that are predominantly held for the father. Despite these changes, the purpose of welcoming the baby with gifts and best wishes are still retained.

Baby shower celebrations are basically divided into several segments including the entertainment part and the dining part. Both of these are very crucial to the event because these also determine its success. For now, we would be focusing on the baby shower foods.

Even though this type of event is almost similar to other get-togethers, the decision on the baby shower foods is still of great importance. The menu must be well planned to make sure that people will enjoy the meal and the party will progress finely. Just a slight mistake with the meal could lead to a disaster which is why it is very important for the baby shower organizer to put this aspect as one of his priorities.

One way of making the baby shower foods would perfectly complement the party is by making sure it perfectly suits the party theme. Baby shower parties are popular because it is one of the often-themed celebrations of all time. By coordinating the food with the theme, the guests will be able to have a greater realization of what the party is all about. The food can help improve the ambiance which will enhance the overall experience

Making sure that the food is also according to the mother's preferences will make her feel more special. Since the party is basically for her and her baby, it is just right to cater everything she would want. Do this by asking the mother for any specific dish she would want to be included and try your best to grant her request. If she stays happy, the guests will be on a good mood and the party will be a blast.

Also consider the allergies that the people involved may have. An allergy attack can ruin the entire party or worse, it can cause bad memories. So as much as possible, see to it that everyone will be able to enjoy their meals without worrying about any adverse reaction they might acquire. If you think this is unavoidable, keep a first-aid kit nearby.

The baby shower foods should also depend on the time of the party. The goal of serving the meal is to keep the guests full so that they would be energetic for the party. If it is lunch time or dinner time, make sure to serve full meals. Otherwise, opt for light ones.

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How to Find the Right Catering Service for Baby Shower Foods

Before you order the foods to be served on a baby shower, it is best to consider first the type of main courses, desserts, appetizers, and beverages that must be included in the menu. Bear in mind that ideal baby shower foods are those that include the essential nutrients needed by the mom-to-be. Serving mouthwatering dishes would be useless if these could compromise the mom-to-be's health. You should not make rush decisions for the selection of foods. Instead, you have to make a research of the foods that are safe to be eaten during pregnancy. If you are not sure about the foods in your list, you can consult a medical expert and ask him to check your food list.

When you are done with the food menu, you can proceed on finding the right provider of these foods for the party. Among the best ways to start this is by asking for recommendations from your family members, colleagues, and friends. You mat ask them about the restaurants or any food providers that offer reliable catering services with reasonable costs. The name, office address, contact details, and other important information regarding their recommended food providers should be listed in a notepad for your reference. You may also add your options by making a research over the Internet for a list of all restaurants and catering firms based near your residence. It is very important to check their profile, the history of records, and the foods they provide. You have to make sure that the foods they provide are guaranteed to include fresh and clean ingredients. The foods should be also well-cooked and to be served hot, except for cold desserts and drinks.

As soon as you complete your list of options, your next step is to contact them one by one. This is to determine their charges for the catering service as well as their availability on the target schedule of the event. You should also ask them if they offer discounts or special food packages. Once you have made the initial transaction on all of the food providers in your list, you have to choose 3 to 5 of them as your top options. After that, you should present to your top options the list of baby shower foods that you want them to serve. Give them enough time to make their pricing and necessary discounts for the service you need. You may also ask for updates about it through phone or a visit at their office.

Once all the catering firms have submitted their pricing for the baby shower foods, you have to take time on making your final decision. Aside from the cost of their food packages, it is also important to consider how the food provider deals with their customers. After making your last selection, you have to contact again the one that you picked to finalize your order. You should also give them the exact address of the venue as well as the necessary contact numbers where they can give their updates for the service.

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Practical Gifts for a Baby

When you're attending a baby shower, you'd always think of what items would make useful but lovely presents. Among the things you'd find in stores as practical gifts for baby are baskets of different items he or she would need for bed, bath, play, or any other newborn activity. Gift sets or baskets are not just practical for the recipient, but also for the giver. You can even choose to make your own or you can just choose from the readily available baby gift packs in stores.

The most useful gift set you can give is not a real wicker basket, but a diaper bag. Fill the bag with all the essentials for a quick travel. You can put in a small pack of newborn-size disposable diapers or cloth diapers - whichever the mother prefers. If you're giving cloth diapers, be sure you include diaper pins or clips in the bag. A hooded baby blanket would also be nice. You can include a couple of baby bottles or travel-size bottles of baby wash and lotion. A unique touch would be to pack in a disposable camera, so the parents can easily take photos of baby's first day out.

Books these days aren't just for older babies. There are many books now that are produced especially for the babies who are in their first few months. Look for soft-cloth books that would be nice for baby to hold in his or her first months. These usually have bedtime themes. There are even bedtime books that come with a small, soft blanket that the mother can use to tell the story. You'll also find waterproof foam books that your baby can bring in the tub. To emphasize the use of such books, they usually feature stories about bath time activities. Books made of thick boards are also great gifts for babies in their first months.

If you'd like to give toys, you can use a toy wagon, instead of a basket or a box. You can put in rattles, squeaky toys, and soft animals and shapes that can be attached to the stroller or car seat. Remember that babies grow fast and outgrow toys faster than you can imagine. You can include toys appropriate for babies from 6 to 12 months. So you can also include shape sorters, balls, and other toys that stimulate the senses, particularly sight and hearing.

You'll get a lot more ideas for baskets of gifts for baby showers. It would be best if you know what the parents haven't bought yet for their baby. The suggestions here will give you a good start, though, in thinking more creative presents for this type of event.

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Sports Themed Baby Shower Ideas

A creative and fun theme to use for your baby shower is a sports themed one. If you're hosting the shower, ask the expectant parents if there is a special team that they would like to highlight. If they're sports' fans, they will love this idea. For example: Alyssa Milano chose to have an L.A. Dodgers baby shower since she's a big fan of theirs. (She actually had it at Dodger Stadium by the way.) Even if you don't focus on a specific team, you can always make it a general sports baby shower that includes several different types of sports: baseball, hockey, basketball, football, and soccer.

Invitations can be cut into any of the following shapes: a ball, a bat, a helmet or a jersey. Hot glue tiny pieces of cloth and buttons to add personality to your invites. Another cool idea is to have the invitation shaped like entry tickets. Ask everyone to wear something related to sports: whether it be a jersey, a baseball cap or a team sweater. Just make sure that the necessary information is printed and the phone number to get in contact is easy to read on the invites.

Decorations really depend on whether you choose to have a certain team or just a general sports theme. In any case, use helmets, jerseys, balls and other sports equipment to adorn the tables and walls of the shower. Balloons can cover the wall right behind the main foods' table. Place an order with a local bakery for sugar cookies that are sports themed shapes. Display these cookies on the foods tables in glass bowls. The cupcakes can also be sports themed design with royal icing and displayed on a 4 tiered glass tray.

Create an awesome decorative by hanging a clothesline and pinning adorable sports baby outfits, bibs, booties and hats onto it. Create a sports themed diaper cake with disposable diapers and sports baby toys. Diaper cakes are very useful and affordable centerpieces and they're fun to make too. Sports themed helium balloons can be tied to flower bouquets on the guests' tables.

When guests arrive have each person write their name and their guess as to how many jelly beans are in the main jar. During game time, the person with the guess nearest to the right amount without going over wins the game. Of course, someone has to count the jelly beans before the party starts. Another cool game to play: win, lose or draw with sports related words. The team that figures out the most words first (just by what the hostess is drawing) wins the game. Write a list of sports related words before the shower.

As for favors, you can have baseball bat shaped key chains, sports themed figurines, or even a sports themed coffee mug for friends and family to take home. Use cellophane and white satin ribbons to wrap the sports themed favors. If you purchase them in quantity they come out much cheaper. An inexpensive idea is to make sports themed goodie bags with chocolates and candies for everyone.

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How to Make Wonderful Decorations for a Baby Shower Venue

If you want to plan something unusual that will delight your guests, then you must give importance on the venue decorations. In baby showers, the planning for decorations follows once the important details such as the venue and date of the party have been finalized. There are also some planners that prioritize the foods before the baby shower decorations. Just like in the foods, the plan for the decorations also depends on the chosen theme and the approximate number of people attending the party. As the baby shower planner, you have to be creative enough in choosing the materials to be used for the decoration.

Usually, there should be emphasis on the guests' chairs and tables. To do this, you have to carefully select the chair covers and table cloth to be used. Take note that white is the ideal dominant color for simple but elegant baby showers. This is to enhance the essence of the welcome rite for the first-time parents' first child. You can then choose any secondary color that will enhance the appeal of the white venue, but still in accordance to the party theme. The arrangement of the table sets also matters. As much as possible, you have to make the event venue appear to be spacious for a better environment for the guests. Meanwhile, another part of the decoration that should be given emphasis is the table center which holds a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a chocolate fountain, or an ice sculpture.

Ribbons, flowers, and balloons are just some of the common party decorations on the walls. It is also best to have a single color of up to three different shades for this type of decorations. In some baby shower themes, back drafts and various props are also included in the party decors. You can also do the same but you have to avoid over decorating the venue. This is to prevent making the event crowded as well as to eliminate impractical expenses. Also, you have to remember that too much decoration possesses some risks or accident.

Although the actual decoration of the venue is to be done a day or some hours before the event schedule, it is best to prepare all the necessary materials and tools to be used. Make sure that everything in the decorations checklist has been obtained before doing so. You also have to ensure the operability of the lightings, ventilation, sound and multimedia system, and various electronic facilities that will provide special effects for the party.

On the other hand, here are some saving tips if the budget is one of your main considerations when decorating the venue. First, search for the nearby party stuff stores that offer affordable prices and discounts. The earlier you do this, the higher your chance to acquire discounts and special offers. Then, you may also make use of your resourcefulness in transforming the existing decorative materials into stylish baby shower decorations. In addition, you can also ask for recommendations from friends and family members for those that offer affordable rental services on the technical equipment to be used in the event.

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The Top 5 Gifts to Give at a Baby Shower

Baby showers are a fun and magical time. This is because the expectant mother and her friends celebrate the pending miracle of childbirth. Many pregnant women doe everything that they can in order to organize a great baby shower. This is because they really like the gifts that they will be getting. Part of the tradition of a baby shower is the giving of gifts. This is because the friends and family of the expecting mother try to do their part to make things easier for her. This means they would give great gifts like the Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump and the Avent Isis IQ Duo. If you are looking for ideas on what gifts to give for a baby shower, here are the top 5 gift ideas.

Baby Clothes

This is a really big help for mothers because it can help cut down on their expenses. Babies outgrow baby clothes fast and this is the main reason why giving baby clothes is a good idea. If you plan to get baby clothes as a gift, you really should coordinate with others who also plan to give baby clothes. This way, you can give baby clothes of varying sizes.

Baby Bottles

Baby bottles are always welcome. Newborn mothers are often very busy and washing bottles can take up too much time. If she has a lot of baby bottles, she will not be pressured to wash bottles as soon as possible. This means if you are looking for a safe gift to give, then you should check out baby bottles.

Baby Bathtub

Bathing an infant can be quite challenging. This is because you need to support the baby while you run his or her body through water. A baby bathtub just makes things easier and the mother will truly appreciate it if you give one as a gift.

Used Diaper Storage Bin

Used diapers can stink. Unfortunately, you cannot just throw it in your garbage can and just wait for the can to fill up before you throw it. A used diaper storage bin enables you to keep all your used diapers in a place that does not emit stink and attract flies. Once the bin fills up, you can then throw it away.

Baby Book

The baby book is the ultimate resource for new mothers. Every question that they ask will be answered by the baby book. This is a very thoughtful gift to give to a mother. While other trinkets are impressive, the baby book is also equally impressive because it helps prevent new mothers from getting anxious or paranoid because they lack the answers.

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