baby shower on a budget?

[HelenePA]

Maybe find a duck ice cube tray to make duck ice?

 

[pixiewings71]

You guys are the BEST!! Thank You so much for these great ideas!! I love the number on the ducky lotto in the punch thing. LOL I do have floating ducks so I think I'll do that one. The punch we make is Tropicana Twister with Sprite and frozen raspberries...that could work.

Katie, we are doing the don't say baby one but I got pastel colored tiny clothespins instead. They are super cute.

I've got prizes, I found a lot of stuff that is co-ed at Michael's dollar spot so I picked them up. Her DBF is coming as well as his Dad so I thought it would be nice for me to have guy type prizes too. I was lucky in that aspect. I got take out style goodie boxes and will fill those will little things and we have baby bottles filled with bubble bath. Not really so guy friendly but I don't think they will mind too much.

None of her friends could afford to do this, my BFF is helping a lot (she's helping with food and decorating) but we couldn't do this at her house, my other Bff has too many dogs to do it, it's a mad house (filled with love but very chaotic) and my other Bff lives in an apt. So, it's me and my house or nothing, since I'll be missing the birth and most of the firsts I'm doing this shower. I really don't care much about etiquette like that, I want to do this so I will. And yes, it's costing me a ton of $$! LOL But that's why I came here, to get more ideas and you guys have pulled thru for me! Thank You all soooooooooo much!!!!

 

[starann]

We just did a shower for my BFF...her mom, myself and another BFF planned the shower. My mom planned mine and my sisters.....

A nice idea, if your daughter wants to make a scrapbook for the baby...have scrapbook pages for people to write well wishes on

OR

if she isn't into scrapbooking, you can provide nice index cards for people to write a 'tip' for parenting.


For favors at another shower I held, we made sugar cookies in the shape of footprints and iced them with pink and blue and put them in a baggie with pink and blue ribbon.

Have Fun!

 

[pixiewings71]

I was thinking cupcakes with white cake mix colored lavender and green or green and yellow because those are the colors we are using. But, I love the sugar idea too!!!! How cute!!!

I like the scrapbook page idea too, we don't really scrapbook but I think I'll have some pages with "baby" backgrounds so I can have everyone sign those when they get here!! Super cool idea!! Thank You!!

 

[meliss8599]

GAMES

1. Put various baby items (pacifier, baby spoon, aspirator, baby nail clippers, nipple, etc.) in numbered brown lunch bags; pass them around and have people feel through the bag and write down their guesses on a sheet of paper next to the appropriate number. The individual with the most right, wins a prize. TIP: Double bag the items as the bags can get ripped easily with so much manipualtion.

2. Wrap various aromatic items (baby powder, hard boiled egg, baby food, etc.) in newborn diapers; pass them around and have guests guess what's inside; most correct guesses wins. This one is absolutely hysterical and gets the guests really going.

Congrats to you and your daughter! Have fun!

 

[torinsmom]

Oh, I just remembered another game. The host bought some baby items and put them in a basket. It was covered on a table. Everyone had one minute to look at the items and then it was covered again. We had to write down all the items and whoever got the most won a prize. It was things the mom-to-be could use, like Desitin, baby nail clippers, diaper wipes, etc. You could get trial size baby shampoo, etc to make it a little less expensive.

Marsha

 

[jjenniboo]

Personally, I don't think it matters who throws the party. The fact that someone cared enough about the momma to be and the baby is all that matters in my opinion.

Anyways, I just threw a shower for my sister and brother in law who are adopting (she'll be born Oct. 13th ) so here's a few things I did.

I made decorations out of things that she could use later. I bought an inflatable duck bathtub at walmart and used it for ice (I floated a little duck in it too), made diaper cakes as centerpieces - not exactly budget friendly but a nice idea, and I also put up a clothesline along a wall full of clothes I bought on clearance or on sale along the way.

Hope any of these ideas help.

 

[pixiewings71]

Melissa, DD suggested the paper bag game, we may or not do that. I was going to do the one Marsha suggested with the covered tray and you have to remember what was there. I have a lot of stuff though so maybe we can do both. Melissa, I love the aromatic game idea....omg, how funny!! I may have to make that one happen! LOL

Jenniboo Thank You for the ice holder suggestion, I looked at the directions for the diaper cake, I may do that but time is tight this week so it will depend.

Thank You ladies!

 

[mgrebenc]

I thought this was fun. They had pictures of famous people's babies on a large posterboard with numbers next to them. As people came into the room, while waiting for the shower to start they could mull around the poster and try to see how many they could get. It was a nice filler instead of having people sit around twiddling their thumbs. The person who correctly guessed the most won a prize. They had Tiger Woods baby, Donald Trumps baby, Brad Pitts baby, Tom Cruise baby and several others.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Hate to say it, but Prncess is right. Moms and grandmas don't give showers. Aunts, cousins, friends, co-workers -- they can host showers. Immediate relatives cannot. A mom might help out with food, but she shouldn't be the official host.

that goes for bridal showers as well.

 

[sb4k]

SIL here throwing shower here. We sent out the invitations on a post card I printed. Saved a few on invitations and postage. We are looking for a good punch recipe. I'm hoping to have 1 nice decorated cake and then a couple that I bake or maybe brownies. We're mostly having a dessert bar. We did put on the invitation a cute poem about bringing a book instead of a card. We too are trying to keep it "simple".

 

[pixiewings71]

I thought this was fun. They had pictures of famous people's babies on a large posterboard with numbers next to them. As people came into the room, while waiting for the shower to start they could mull around the poster and try to see how many they could get. It was a nice filler instead of having people sit around twiddling their thumbs. The person who correctly guessed the most won a prize. They had Tiger Woods baby, Donald Trumps baby, Brad Pitts baby, Tom Cruise baby and several others.

Oh that sounds fun!! Thank YOU for that idea!!

 

[pixiewings71]

SIL here throwing shower here. We sent out the invitations on a post card I printed. Saved a few on invitations and postage. We are looking for a good punch recipe. I'm hoping to have 1 nice decorated cake and then a couple that I bake or maybe brownies. We're mostly having a dessert bar. We did put on the invitation a cute poem about bringing a book instead of a card. We too are trying to keep it "simple".

I used evite.com for my invitations. LOL DD didn't care, she called the people she didn't have emails for.

For punch we do (I may have posted this already, sorry if I did) V8 Splash or Tropicana Twister mixed with Sprite and frozen fruit, I usually do raspberries but you can do blackberries or strawberries as well. I'm doing mine with peach mango V8 Splash so I think I'll use frozen peaches.

 

[Stucas]

I didn't go through this whole thread, but in case it has not been said:

NO games guessing how much the Mommy to be weighs or how big her stomach is. Nobody likes to see a pregnant lady cry....and sadly I have a few times.

You never know how she will react...even if you tell her about the game in advance....all it takes is one person to guess your 100lbs over your weight to ruin your day!


-Lauren

 

[pixiewings71]

LOL no worries Lauren, we won't be doing this game. But Thank YOU for your advice.

 

[kimmtd]

For some fun games We did (me & my mom hosted) for my sister:

1. My water broke! > buy little tiny plastic babies (Walmart, craft store> like 1/2-1inch, found in the cake decorating/craft area) They are usually cheap! Freeze one baby in each spot in an ice tray. Everybody gets an ice baby. First one to free their baby wins! (Hilarious how many women will gnaw through that ice!)

2. What's that flavor? > buy several baby food jars> take off label and have people guess the flavor. ( tasting was allowed, but most declined)

3. Whose got the dirty diaper? > we made diapers out of felt (cheap! Kind of a triangle folded and pinned), and put a little mustard in one of them (you couldn't see it until you unfolded it). People wore them with pins. We also used them to play don't say "baby". Whoever had the dirty diaper at the end of the party wins!


For prizes, we used soap & lotion from Bath & Body Works. We hit one of those sales like 5/15 or so. Reasonable prices, nice prizes> we had them in a basket and winners picked out what they liked.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

I just recently went to a shower and they played the hardest but cutest game. The mixed safety pins with rice and you had to pick the pins out of the rice. You were blind folded, it is unbelievable how much the pins felt like rice when you cant see them.


Also we did one game where you had to be a busy mom for a day. Two people held out a clothes line(they used a jump rope) The participant had to carry a baby, talk on a phone, pin baby clothes to the clothes line while the two holding it swayed the clothes lined. It was funny.


congrats g-ma hope you will get to see that bundle of joy eventhough she is moving 10 hrs away.

 

[MrsPete]

I'm from NC & almost everybody's mama throws the baby shower.

I'm also from NC, and though everybody's mama (and mama-in-law) is invited to the shower, I have never, ever seen a mama of any age, generation, or socio-economic level throw a shower for her daughter.

Manners aside,

Don't forget a coursage for the mother-to-be. It could be real flowers, or it could be one of those coursages made from little socks.

Set up a comfortable chair for the mother-to-be. Leave space beside it for gifts. Have someone nearby ready to write down who gave her what; she won't be able to remember later, and she'll want to be able to write personal notes later. Another ettiquette note: Do NOT write out generic thank you notes to people who've gone to trouble to pick out something nice and come to your shower.

Lots of people do drop-in showers these days rather than traditional several-hours w/ games showers. If you do this, it's a couple hours and people can just come by anytime.

Don't forget to take pictures.

 

[HelenePA]

I'm also from NC, and though everybody's mama (and mama-in-law) is invited to the shower, I have never, ever seen a mama of any age, generation, or socio-economic level throw a shower for her daughter.

Enough already.. she's throwing the shower weather you think its "proper" or not. Go start your own thread this is Off Topic. Ooooooh start one on showers for 2nd babies or 3rd babies like I had

 

[4 mickey]

Hi
Just a question that's crossing my mind ...anybody threw a baby shower luncheon at a restaurant ??? as we will be maybe 25 or more people I was thinking of asking people to meet us at a restaurant bring only a small gift or gift certificate ( BABY'RUS or such ) .....I say 25 but who knows it might be 28 persons or more so I tought a luncheon might work any advice on that ?? or anybody went to a shower wich wasn't held at home but in a restaurant ?
thanks