A couple of weeks ago I hosted my younger sister’s baby shower. She’s having her first (a little girl!) in November.
I hosted her wedding shower a couple of years ago, so the guest list read almost the same.
We were having a light lunch, so I outsourced the desserts to a local baker in Orleans who I had seen at the Cumberland Market. Tada Desserts has cookies, squares and peanut butter balls that are amazing. I got an assortment of all of that and everybody in attendance agreed it was incredible.
The grandmothers-to-be both brought food to help and I made wraps and snacks as well. I set up a drink station and everything seemed to be a great hit (I should do a post with some easy entertaining tips soon!).
Meanwhile, my sister was spoiled. Not only by her guests but by a generous blog sponsor as well. Fisher Price sent me gifts for the new mom and dad to be and while I knew Fisher Price was generous, I never could have imagined she would have been this spoiled.
A swing, jumperoo, play mat, aquarium, diaper bag and onesies (with an Owl print on them! Matching both her nursery decor and the shower theme. A wonderful coincidence!).
She received:
The My Little Snugabunny Cradle n Swing
Discover n’ Grow Kick & Play Piano
Ocean Wonders Aquarium with Remote Control
As we looked at the gifts, I couldn’t help but remember when I received many of these same items at my shower. I had the aquarium (which my son in particular liked to watch) and the swing (at the time I had the Oceans Wonder swing. My son *needed* to be in constant motion and he loved sleeping in the swing while the ocean waves sound was on).
What I love about many of these items is that a) I used them a lot and they lasted through both kids b) they make wonderful shower presents! A group of people can go together on an item, or you can gift it to parents-to-be and will be ensured a very happy reaction!
Here are my tips when buying gifts for a baby shower:
- Sentiment goes a long way: A thoughtful gift with special meaning will hold a special place in the parents-to-be hearts for a long time. Put some thought into the gift and they won’t forget it.
- Practicality reigns supreme: If they’ve registered, following the registry is likely a good idea. Sure, you may feel that the monitor from Brand A is the same a s Brand B, but if they prefer Brand B there may be a reason.
- Group gifts: This is where gifts from Fisher Price would be perfect. Join your resources to get a gift that they want and may need but is often costly for a couple themselves.
- Something tried and true: Some of my favourite gifts when I had the kids were items that other moms had already used/tried and just loved. By sharing your favourite items, the new parents will already know why that product is something that’s recommended – because you’ve told them why.
My sister recently sent me these pictures to share – her and her husband set up the swing and the jumperroo!
disclosure: this post is in thanks to Fisher Price who generously gave my sister some really amazing, and needed gifts for her first baby. All opinions are my own. A huge thanks to Fisher Price for continuing to create some pretty fantastic products for parents.
I really love how you provided tips for gift buying! Especially love how great and simple the tips were and how easily transferrable they can be for other events (i.e. birthdays).
I’m particularly partial to tip #3 and even created a free website to this very concept. Since doing so, my kids and friend’s kids have recieved group gifts towards really awesome things like a wooden dollhouse, hockey equipment and lessons, swingsets… My site is new so it just felt great seeing that other moms, like you, see the benefit of group gifting! Thanks for making my day 🙂
Great blog!
Rheanna