Baby Shower Ideas and Tips Need a Baby Shower Checklist? Click here Looking for Baby Shower Games? Click here Need ideas for Favors? Click here Need Invitations to a Baby Shower?Click here Need Thank You Cards for the mom to be? All our cards can be printed with "Thank You" or the Mom to be's name. Click here History of The Baby Shower from The Baby Corner The "showering" of a the "Mommy-to-Be" has been popular in many countries for hundreds of years but not in the style we know it today. Gifts were given when after a baby was born -- usually at the baby's religious christening or at the baby's debut (it was very common until the middle of this century that no one was invited to the house until the baby was at least a month old because of the fear of diseases). In the very late 1800's, Victorian ladies began having teas for mommy but not till after the baby was born because pregnant women did not appear in public. In the early 1900's, the teas transformed into "showers" (based on the "showering" of the bride before her marriage) and umbrellas became symbolic because it was customary for ladies to carry parasols when they attended these afternoon gatherings. Almost all of the gifts were handmade except the silver that was given to the babies by the grandmothers. In today's world, baby showers are customary and great fun -- especially for a first-time mommy and are referred to as "sprinkles" for mothers having second or more children. Are you hosting a baby shower and not sure about a few things? Here are some ideas from pregnancy.about.com . Who can have a baby shower? While it was once traditional that only the first baby have a shower, we are now having showers for every baby. After all, each baby is special! Baby showers are also very popular for the adopted baby. When to have the shower? Usually in the later stages of pregnancy, say in the last two months. Sometimes babies come early and are able to attend their own baby showers. It really depends on the parents. Some parents want to know the gender before their showers. Others wait purposefully for the baby to arrive, either from cultural belief or other personal reasons. Many times adoptive parents wait until after the baby has arrived in their home or until the adoption is final. Who throws the shower? Typically, the shower is hosted a family member from either side. Sometimes you'll even see multiple showers from each side of the family, work, or friends. Anyone can host a shower. They do not have to be related to you. Here is a guideline on the do's and don'ts of hosting a party. The main thing to keep in mind is your guests comfort. Do's: Send invitations in a timely manner. Always give enough time for guests to RSVP. Include directions in the invitations Greet all guests at the door as they arrive. Provide name tags if you have a large attendance Introduce guests to one another at the beginning of the party. If you have a seating arrangement, sit people together who know each other or have something in common. Provide tables for your guests to sit and eat if a meal is planned. Please don't expect them to eat with their plate in their lap. Bring the gifts to the mom-to-be as she opens gifts. She shouldn't have to carry anything - especially anything heavy. Write down which guest gave a certain gift. This will help the mom-to-be when it comes time to send thank you cards. Be sure to have enough party favors on hand. A little extra is good just in case! Get the party started on time and keep events moving at a good pace. You would be surprised just how long it can take to eat, open presents, play games, talk and eat cake. Walk guests to the door as they leave. Dont's: "Attend" the party - meaning: you should run the party, not sit back and relax. Eat before your guests do. Serve the mom-to-be first, then guests, then yourself. Leave first. It's considered rude. Exclude inviting guests that the mom-to-be wishes would be there. Forget to thank guests for coming as they leave. Who comes to a baby shower? That depends on the planner(s). If it's a surprise shower, you might ask someone close to the mom-to-be to help make a guest list. You might invite only co-workers if it is a work place shower, or family members if it is a family shower, or everyone to one big shower. You might also decide on a couples shower. Something that should be added here is to be mindful when inviting friends or relatives who have experienced recent losses or are suffering infertility problems. Many will feel left out if not invited, as some well-meaning people tend to do. The best advice is to ask them personally if they would like to come and be respectful of their choice. What about the guys? Many men are entering the realm of baby showers these days. The couples shower is an appropriate way to celebrate a new baby. While this is a new tradition, many men are enjoying these get togethers, as are women. Are themes appropriate? Yes, although a bit more difficult than planning say a wedding shower. Some typical themes are:   · The nursery decor   · An around the clock shower - Give each guest a time of day to purchase an item that might be used for that time of day.      Examples: 8 AM - Clothes to get dressed for the day, 2 PM - crib bedding for nap time, 2 AM - Tylenol, coffee, or diapers.   · Mother shower! Shower mom with gifts for her. A neat twist to the usual baby items. What do you do at a shower? This can depend on your theme, but doesn't have to. Usual activities include games, presents, food, or special activities. What do you eat at a baby shower? If you are hosting a theme based shower, you could try to match food to that particular theme. Your most important factor will be time of day. If you are having a shower at noon or dinner time, guests usually expect a full meal. Early afternoon or early evening you can serve cake, punch, and light finger foods. It is a good idea to make sure that what you are serving can be drank or eaten by the mother-to-be. Alcohol is not a good choice. Try sparkling cider instead. Looking for a menu for your baby shower? Nothing would make an expectant mother happier than an afternoon tea party with lots of sweet treats. Rather than serving a traditional pot of tea and typical tea sandwiches, offer an array of beverages and nibblers, including hot and cold teas, scones, cakes, tarts and homemade butters and jams. To avoid overloading on sugar, consider serving tea sandwiches with a tasty twist. Whatever you choose to make, there's no doubt that the mother-to-be will leave her shower feeling loved -- and stuffed! ~ Read more here What kind of games can you play? Games, ah, the good stuff. Games can be fun, they can also be torture! Keep your audience and the mom-to-be in mind when planning games. Don't play a lot of "girly" games if you are inviting the guys. Try some newer games the guys can enjoy as well. Some examples include: drinking milk out of a bottle race or a diapering contest. If you have a mother-to-be who might be offended by weight guessing or waist guessing games, you might consider leaving them out. You can buy prepackaged games, but the best are usually home made! One really fun game is to have everyone place paper plates on their heads and attempt to draw a picture of the mom-to-be. Everyone gets a good laugh from this one. Don't forget to save the plates to show the child when they are older! Presents? They can be based on a theme. Many couples now register for baby related items. Thank you notes? A nice alternative for the mom-to-be is to have everyone self address an envelope. Then use the stack to draw a name for a door prize. Someone wins a prize, and the mom-to-be doesn't have to address all those envelopes! Need baby shower thank you cards? All our cards can be printed with "Thank you" or the mom to be's name. Click here Door prizes or prizes for games. Try to keep the prizes fairly generic. A gift certificate for dinner or the bookstore, maybe some candles. The gifts do not have to be extravagant and should be fun. Again be mindful of your guests.