Gifts & Games: A Modern Mom’s Baby Shower

Gifts & Games: A Modern Mom’s Baby Shower

With the mood centered around a new life, you’ve already got happy faces surrounded by tons of pastels. But what are some fun games to play during the baby shower and what are worthwhile gifts for the expectant modern mother?

It’s All Fun and Games

Don’t Say Baby: This game requires not much more than a bunch of old fashioned wooden clothespins and a board announcing the rules. Prop the rules at the entrance to the baby shower, asking everyone to take a pin and wear it. When somebody says the word “baby,” the first person to catch them gets to take their pin and the person with the most pins at the end of the baby shower wins the game. This game keeps people actively listening in conversations and is a great ice-breaker.

Predict the Baby Photo: Lighten the mood of the baby shower with loads of laughter. Blow up photos of the soon to be mommy and daddy’s faces to an 8-by-10-inch paper size. Have guests cut sections of their adult faces out and re-assemble them in a collage to get a sneak peak at what the new baby might look like. Let the mom-to-be select the “best” photo collage.

Baby Bingo: Offer baby bingo cards to your guests at one of the main tables and have them fill out a blank card with their best guesses on what the baby shower gifts will be. Alternatively, you could print out some pre-determined cards from sites like Babbee. As the expectant mother opens presents to all of your oohs and ahhhs, guests get to cross out the squares they got correct until someone gets BINGO!

The Best Gifts to Give

Swaddling Blankets: Moms know that new moms need lots of baby body suits and cuddly baby blankets. However, not all new moms know how to use swaddling blankets effectively. SwaddleDesigns offers a variety of organic swaddling blankets, premium cotton flannels and soft open-weave styles with swaddling instructions sewn right into the blanket. When baby brain gets the best of the new mommy, the 123 Swaddle instructions can be a lifesaver. And, the Ultimate Swaddles are sewn in Seattle, Washington with U.S. cotton—so you’ll feel good about gifting these must-have blankets to the mom-to-be.

All-Organic Baby Supplies: The European Union has banned nearly 1400 chemicals for use in cosmetics, while the U.S. has only banned or restricted 11. Why not help launch the life of this newborn in a safe, healthy environment by giving their family an array of baby soaps and lotions from lines like BeautyCounter, Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics or Aubrey Organics? Earth Mama is a favorite for breastfeeding moms because of their natural nipple cream.

Children’s Books: Most babies will quickly grow into little toddlers who will immediately figure out how to use their parents tablets and phones. Buck the trend of all the high-tech gadgets. Modern parents are going old school and appreciating the beauty that comes with touchable, holdable books. Compile a list of your childhood favorites and cross-reference them with some well curated lists of the top children’s books of all time to create a beautiful gift basket of literature for the impressionable young minds of the next generation.