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Baby's FirstThe first year of a baby’s life is filled with so much excitement and so many accomplishments. Parents flood their cameras with pictures of baby’s first bath, first day home, first visit to Grandma’s, first time sitting up and so many more firsts. It is a time where parents can forget that they are grown and really see the magic in discovering things all over again as their baby discovers them for the first time. With all the magic surrounding baby’s first, is it any wonder that this is a popular baby shower theme that can work particularly well for a Couples Shower or even as a theme for a Baby Sprinkle. For the creative bunch of guests, a Baby’s First theme can even be blended with a Scrapbooking Shower theme where the guests help make special scrapbook pages for the new parents that highlight all the firsts that baby will have in the years to come. Then, as baby grows, the parents will only have to insert the photographs and details of those special moments into that page.
Try to find balloons with the number 1 printed on them in the color scheme that will match the rest of your decorations. To add to the festivities, place different sized number ones throughout the room. You can find many at party stores since they are often used for first birthday parties. You can also find some lovely keepsakes that have “baby’s first” engraved on them to place around the room. I would also use lots of flowers for the room, since first’s are momentous occasions. Try large bouquets filled with gerbera daisies, Glamini® Gladiolus, lilies, and blue statice. Make sure to have lots of greenery in the bouquets as well. Don’t worry about overdoing it since you can move the flowers around to make it seem less overdone and more celebratory. Lastly, I would place a few things that baby would be experiencing for the first time; things like baby food, toys, shoes, and as a present and decorations, a nice stroller for baby’s first ride in the park. Also: main decorations section Invitations Since there are usually special gifting arrangements to be made for a Baby’s Firsts baby shower, I would suggest reflecting it in the invitation if mom wants certain types of gifts. Mention the shower theme in the invitation and ask that they bring gifts that are specific to a baby’s firsts. If you are asking people to bring for a specific theme, give them the option to choose from two or three themes that you provide them with and ask that they RSVP you with their selection or you should assign gift themes and then have a few extra for people to swap with if they contact you. Regarding the invitation itself, I would purchase one with a baby and a “1” on the front. You could also use invitations for baby’s first birthday. Make sure that you clarify that it isn’t a first birthday but a Firsts shower since you could confuse people when you send the invitations out. As long as you clarify inside the invitation, you’ll be fine. Also: main invitations section
Gifts for the new mom and baby can be just about anything, ranging from furniture to clothing but you want to keep it themed in with Baby’s Firsts. Some ideas are: Baby’s First Bath: A bathtub filled with cloths, towels, bath bubbles, shampoos and lotions for baby to use whenever he or she has a bath, and most importantly, his or her first bath. Baby’s First Solid Food: This can be a little basket filled with everything a new baby needs to have his first serving of solid food, usually infant cereal, and it can include baby spoons. I love to give the ones that change colors if the food is too hot, bowls, plates; even collector ones, Tupperware for storage and travelling and bibs. Baby’s First Night at Home: This could be a great gift that you pool together with other guests. Perhaps a bassinet or crib and all the bedding that baby will need. It should also have a special sleep toy for baby although he or she won’t sleep with it until he or she is much older. Baby’s First Tummy Time: A floor exercise mat is perfect for this theme and you could tie it in with some very stylish and comfortable baby exercise clothing. Yes, they have them, cute little track suits for baby. Capturing all the Firsts: Another idea for a shared gift idea, or a great gift for a very generous family member or friend, is a stack of baby books and albums, film for a camera if they aren’t on a digital yet, or vouchers for photo developing. It can also include a digital camera or a video camera to capture the wonderful firsts that baby and parents will share. If the parents do not already have something like this, it is extra special because this will enable them to capture all those memories that can easily be forgotten.
There are many other firsts that you can use for gifts or you could simply forget about the themes and just ask guests to bring baby items that would reflect a first for baby. For the guests, I would suggest making up thank you cards that can be attached to the gift bags. Have baby’s first photograph, the ultrasound printout, reproduced on the front of the card and a special message inside. Some great gifts can be candies, books, potpourri filled satchels or a special knick-knack with the words “Baby’s 1st Party” placed on it somewhere. Prizes for baby’s firsts can be number games, puzzles, fun little toys and of course those beautiful, oversized flowers can be sent home as prizes. Also: main gift section & main favors section
Like many other baby showers, food does not have to be theme oriented. Personally, I would add a few things that tie in the theme of firsts by having things like baby food jars on the table and maybe a few bottles. I would also make a Baby Stroller Fruit Dish and purchase an ice cube tray to make ice cubes shaped like 1’s to put into the delicious punch. On the cake, I would put, “Baby’s Firsts are an adventure!” and ask the person who is making the cake to decorate it the way they would for a first birthday. You might even be able to get the cake itself shaped like the number 1. Lastly, I would use paper plates and cups that are made for a first birthday. Also: main recipe section
Since you have all that wonderful baby food laid out on the food table for decoration, I would suggest playing the game Name That Food contributed by Bonnie in Philly. Make sure that you take the labels off beforehand, even when using the food for decorations, so that people can’t cheat by looking at the labels before the game. Another great game for a Baby’s First baby shower is to write down a number of firsts that adults can have and call the game “I remember when”. This can be geared for great first’s they had as children or as young adults or both. The guests pull out a first and then tell a story of their first. This can be pretty funny and it will get people into talking about some wonderful memories. Stories can be judged by the mom to be and the hostess and the guest with the best story wins a prize. Lastly, you can take the game Celebrity Babies contributed by Jen, and alter it slightly by having guests match the celebrity to their first child. Also: main games section Do you have an idea to add to this theme? Send it to us!
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