Tips for Planning the Best Baby Shower Games

November 20, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

Some of the most important and memorable experiences of a baby shower are the baby-themed games that are characteristic of the American baby shower. Games and activities make up a big part of the fun and excitement in the celebration that will welcome your new coming baby into the world. When it comes to picking the right games for your shower, be sure to center your activities on the overall theme of the party. Consider the number of guests that have been invited, your budget, and the location of the baby shower, in order to choose the games that will be best suited for your event. Creating a combination of traditional, timeless games and new, original activities is always a good way to go to add festivity to the segment of the shower whereby Mom opens up all the newborn gifts.

Games can be classic and general, or more specific and tied to your theme. One of the most universal baby shower games that everyone seems to love is called “Dont Say Baby.” At the beginning of the baby shower, each guest is given a string with a pacifier on it, which he or she ties on his or her neck as a necklace. Throughout the course of the baby shower, nobody is allowed to say the word, “baby.” Whoever slips and says “baby,” risks losing their pacifier; any person who hears someone say the forbidden word is entitled to take their pacifier and add it to their necklace. Even when she opens up a newborn baby gift, no one can exclaim how neat the baby gift is. At the end of the baby shower, whoever collects the most pacifiers on their necklace is the winner of the game.

Another good classic activity is “Guess Mommys Belly Size.” For this game, you will need yarn or string, and a pair of scissors. Each guest proceeds to pull and cut the yarn or string to the size they believe that the mommys tummy is. After everyone has estimated the size of the mommy-to-bes stomach, measure the actual size of the belly, and cut the string or yarn to match that length. The person whose string is the closest in size to the string that was cut to mommys real tummy measurement is the winner.

A fun and amusing game that is always a hit in baby showers is a “Blindfolded Baby Food Race.” In this game, you will need a few volunteers to act as the “mommies” in this game, and matching pairs to act as “babies.” Mommies will be blindfolded and the babies will sit on their laps. When the clock starts, the blindfolded mommies have to feed the babies as quickly and efficiently as they can. To make the activity more pleasant for the “baby” volunteers, it is important to purchase yummy, fruit-flavored baby foods. Otherwise, your guests will be making funny faces as they try to gulp down peas and asparagus flavored puree. The mommy-and-baby team that finishes the fastest is the winning pair.

Games add fun, spirit, and laughs to your celebration that are sure to make lifetime memories that will never be forgotten. Be sure to get small gifts for the winners of the games with anticipation. The prizes that you buy for the event are completely up to you, depending on your shower theme and budget. Whatever the case may be, be sure to make the game-planning and prize-choosing process enjoyable and fun! The whole event, including games, food and opening all the unique baby gifts for the new little prince should be a memorable one for everyone.

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Unique Baby Showers Invitations That are Fun

November 18, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

Giving out invitations for your shower should be something exciting that you look forward to. Although traditional “Its a Boy”and “Its a Girl”invitations are a safe and classic choice, creative invitations are bound to leave your guests itching with anticipation to attend your shower. Today, there are numerous companies that specialize in creative invitations for all types of events.

A “message in a bottle” invitation is a clever way to announce the birth of your baby. These can be purchased from a company or can even be made at home with materials that can be bought at a local craft store. A typical “message in a bottle”invitation is composed of a decorative paper with all the invite details, rolled up and placed inside of a plastic or glass bottle. To customize this idea in order to fit a baby shower, use baby bottles instead of regular plastic or glass bottles, and throw in some colorful confetti.

Personalized candy bars or chocolate boxes are another new trend that has spread around the United States rapidly. These make great baby shower invitations! You can alter and personalize the design of the wrapper to match your baby shower theme. Include all the event details like the date, time, place, and RSVP number. A company can professionally make these invitations, or, you can use a candy bar invitation wrapper template that can be found online to design your invitations.

Cute baby shoes can also be used as adorable little invitations. You can purchase tiny baby booties in the color and style of your choice and place decorative note card invitations inside of the baby shoe. Baby shoe invitations are relatively new and uncommon, but make lovely and charming invitations.

With new technologies emerging, it has become easier to create unconventional invitations like the “baby picture”invitation. When expectant mothers get an ultrasound at the doctor, they can ask for an ultrasound picture. This picture can be used to design clever invitations with a picture of the baby inside of the mothers womb. Many people find this moving and heartwarming.

Another type of invitation that has become possible to create with technology is the e-mail invitation, otherwise known as e-cards or e-invitations. There are numerous different types of e-mail invitations that you simply choose and customize to make it your own. Then, e-mail the invitation to all your guests. For this type of invitation, an e-mail list will be necessary instead of a conventional, mailing address list.

Some more common ideas are invitations cut in the shape of baby bibs, baby bottles, diapers, and other baby-related shapes. These are simple, classy, and chic, and can be bought in a party store or can be designed by you. Now, you can even buy musical baby shower invitations.

The list goes on and on for creative baby shower invitations. There are no right or wrong ways to invite people to your baby shower. These ideas are sure to make long-lasting memories.

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Exciting and Fun Prizes and Games Make the Baby Shower an Event to Remember

November 13, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

Baby shower games can be very entertaining and exciting for both the expectant mother and the guests. Choosing or making prizes should be equally enjoyable for the host of the baby shower. Prizes are pretty much up to the host to decide on, and can range from homemade, personalized gifts to store-bought presents. When it comes to selecting the types of prizes that you will use for the baby shower, keep in mind that creativity is key.

A sweet-and-simple idea for prizes that will suit anyones budget is a candy baby bottle. For this, all you will need are empty baby bottles, candy, and ribbon. Fill empty baby bottles with candies and chocolates, close the baby bottle with the top, and add your own decorative touch with ribbon or other accessories, if desired. Dont be hesitate to add your own style to the bottles and personalize them”unique gifts are the best ones!

T-shirts can also be personalized and used as gifts and/or prizes. You can design your own T-shirts and have them made for your shower. This makes for a cute gift and is a wonderful keepsake. T-shirts have recently become very popular for events like baby showers.

Candles and bath treats are amongst the most popular prizes for women. Women seem to love anything and everything that has to do with spa treatments and that relates to pampering themselves. Most women love aromatic candles, gift soaps, lotions, and body splashes. These will definitely be a hit at your baby shower.

Another thing most women cannot live without is chocolate. A beautiful box of fine and exquisite chocolates makes an excellent gift that all your guests will definitely enjoy.

Gift cards and gift certificates are a recent trend that is a crowd favorite! General, broad department stores like Macys, Target, and JC Penney are good choices for gift cards. Restaurants and coffee shops like Olive Garden, T.G.I. Fridays, and Starbucks are great picks, too. Dont forget about video rental stores and electronic stores like Blockbuster Video and Best Buy; they are top picks among young adults today.

Coffee mugs filled with candy, picture frames, and other household items are a favorite among housewives and people interested in interior design. Stationary kits and personalized journals are cute and simple, and make wonderful gifts. Another favorite for women of all ages is a flower arrangement or bouquet.

If you enjoy baking scrumptious desserts, make homemade cookies or brownies and decorate them according to your showers colors and theme. Wrap them in a clever and unique way, and dont forget to personalize them. This idea is simple, convenient, and easy on your pocket.

Prizes make the games and activities more fun and exciting by adding an adequate amount of competition, along with motivation and enthusiasm. Gifts and prizes make everyone feel special and proud. Whether you choose to make your gifts or buy them, personalize them and add your special touch. Be fun, be creative, and most importantly, be you!

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Shopping for Baby’s First Birthday – Great Strategies and Tips

November 2, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

You have your baby’s first birthday gift shopping list penned, now it’s time to check it twice! The list is only the starting point. Even with a list in hand you are unprepared to navigate the shopping land mine. The next step for seasoned shoppers is research. You know what your toddler wants, but it is easy to become distracted by other gifts that are just too cute. If you have created your list with care then the treasure chest, easy bake oven and red wagon will be just the right stuff.

Research begins with sale advertisements. Get your hands on as many of those sale circulars as you can and begin to read. Find out what is on sale; amend your list if necessary. A word of caution here: don’t let a good sale draw you off target.

Holiday Shopping Diva Secret: Hold the course

If your list is complete, and each child on it is well supplied with gifts to fulfill their birthday fantasies don’t be tempted to add to it. At a certain point one more gift becomes gluttony. I had a friend who made this her mistake. She just could not pass up the good deals. Sometimes, the children have so much to open they got bored, asked when they could be finished and eventually they simply stopped opening gifts. Abandoning wrapped packages, they went off to play.

The unopened gifts were scooped back into hiding and made their debuts for birthdays the following year. Some even survived a yearlong hibernation to re-emerge the following year. My friend confided in me that she even had more gifts than what she and her husband had chosen. They had already decided they had gone way over board and never even brought some gifts out.

Holiday Shopping Diva Secret: Research-based choices

As you research, you will find many good deals. Carefully decide if it is the deal or the gift that is too good to pass up. If the gift itself is perfect, then adjust your list substituting appropriately. This is one advantage to doing the research before you begin shopping. Your list becomes the super list! You will know that not only are you getting the best possible toys for your baby, toddler or teen, but that you are also getting amazing deals.

After you have combed the sale ads and you know where your best deals are, arrange your list in some sort of priority pattern. If the Radio Flyer wagon is the most important item, then you had better put it at the top. If saving money is your number one goal then the priority list needs to be arranged by the best deals.

To further boost success you can group items together by location. This prevents the need for second trips because you forgot something. It could happen in the excitement of scoring that coveted train table for Joshua, that you forget the baby cradle for Lucy. This means you’ll have to go back to the same store again.

Saving time and money can be done effortlessly with an intention to do so, in a fun manner and easy manner. After all, buying birthday presents should be fun for the gift-buyer, too.

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Baby Naming Ceremonies Around the World and Their Histories

October 28, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

The purpose of a baby shower is to celebrate the arrival of a new baby, and to welcome the little one into the world. Today, expectant mothers often decide to know the gender of the baby before they give birth, and it is known ahead of the baby shower. However, in some cases, parents choose to wait until the due date to know the sex of the baby and be surprised the day that the infant arrives.

In American society, when the gender of the baby is known, parents often begin brainstorming ideas and deciding on some names that they believe will be perfect for the baby. In many cases, parents already know what they want to name the baby even before the child is born. This is not the case, however, for various different cultures.

There are a variety of different cultures that view the baby-naming process from a completely different perspective. Each cultural group generally has some sort of a baby-naming ceremony or traditional process. From the Jewish to the Japanese, each culture views the act of giving a name to a baby from a very interesting and distinct angle.

In Japan, the baby naming ceremony is typically held seven days after the babys birth. The name is written in Kanji, which are Chinese characters that are usually used in the modern Japanese Iogographic writing system. On this seventh day, the Japanese give their children a first name and a last name, but no middle name, which is a common custom in American society. Girls are usually given names that are associated with purity and morality, and boys are often associated with their position in the family.

Greek families also often name their babies on the seventh day after their birth, and sometimes on the tenth day. Traditionally, first-born males are named after their paternal grandfather, and first-born females are named after their paternal grandmother. The Greek Orthodox Church also strongly influences the baby-naming process, and many infants are given the names of saints. Because of this saint name acquisition, children acquire their saints name day. Therefore, many Greek Orthodox people celebrate their lives on two occasions: their actual birth date and their saints name day.

For many Italian and Hispanic cultures, baby names are also often influenced by religion. In these areas, the Roman Catholic religion is the most prevalent; therefore, biblical names like Maria (in Hispanic culture), and Paulo (in Italian culture) are common.

In Jewish culture, baby girls have what is called the Zeved Habat ceremony, while baby boys have the Berit Milah ceremony. The Zevet Habat is a small ceremony held at a home or in a synagogue. During the ceremony, which is led by a Rabbi, the mother recites a word, the name-giving prayer is said, and she then gives thanks to everyone.

There are countless different ways of naming a baby, and there is no right or wrong method to giving your child the perfect name. It is interesting to see, however, the traditions and customs of baby naming across the globe.

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Baby Gifts are Fun to Open at a Retro-themed Baby Shower

October 27, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

A common trend today is to have different era-inspired, retro baby showers. These themes work great regardless of whether the baby is a boy, girl, or if the parents choose to not know the gender of the baby until the date of birth. Great decades from which to base your shower on are the roaring twenties, the rock-n-roll fifties, the hippie sixties, and of course, the unforgettable eighties. Do some research on each decade, and pick the one that you love the most, and that you think you can be the most creative with.

The twenties were a blast, and a twenties-themed shower will definitely be a blast, too. The music alone will have people dancing and smiling. Specify in the invitations for the gals to wear their most twenties-like dresses, and for the gents to wear a tidy suit. The more the outfits match what people wore in the twenties, the better. Award the person with the best costume. Decorate the room with big band and swing decorations. You can have toy musical instruments as centerpieces, and provide hats for the gents and twenties headbands for the ladies. Put on some great music, and make everyone get up and dance the Charleston!

The fifties is a great decade to pick for any party theme. On the invitations, tell the ladies to wear poodle skirts, and tell the guys to wear leather jackets, and tell all your guests to get ready for the best ice cream social ever! Play classic rock-n-roll in the background to set the mood to your fifties celebration, and decorate your party room with fifties inspired pictures and dcor.

Serve different types of ice cream with a variety of toppings, and have your guests each make their own sundaes! For a twist, also serve bananas for those that want to make their own banana split. Make or buy fun mini jukeboxes for centerpieces. For a fun game, have your guests partner up for a dance off, and award the best pair.

If you or any of your family members was a hippie back in the sixties, that might be the era of your choice. This theme is fun and easy to assemble. Decorate the whole area with hearts, happy faces, and music notes. Tell your guests to wear their bell-bottom jeans, and psychedelic tie-dye shirts. If you have an Afro wig in your closet, pull it out, because this sixties party is going to be groovy! Buy toy school buses and decorate them as they did in the sixties; these make great centerpieces. Dont forget to play some groovy tunes and dance, dance, dance!

For a cool eighties-themed baby shower, send out a funky invitation and tell your guests to wear their favorite retro outfits. For an easy outfit, wear leggings or tight jeans, and cut off the neckline of an old T-shirt. Wear a headband and pull your hair up to a side ponytail.

Cool eighties movies or old music records make great centerpiece bases. Decorate them with colorful dcor and candy, and youve got great, inexpensive pieces. For a fun activity, put on a Richard Simmons dance workout video, and award the best dancer. Remember, regardless of which era you pick for your baby shower, do your research and be as creative as you can!

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Baby Shower Gifts – Consider Baby and Toddler Toys

October 27, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

If you decide to choose a toy as your baby shower gift, it is important to consider things like simplicity, practicality, how educative the toy is, and its ability to develop the infants senses through different colors and textures. Every year, toys for infants and toddlers are rated using many criteria in order to recognize and award the best, most useful, and most beneficial toys for babies.

This article will feature some of the top-rated infant and toddler toys, and the characteristics that make them great. Remember, there are tons of toys out there that are comparable to the ones that won awards (and might even have more features), which are available for a fraction of the cost. Note the attributes that make them top quality baby toys, and aim for gifts that match or beat these award-winning characteristics.

Some popular toys of this era are those that help babies develop their sense of hearing, touch, and sight. Musical toys are some of the most purchased toys these years, and one musical toy that has stirred up commotion and praise is the Learn and Groove Musical Table by LeapFrog. This table for infants and tots from six months to three years is a bilingual learning table that teaches children the alphabet, counting from one to ten, colors, and first words in both English and Spanish.

The Learn and Groove Musical Table is great for developing motor skills with gadgets that teach skills like sliding, spinning, opening, closing, pulling, and pushing. This toy features over fifteen musical activities and over forty songs! LeapFrogs Learn and Groove Musical Table has won many awards such as the iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Products.

Another wonderful toy for building your babys motor skills is the Amazing Baby Developmental Light-Up Pullstring Musical by Kids Preferred. This cool, star-shaped toy has a baby-safe mirror, a peek-a-boo flap, features flashing lights, plays “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and is suitable for babies from ages birth and up. A dangling heart, butterfly, and sun rattle are great attachments on this musical toy that are wonderful for developing your infants sense of sight and touch. The ten-inch toy is very versatile and will attach to a car set, crib rail, stroller, and a diaper bag. Kids Preferreds Amazing Developmental Light-Up Pullstring Musical is the winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award.

LeapFrogs 10th Anniversary Hug and Learn Baby Tad is a tenth edition, award-winning toy that is full of interactive activities for your baby. This baby tad teaches infants the different parts of the body, letters, and numbers; it emphasizes basic movements, motor skills, and language acquisition skills. This 10th Anniversary Hug and Learn Baby Tad will even play classical music for your little one, which is proven to be good for the development of your mind.

The common characteristics amongst these award-winning, stellar toys are the development of movement and language skills, an emphasis on the five senses, and intellectual advancement; today, the best-rated toys are the smartest toys.

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Baby Shower Diaper Cakes Make Wonderful Baby Shower Craft Activities

October 22, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

A common new tradition that began a few years ago is to include an arts and crafts segment as part of your baby showers itinerary. Arts and crafts are a great way to create fun and excitement, and to strengthen bonds between friends and family. Many women, and even men, enjoy spending time together while practicing fun activities like arts and crafts. Today, there are several baby-related crafts that are a blast and will create a great time for your guests at your celebration.

The most common craft for baby showers is probably the diaper cake. This is a group activity that all your guests can do together. This is a great way to start the party, as it creates a mood of togetherness and establishes unity among all your friends and family. For this activity, you will need around fifty diapers, fifty feet of a smaller, narrow ribbon, and eight feet of a thicker, wide ribbon. Cut the fifty feet of thin ribbon into one-foot segments.

Have your guests roll up each diaper and tie in place with a thin piece of ribbon. Ribbon can be baby blue for a boy, and pink for a girl. For a more neutral color, soft green or light yellow work fabulously. Start the base of your diaper cake with twenty-five diapers; stand them together in a circle. Use fifteen diapers for the next level of the “cake,” and then eight diapers for the top level of your cake. Make each level separately and tie each group of diapers, or each level of the cake, with a strand of wide ribbon. Now, stack the levels of the diaper cake in order from largest to smallest, and you should have a wonderful baby diaper cake!

Baby bottle sand art is a fun craft that render fabulous souvenirs that your guests can take home. All you need for this activity is at least the same amount of baby bottles as your number of guests, different colors of sand, and funnels. Baby bottles can be the simple, inexpensive ones, and the sand should match your color palette for the baby shower. Distribute the baby bottles among all your guests. Have them fill the baby bottles up with several layers of different color sand using the funnels, and then close the baby bottles with their tops.

These turn out beautiful, and they are easy to make; they also make great party favors from which your guests can always remember your baby shower. For a special touch, you can have ribbon that has been personalized with your name and the date of the shower. You can also have stickers made with the title of the event and the date, and stick them on the baby bottles.

Scrapbooking is an art that so many people have come to love nowadays, and also makes a great craft at baby showers. You can give each guest a layout page and supplies, and have them decorate a background page. These can be put together to form an album for the baby shower.

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Baby Gifts are the Main Attraction at the Baby Shower

October 20, 2009 by Edie Mindell  
Filed under Baby Toys

When it comes to baby showers, one of the moments most anticipated is the gift giving segment of the event. There are no words that can describe the feeling when you are watching the mommy-to-be reach for the present you gave and begin to open it. The excitement is overwhelming, and your heart fills with joy as you watch her eyes glisten while she unwraps it. The best part of all this is satisfaction knowing that your gift is unique, original, and will be of great use to the mommy-to-be and her precious baby. This article will offer some great gift-giving ideas that are distinct, extremely useful, and will make the expectant mother smile from ear to ear.

One heartwarming idea that is adorable and shows thoughtfulness and care is a personalized piggy bank. These days, parents are placing an emphasis on saving for their babys future and career. A customized piggy bank with a financial seed towards the babys savings fund makes a great gift from a family member. This is not only a cute gift, but also a smart one; it is crucial that parents begin thinking of their childs future from the day they are born. Some people prefer giving a piggy bank with a gift card from a baby department store or childrens clothing store.

Baby gift baskets are also very original, and each basket is going to be a one-of-a-kind gift. Buy a decent sized pretty basket (the material, shape, and color of the basket are up to you), fill it up with items that you think will be the most beneficial to the expectant mother, and decorate it. Popular items to fill your baby gift basket with are baby bottles, bibs, pacifiers, infant toys, baby clothing, and gift cards. Some people throw in a little something extra for the mommy, such as a spa massage gift card or a book. Candy and chocolates can also make your basket sweeter, and will satisfy some of mommys cravings. Whatever you decide to put in your basket, make sure to make it is personalized, and consider items that you know the expectant mother will need or want.

Personalized baby jewelry is a popular gift in Latin America, but not so common in the United States. A tiny golden bracelet with the babys name is endearing and beautiful, and it will make a great keepsake as your baby grows older. Any kind of baby jewelry, whether it be personalized or not, makes a wonderful gift which everyone will think is absolutely adorable.

Today, a new trend for mothers in the United States is to sport a cute, stylish baby diaper bag, which they can easily turn into tote bags or even laptop cases once the baby grows older. From designer baby bags to non-label, trendy baby bags, there are numerous different types of diaper bags that will look great and fit budgets of all sizes. Some popular designer baby bags, or multi-function totes, as they call them, are made by COACH, Kate Spade, and Louis Vuitton. However, today, there are many non-label, cool baby bags that are equally as trendy and a fraction of the cost.

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