Oh baby!!

**In honor of the arrival of Baby Girl Banks! 

Love, Your Favorite Auntie!**

A baby shower is offered for all new additions to a family and is a time to shower the “Mommy-to-be” with love and gifts.  Traditionally, it was for women only, but in 2009 – anything goes!  In the past, only one shower was held but today “Mommy-to-be” may celebrate on several occasions – once with friends, again with family and maybe even a 3rd time with co-workers. 

There are so many ways to celebrate and depending on the mood you want to set, a shower can be very elegant, very casual or anywhere in-between.   There is no right or wrong way, but make sure your budget fits in with your plans.    The actual planning of a shower can be stressful and time-consuming because there are lots of small details that have to be considered.  Below is a checklist to help the hostess(es) stay on track, enjoy the party, and plan accordingly. 

Baby Shower Checklist – Who, what, when, where?

1.) Who will give it?  The Hostess(es). 

One hostess is all that is needed for a baby shower, but since it’s impossible to be in more than one place at the same time, having more than one hostess can be a definite advantage.  With two or more people, you can split the duties and costs.  It’s a lot easier if you have someone to greet guests while another person is setting up and/or presenting.  Things always go a lot smoother when you have several people who can help with the “workload”. 

2.)  When to have it?  The date. 

A baby shower should be held 1 – 2 months before the baby is due.  This ensures that you will avoid cancellation of the event in case of early delivery.  This will also allow enough time for “Mommy-to-be” to do all her final baby preparations after receipt of her gifts. 

3.)  Where to have it?  The venue. 

Baby showers can be held at various places.  The hostess’ home is not unusual, but any location is acceptable.  For example, the shower can be held at a restaurant, church, community center, conference room, or even a park – if the weather allows.  Regardless of the location, the shower should only last 2 – 3 hours. 

4.)  Who to invite?  The invitations. 

Have “Mommy-to-be” to decide on the invitation list.  After all, it is her party.  Unless of course it’s a surprise – then have the closest friends and family members to make up the list of invitees.   A new modern trend is to invite men, but ensure that “Daddy-to-be” is on board before the planning begins.  Whatever you decide, make sure that several different people review the list to confirm that EVERYONE that she wants there is invited to the shower. 

5.)  What to serve?  The menu. 

The food is very important to the shower and can be a fun part of the planning process.  The time of day that the shower is scheduled usually determines the types of foods that are served.   You can keep it simple and make things easy by selecting items that can be made in advance or purchased if necessary.   Here are a few things to consider when selecting the menu:

• How to serve the food – buffet style or sit down meal
• How many guests
• Theme of the shower, if you have one
• Whether or not “Mommy-to-be” is ok with serving “alcohol” – if so, check out http://www.preggatinis.com for recipes and ideas! 

There are a few other small miscellaneous things to remember when hosting a baby shower:

• “Mommy-to-be” is the most important person at the shower
• Make sure that you have enough chairs for the guests
• Greet every guest with a smile
• Keep track of time
• Plan a few mini-activities to break the ice and occupy guests as they arrive
• HAVE FUN!! 
• HAVE FUN!!
• HAVE FUN!!