Baby Shower Prizes

At a baby shower, fun is the name of the game. And it's not always directed at the mummy to be! Baby showers are a great excuse for women of all ages to get together and although men aren t exactly excluded, the truth is that these do tend to be women and girl centred events. But do be careful to invite the daddy to be as well so he doesn t feel left out.

If you've never been to a baby shower be ready for alot of fun and excitement. Games which focus on pregnancy, birth and babies are perfect and you'll be amazed by the inventiveness of some people. Ideally, baby showers are organised by a couple of people other than the mother to be so the pressure's off just one person.

Food, games and prizes are always popular at baby showers and if you put some time and energy into these areas, everyone's bound to have a great time. Consider having a theme baby shower or a pink and blue colour scheme. If you know the sex of the new baby then you could go all out on making the shower perfectly suited to the baby's gender.

Baby shower games

• Gather up some baby dolls and have a race to see who wraps their baby in the quickest time. The person with the best wrap in the least amount of time wins a prize.
• Divide the group into teams of two and give each other baby boy or baby girl hairstyles. The most authentic wins a prize.
• Have your guests eat a jar of baby food which is fed to them by another person. This is really funny if the person feeding the baby is blindfolded -but be prepared for the mess!
• Organise a card reader to come to the baby shower so they can tell the guests fortunes. A focus on babies and children works really well.
• Get everyone to wear a bib and nappy made up from a towel and held together with pins. The person who looks the most ridiculous wins a prize.
• Play pin the nappy on the baby.
• Ask everyone to bring a photo of themselves as a baby. Number each photo and ask the guests to write down who they think is a match.
• Get some pink and blue tulle, ribbons, needles and thread and ask everyone to make a baby hat. Give a prize for the most creative.
• Ask all the guests to recite a nursery rhyme or lullaby. The most correct wins a prize.
• Ask everyone to write out their favourite baby food recipe-the most delicious and healthiest wins. No cheating allowed by looking at smart phones!
• Ask everyone to write out a silly name for the new baby. For the rest of the shower, everyone needs to refer to the baby by the silliest name.
• Make a plaster mould of the expectant mother's tummy. Of course you'll need to be sensitive to her wishes with this idea.

Baby shower prizes

Baby shower prizes don t need to be big and extravagant. The idea is that they are a token, a small thank you to guests for coming and sharing in the day. Novelty items work best and keep the fun factor ticking away. Look for prizes which are sure to raise a laugh and keep the mood light.

• Some terracotta pots and seeds. Ask the guests to plant these when they receive news that the baby has been born.
• Coffee sachets, or designer tea leaves-you could place a few together in a small basket or mug wrapped in cellophane.
• A few weeks before the baby shower, have a planting weekend with pots and herb seedlings. Presenting these to guests is a lovely and personal idea.
• Hand lotion, bath bombs, soap and body wash are always gratefully received.
• Attaching a dummy or nappy pin to the gift adds to the fun.
• A lovely scented candle or aromatherapy oil with a burner.
• A gift certificate for a few dollars from a department store.
• Chocolate or lollies in any shape or form. Jelly babies are a great prize for baby showers.
• If you're feeling really generous you could arrange for a gift certificate for a pedicure or manicure. You could even arrange for a nail technician come to the baby shower and they can work their magic on your guests.
• A special tea towel, face washer or hand towel with soap.
• Mesh bags containing potpourri. You could make these up at the baby shower and get everyone to take their own creations home.
• Manicure sets.
• Bundle up some shower gel, shampoo and conditioner sample size tubes and wrap them in cellophane. Attach a tag saying Thanks for your gift at my baby shower, now it's your turn to have a shower on me .
• Gift vouchers from an aid organisation which are child focused such as Unicef or Care Australia. A mosquito repellent net, vaccination or chicken for a needy family certainly provides a good feeling to everyone at the baby shower.
• A magazine, coffee bag and chocolate bar. This is a great wind-down present to be enjoyed later on.
• Stationery kits-if you're really keen you could stamp and decorate these, making them really cute.
• An inexpensive photo frame.
• A nice pen and pad set.
• Cook some nougat, biscuits, slices or cakes before the baby shower. Wrap them up individually and share the love and calories! You could include a little hand written tag thanking the person for coming.
• Sugared almonds maintain the blue, pink and white and wrap them up in tulle and ribbons.
• If the baby shower is at the end of or at the beginning of a new year, a diary is always popular.

Go to any of the large haberdashery stores such as Spotlight or Lincraft and browse their aisles for ideas. You really don t need to spend a lot of money on baby shower prizes and remember that often, the most creative ideas work best.