We love Ann Douglas. Below is Ann's suggestions for making a baby shower special for the guests and the mom-to-be. Baby Showers Solutions Q/A - by Ann DouglasQ: I hate attending baby showers. Now I have to organize one for my best friend. Do you have a few tips on what I can do to make this event fun for the guests and meaningful for the mother-to-be? A: Why not plan to give the mom-to-be a guided tour of Planet Mom? Here are five fun ways to encourage the party guests to pass along their best mothering tips:
- Picture Perfect Advice: Create a poster for your friend that features an eye-catching photo (perhaps a shot of your friend’s very pregnant belly). Ask each guest to jot her favourite tip on the poster as she arrives.
- AdviceCam: Most shower guests are natural-born hams and will welcome the opportunity to offer on-camera advice. By the end of the party, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind motherhood video to pass along to your friend.
- Recipe for Success: Include an index card with each baby shower invite, and ask each party guest to jot down her best advice on the card.
- First Year Survival Guide: Purchase a scrapbook and ask party guests to jot their best bits of mother wisdom on to pages dedicated to such themes as “chasing down the sandman,” “taming the laundry monster,” and “making time for romance.” Voila! The ultimate first year survival guide!
- Postcards from the Edge: Ask each party guest to purchase a postcard which best symbolizes what the early weeks of motherhood will be like (a mountain climbing expedition? swinging from a trapeze?) and to include their best mothering advice on the back.
Ann Douglas is the author of numerous books about pregnancy and parenting, including The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, The Mother of All Baby Books, The Mother of All Toddler Books, The Mother of All Parenting Books, Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, and Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler. Find Ann online at www.having-a-baby.com.