A Time to Offer Well Wishes and Blessings to the New Arrival
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Baby showers are believed to have originated sometime in the eighteen hundreds and were basically a small tea party where friends and relatives of the new mother would gather to welcome her precious new bundle of joy into the world with gifts, hand me downs, and helpful advice.
A baby shower is a symbolic showering of love and gifts upon a new mother. Things have not changed too much throughout the years. Friends and family still gather to shower the new mother with love and gifts today.
Baby showers are arranged by caring friends and family to congratulate the expectant mother and to help the parents out with the costs involved with a new baby’s many needs. Their feeding, medical, and washing needs are much different than our own. Babies come into the world needing virtually everything to insure they are safe and content.
Is the Shower a Pre-birth or Post Birth Party?
There are many types of showers designed to welcome a new baby but the two main categories of distinction are pre-birth and post-birth. Sometimes the gathering is held before the birth of the baby and at other times it is held after.
Because new technology now allows parents to know the sex of their child well in advance of birth some families opt to share this secret with family and friends at their shower.
Knowing if the new child is a boy or a girl can greatly aide as a guide in the color choice and selection. When this knowledge is not shared there do come some specific rules attached to the pre-birth present.
Color choice is very important. Traditionally it has been pink for girls and blue for boys. Neutral colors of white, yellow, and green gifted to either child and a popular product choice for when the gender of the child is not known.
No matter when or where the shower is hosted this party is an opportunity for friends and family to gather and pass on gifts to the expectant family. Babies have many needs and it can be expensive for parents to cover these additional costs. The traditional bounty of gifts received at the shower are a very appreciated endowment.
That Little Newborn is Going to Grow Quite Quickly
What type of gifts are best for a baby shower? There are many. Babies have very specific needs and they require a lot of items to satisfy these needs.
A new mother can never have too many diapers. She can benefit from having both the cloth and disposable style of diaper gifted to her.
Bibs, undershirts, baby blankets, sleepers, and wash clothes are basic care articles that need constant washing. For this reason the mother can benefit by having plenty of spares on hand.
A baby’s immediate and basic necessities will also include baby powder, diaper cream, gripe water, rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, q-tips, baby shampoo, baby soap, and baby laundry soap. New skin is very delicate and this little angel requires specific products to protect it. Larger bath items that are helpful for mom are a baby bath tub, change table, and bath seat.
Keepsake Gifts for New Baby can be Delightful
Baby keepsakes are a sentimental gift to pass on to the new baby. These gifts are often of silver or other precious metal so their value is both sentimental and tangible.
Keepsakes given at birth are often passed down through the family and often remain there through the generations.
A silver rattle, silver bracelet, silver piggy bank, or silver toothbrush which arrive with a gift certificate to have the baby’s name engraved on them make for beautiful keepsake items for the new baby.
Some gifted keepsake items are intentionally meant to maintain or increase their value. Silver, gold, stocks, and bonds are given to the new baby to help insure financial security.
Should the monetary value of the item ever be needed the child has the option to cash in or resell as needed. This type of endowment was traditional of wealthier families of yesteryear. A baby book, scrapbook, or keepsake box can be given as a gift to the new parents so they are able to keep records and precious mementos safe and secure.
New Baby Birth Gemstones and Flowers by Month
Flowers that were in season at the time of the newly born baby's birth were often given to the mother as a gift to welcome her new child into the world. These seasonal flowers have over time come to be known as birth flowers. If you know the child’s birth flower or gem stone it can be a sentimentally sweet touch to theme your keepsake with these in mind.
January Garnet Snowdrop / Carnation
February Amethyst Primrose/ Violet
March Aquamarine Violet / Jonquil
April Diamond Daisy / Sweetpea
May Emerald Lily of the Valley / Hawthorn
June Pearl Rose / Honeysuckle
July Ruby Waterlily / Larkspur
August Peridot Gladiolus / Poppy
September Sapphire Morning Glory / Aster
October Opal Calendula / Cosmos
November Topaz Chrysanthemum
December Turquoise Poinsettia / Holly
Baby Will Go Through a Range of Sizes in the First Two Years So Gifts of Clothing for Baby are Very Welcome
A new baby grows quickly and requires a large variety of clothing throughout their first and second years of life. The perfect shower gifts to present to the new mother can be baby pajamas, outfits, bibs, shirts, blankets, shoes, jacket, hat, and mitts to prevent scratches.
Any clothing from a three month size all the way up to a toddler's clothing size of two or three years is ideal. Buying sizes that are larger than newborn size take into account the fact that some babies are born much larger than others. Many big babies skip right over the newborn baby sized clothing so it is always wisest to purchase outfits from three months in size and up.
Larger More Expensive Items can be Gifted as a Group
It is common for friends, coworkers, or family to pool their finances to purchase a larger item to present at the shower.
If a group purchase is being made a representative will usually check first with the parents to find out which items they are in need of. A group purchase might be a crib, bassinet, high chair, bedroom set, stroller, or change table.
Sometimes pooled monies are gifted as a bond, bank account, or scholarship investment for the new baby. This is a gift that is sure to come in very handy in baby's future years.
Usually the parents will have purchased the first child car seat in preparation for bringing baby home from the hospital but a gift of the next following size of car seat can be a wonderful shower gift for the new parents to receive.
Baby car seats are required to be used from the time of birth up until the child is nine years of age. These child seats must be replaced on a regular basis as the baby grows and this can add up to quite a sum of money.
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