I attended my first ever baby shower recently. Our daughter, the mum-to-be, was showered with information and gifts from other women in the family. We had a delightful afternoon tea, with chat about pregnancy, birth and babies.Loose leaf tea, tea pot, china cups and saucers, delicate sandwiches, home made cakes, scones with jam and cream, were partnered with conversations about wee, poo, nappies and ensuring you point a baby boy’s penis downwards. Enlightening information for those of us who have only raised daughters!

When the guys joined our get together, the parents-to-be practiced dressing dolls in newborn size nappies and baby clothes. They will have fun with a real, squirming baby.

Baby showers come in various formats, the more traditional women only, or including the dad-to-be and male family and friends. Ours was quite sedate.

My daughters and their friends have attended showers with various games or ideas:
~ pin the dummy on the baby – while blindfolded
~ cutting a length of wool to guess the size of the mum-to-be’s stomach
~ identify guests from their baby photos
~ guess the ingredients of baby food
~ decorate a baby suit
~ drinks in baby bottles
~ jelly babies inside ice cubes
~ guys putting a huge balloon up their shirt and trying to tie their show laces
~ guess the chocolate – melted chocolate bars smeared on nappies / diapers
(mars bars / snickers / bounty / milky way / etc)

Our daughter and son-in-law received practical and thoughtful gifts to set them off on their parenthood journey.