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Yesterday I went to my gorgeous sister in law's (and latest member of our Lilypad team) baby shower and it occured to me that a baby shower is almost expected these days but only 8 years ago, when I was having my eldest daughter, no one really had a baby shower. It is amazing at how quickly traditions become adopted or fads are created and having now been to a few baby showers over the past few years, I thought it maybe good to share what happens and what is the etiquette for those that are expecting (or expecting to have one!).

Who should throw the baby shower?

This kind of depends on the pregnant mum, it is traditional for friends to throw the party and it is best to gauge how much control the expectant mum would like. I was delighted to have a surprise baby shower for my second daughter but I also know that there were friends who were not included, so for me I would have like a little control over the guest list (but maybe that is just the control freak in me). 

 

When should the baby shower be held?

The baby shower is usually thrown in the last trimester but this can sometime be dictated by travel arrangements of family or timing of the baby's due date. It is good to try and accomodate immediate family and close friends but ultimately you need to pick a date and stick to it, there will always be people that can't make it and you can't please everyone all of the time.

Who should be invited?

Whoever is important to the expectant mum (and how many the venue can cope with!) It is not necessary to invite every woman or friend on Facebook! It maybe worthwhile checking if any of the guests may have had fertility problems and recognize and respect how difficult this maybe for her to be confronted with other people's pregnancies. Don't be offended if she feels she can't be there.

What to expect at a baby shower?

Food, chats, games and laughing!

Be prepared to have to bring photos of yourself as a child and if the games we played at my sister in law's yesterday were anything to go by, it maybe worthwhile researching the names of songs with "baby" in them, as I didn't score particularly high in this game!

Should we buy gifts?

In America, where baby showers have been more common place for much longer, there are expectant mums that actually have a department store gift registry but in the UK, the gifts are usually more token and personal. The image below shows the gift I had made for my sister in law yesterday, showing her 20 week scan picture. I plan to have these on the Lilypad as her reaction was very emotional.

Is a Baby Shower okay for 2nd time mums?

When I was pregnant with my second daughter, it never crossed my mind that I would have a baby shower but if friends and family want to throw showers for you, why stop them? There was quite an age gap between my girls but if you want to forgo the gifts this time, just simply ask the friend who is throwing the party to indicate on the invitation that you want their presence not their presents.

So ultimately, when it comes to throwing a baby shower, whether it is for a friend or relative, there are very few hard-and-fast rules (aside from those that govern good manners — such as being gracious when you open a gift, whether you like it or not!), so just sit back and bask in being showered with love and affection during this very special time.

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I was chatting with my neighbour over the back garden fence earlier, (in a 1950's kind of fashion) and she was telling me how she had been invited to three weddings this year and was fretting over what to wear. Now we all know that I have a penchant for shopping and whilst I may not be in the same league as the mother of the bride outfits, I still love to find beautiful clothes for a wedding, (being careful never to try and upstage the bride of course).

The good folk at Kaleidoscope have put together this great inforgraphic for what makes a great outfit this season and I love the cream dress and coral fascinator!

Outfit shopping can be stressful but I think that Kaleidoscope may have just made life a little easier for us busy mums!

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First of all, I have to admit that I have stolen the title of this post from the ever so lovely Laura from TiredMummyofTwo. I met Laura earlier this year and her enthusiasm for being the master of your own blog was infectious, so there was no doubt I would want to attend an event organised by her. BlogOn wasn't designed to rival some of the bigger blogging conferences, in fact it was perfect in its individuality. There were no choices to be made about which session you wanted to attend (or those you would have to concede to missing), there were simply three sessions, run all day about the things bloggers wanted to talk about and let's be honest, we all like to talk!

My conversations on the day ranged from SEO and the legalities of running a blog, brand discussions, my love of a good wine and cake, to birth stories and the ability to go to the toilet at a festival *looks in direction of a certain Mammasaurus* The day was certiainly not dull.

The Museum of Science and Industry was the perfect back drop for an amazing event and I was impressed by the very personal welcome by the MOSI team as we walked through the door ..... although I am not entirely sure they knew what had hit them with all the ladies (and a few men) trooping through their doors with excitment and intrepidation.

I could sit here all day and rave about the fabulous brands (like the LEGO stand that was very cool) and speakers, yes Liz, Cat, Tanya and Helen, I am talking about you but the thing that struck me most was the strength of a community. I have said it before but in an age where so many of us only engage with some friends online whether by choice or circumstance, the ability to meet like minded people and feel comfortable in your own skin is a testament to each and every person who attended the conference.

There was a TV programme called "Cheers", the bar where everyone knows your name and that is how I felt about BlogOn.

It was a comfort zone, while many were outside of theirs.

It was helpful, without being patronising.

It was exciting, without being overwhelming.

It was familiar, without being intrusive.

And (with the help of our name tags), it was a place where everyone knows your name.

 

 

 

 

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We regularly blog about our Water Babies adventures but more recently the little one was swimming (or splashing) for a very special reason.  Water Babies have been proud supporters of Tommy’s Splashathon since 2006 and with one in four women in the UK losing a baby during pregnancy or birth, Tommy’s are there to help parents and children during those difficult times.

We were delighted to be part of this years Splashathon and wanted to let you all know that collectively, all the Water Babies across  Beds, Bucks and Warwickshire/Midshires have already raised a total of £12,334.98. We still have until the end of August to collect more fundraising money too so let’s keep going!! If you would like to help us raise even more, you can still donate here.

Our Water Babies lessons have been life changing and it is amazing to see how far the little one has come in the last 12 months. In contrast, Tommy's lead the way in maternal and fetal research in the UK, to give every baby the best chance of being born healthy. Tommy's work to fund medical research into the causes of premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage ..... so whilst Water Babies has been a life changing experience for our little one, Tommy's work does actually change and save lives.