Organising the perfect baby shower – when, where, how, what and most importantly – why

Whether you’re organising a baby shower for yourself or someone else, this guide will help you get everything organised and give you some inspiration.

When – you need to decide whether to have the baby shower before or after the baby is born.

We think before is better as it means there is more focus on the mother – who will actually appreciate it – and she’ll be able to concentrate on enjoying herself, rather than having one eye on the baby or one ear out for when it starts to gripe.

Where – having a baby shower in someone’s home can be more cosy and relaxing, but don’t forget that then someone has to prepare and clean up afterwards.

Using a restaurant or café might be more expensive, but then the catering and tidying is taken care of. In either case, if the guests can chip in, it will make things much more manageable.

How – themes are very popular in baby shower.

You can get all kinds of decorations such as personalised helium balloons, banners and even outfits – imagine dressing up in a full Victorian dress! It’s customary to bring gifts to a baby shower as well, which may range from anything from engraved trinket boxes to classic personalised piggy banks to practical items such as personalised pillowcases and towels or embroidered clothing.

What – Eat, drink and make merry!

As well as giving gifts, baby showers usually involve baby themed food (such as tiny sandwiches, cupcakes or miniature pizzas), interesting non-alcoholic drinks (such as fruit juice cocktails with umbrellas and foil sprays) and baby themed games (such as Baby Shower Charades, pin the safety pin on the nappy and baby questions and answers).

Why – don’t forget the most important thing about baby showers – the people.

This celebration is all about getting together to appreciate our loved ones and show them how important they are to us. Be patient about things you don’t agree on, stay relaxed and above all – have fun!

 

If you’re having or going to a baby shower, check out our fantastic range of baby gifts – there’s everything from bibs to door plaques to silver and crystal keepsakes.

Preparing a nursery - essentials

If you're expecting, you're probably starting to plan your nursery. But it can be baffling to try to figure out what you need and what's superfluous.

The most important thing to think about is obviously safety. If you have an old house and the room hasn;t been redcoretaed in a while, then you may need to strip the walls and repaint with a non-toxic paint. You can also take the opportunity to check our any low sockets or damage to the walls that needs to be filled in.

The next thing to think about is theme. Do you want something very simple and plain, or a very traditional classic style, or something modern. Or perhaps you want to go all our with an undersea or forest theme? Having a sense of what you'll enjoy will help you choose items that will go together.

Essential furniture includes a crib, a comfortable chair for nursing and rocking the little one to sleep, somewhere to keep toys and somewhere to keep all those cute little clothes. You may also want to include a changing station, with everything you need easily to hand.

Something you might not have thought of are blackour curtains. Babies don't fallow normal day / night sleep patterns, and being able to block out the sun at will can help both babies and sleepy parents get an important nap, whenever it can be snatched!

We have gorgeous name plaques for the front of nurseries and also personalised clocks to match a tange of themes.

Check out Personalised Baby Gifts UK for loads of beautiful and unique nursery decoration ideas.

Swaddling – what is it and why does it work

You may have heard of swaddling and there are lots of products out their especially for swaddling, but what is it, what’s the theory behind it and does it work?

What is swaddling?

Swaddling is when you wrap up a baby firmly from the neck down in a thin, light blanket with her or his arms tucked against her or his chest. Obviously  you don’t want to restrict their breathing or crush them, but a key factor is that the blanket must be quite firm and doesn’t easily unwrap.

The idea is to calm the baby and make them feel safe and secure.

What’s the theory behind it

It is believed that being tightly bound reminds the baby of the restricted space in the womb – the place that was safe and warm and lovely, before the baby entered the big wide (scary) world. It’s also said to help stop them thrashing around agitating themselves, and it can stop them being disturbed by the little twitches they make when they’re asleep.

Does swaddling work?

Swaddling is not a modern, fly-by-night trend, it’s an age old technique that’s been used since before people started writing books on babycare. Many people swear by it. However, some experts have raised concerns about some of the negative effects of swaddling, and others say it simply doesn’t work for them. At the end of the day, each baby is different, so you won’t know whether swaddling is going to help calm them until you try it.

If you have a newborn baby, why not drop by Personalised Baby Gifts? We have more articles with tips on parenting, from travelling with a baby to choosing a baby’s name. And once you’ve chosen your baby’s name, why not have it embroidered onto their bib, or printed on a personalised clock for the nursery.

Top Three Newborn Gifts

Trinket boxes for firsts

There are a variety of trinket boxes and certificate holders you can get for keeping baby’s first tooth or first lock of hair safe forever (much nicer than a jiffy bag in the kitchen drawer!). Trinket boxes can be engraved with the name and date of the new arrival and certificate holders can come with commemorative plaques.

Bibs and Linen

A practical gift, bibs and linen can be personalised with embroidery to show the newborn’s name and even date of birth or a message. Parents will be grateful for the extra bibs, muslins and linen, which are useful as well as beautiful gifts.

Newborn photo session

Time flies so fast and these precious moments are gone forever. There is a very short window for newborn photography, but the adorable photographs will be cherished forever. Or, if the parents are too exhausted, most photography vouchers can be used later, when the baby is more bubbly and responsive.

At personalised baby gifts we have hundreds of products specially selected for newborns and babies. Most of our items can be personalised free of charge.

Tops Tips for Travelling with Your Baby

It can be daunting to think of travelling with your baby, with all kinds of paranoias rising up, about forgetting Sophie the Giraffe, or what it they start wailing and you can’t quiet them and everyone’s staring…

But it’s important for both babies and parents to get out of the house, not just to avoid going stir crazy, but for physical and mental development of the little one. By seeing different things, smelling different smells and experiencing the wide world while feeling protected and safe in the important early development stages you can ensure they are confident and well-adjusted in the world as they grow up.

Travelling with a baby on public transport

It can be quite daunting to get on a bus, train of the tube with a baby, but it can be done, with a little thought about the factors and how best to handle them.

The key here is travelling light. It’s all the accessories that will encumber you and be a cause of obstructions and stress. If at all possible, try to avoid using a buggy, as these tend to be bulky and hard to fit in the narrow spaces of public transport. Also, someone has to hold the baby while you collapse and open it up again. Better to use a body sling, which will keep your hands free, baby close and safe near your body (and feeling extra secure there) and adds the minimum of weight and bulk.

Similarly, only bring the essentials. It can seem like a lot of things are essential, but most things can be bought on demand if you’re in relative civilization, and in many cases you can make do. For example, will a blanket double as a changing matt, and can you simply use a cloth and water instead of wet wipes?

Travelling with a baby by car

The advice is opposite if travelling by car. You have the space and luxury to be able to overpack and bring anything you think might come in useful. The main concern here is keeping the baby from crying the whole journey and turning you into a ball of stress – not good for driving. Try to plan the journey for when they are going to be asleep or at least drowsy. The movement often encourages sleep (in some adults too!) and a sleeping baby is a quiet baby.

Also, make sure you get to know your car seat well. The majority of car seats are not fitted properly, reducing their safety levels. Read the manual and seek advice if you’re really struggling, but make sure it’s in correctly.

Personalised Baby Gifts have a range of products for all babies and children of every age, including clothing, pllowscases & towels and beautiful trinket boxes.

Top Ten Most Popular Baby Names 2013

These are the most recent set of most popular baby names in England and Wales, according to the Office of National Statistics.

So do you run with the crowd or forge your own route?

Most Popular Girls' Names

1	Amelia
2	Olivia
3	Lily
4	Jessica
5	Emily
6	Sophie
7	Ruby
8	Grace
9	Ava
10	Isabella

Most Popular Boys' Names

1	Harry
2	Oliver
3	Jack
4	Alfie
5	Charlie
6	Thomas
7	Jacob
8	James
9	Joshua
10	William

These names show a  definite preference for classic sounding names, the kind of thing you might expect your grandmother to be called (though we haven't gone quite as far as Margery or Dorothy yet), or to find in an old romance novel.

Both the prince's names appear, though Kate or Katherine is absent from the girl's top ten, even though it's been a solid favourite throughout the centuries.

Soundwise, names ending in 'a' are prevalent amoung the girls' name and almost half of the boys' names begin with a 'J'.

Practical tips for picking baby names

It could be one of the most important decisions of your life - after having the baby of course... So what do name your little bundle of joy?

You may have a shortlist already, but here are a few tips to help you avoid making any naming blunders that will haunt you for a very long time...

Say it out loud

It's amazing how different things sound out loud as opposed to written on paper. Say them all out loud and see which ones get crossed off in a hurry! It may be worth getting friends and family to try saying the names out loud as well, to see where people might pronounce it wrong - and find out if it's going to get on your nerves - or even cause embarrasment!

Think about what it might be shortened to

One mother I know gave all three of her boys names with three syllables that could each be shortened to two, or even one. She figured she'd give them the option of choosing how formal or informal they wanted to be. Think about what your potential names could be shortened to, and whether you like them in that format.

Try it with your surname

Trying out various names with your surname highlight issues in rhythm or tongue twisters or even unintended words hiding between them. If you're going to give the child a middle name as well, then try saying it out loud with all three parts. This is particularly important if your surname is King, which is open to all kinds of potential disasters...

Once you've chosen the perfect name, why not get it printed or embroidered onto one of our fantastic personalised baby products!