4 Alternative Baby Shower Ideas

I have three beautiful children and all three children were welcomed into the world with baby showers. All three of their showers took place after their birth so that the attention was off me and on them.

I know some will say that baby showers are held before the birth help parents prepare and I understand that, especially for the first child, but this post is really about celebrating the arrival of subsequent children.

You see, I believe each and every child deserves to come into the world with as much celebration as the first child.

I of course understand that once you have had one child you don’t need as many things for the second, however, the celebration does not have to be large or grand, nor do the presents have to be big. The emphasis should be on the celebrating, not the gifts.

Here are 4 Alternative Baby Shower Ideas

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1. Frozen Dinner Shower

New moms always need quick, easy to prepare meals, especially when the newborn is not the only little one they are caring for. Have each guest bring a freezer friendly dish, or even freezer friendly snacks like muffins that could be quickly thawed. Make sure to ask the guests to bring their meal in a disposable container so that the mom does not have to try to remember which pan goes to whom when she is functioning on little sleep. Have the guests attach heating instructions to the meals.

Thrifty tip for guests: Before deciding what to bring, look at your grocery store’s sales flyer and base your meal off the sale items. Also use these simple grocery apps to lower your costs.

2. Diaper Pounding

Limit gifts to diapers and wipes only. These gifts do not need to be labeled, instead placed on a table near the entrance of the party so that the guests can put their contribution on the table as they arrive. The beauty of the unlabeled gifts is that there is no need to interrupt party conversation with a gift opening and the mom of the newborn does not have to feel obligated to do individual thank you notes. The mom can simply stand up and thank all her guests at once and then enjoy the party.

3. Piggy Bank Shower

Just weeks after my daughter was born my family moved 2000+ miles. We did not want to take any more than we needed with us. Still, my friends and church family desperately wanted to celebrate my daughter’s birth before we left. They decided on a Piggy Bank Shower. Here’s how it worked: a picnic was hosted and in the center of the spread of food was a huge pink piggy bank and as guests arrived they placed their money inside.

My husband and I stood up during the event and thanked everyone for coming and for their contributions and then we enjoyed the afternoon showing off our new daughter to everyone. The money was spent on needs for my daughter as they occurred.

4. Laundry Basket Shower

This is something a former church of ours does for every child that is not a firstborn. The shower is held several weeks after the baby’s birth. Both mom and baby come to the shower. Each guest brings one small item that they add to a wicker laundry basket provided by the church. No tags are placed on the gifts.. Everyone enjoys time fussing over the baby and congratulating the mom, and sometime during the event the mom can stand up and thank people for their gifts.

Thrifty tip for guests: Look at the end caps in the baby aisle for clearance marked rattles, onesies, soothers, and other baby items. Or check out the baby and kids section within the ibotta app for cashback offers on baby items.