Guess The Date & The Weight
If the guest of honor has not already shared her due date with her shower guests, playing Guess The Date & Weight is a fun game to play.
The partygoers will be shown a calendar with the possible dates that the baby could be born, which include ones before and after the due date. Each guest takes turns stating which date they believe the baby will be born and what weight it will be. The person who is closest on weight and date will win.
What is fun about this game is that the winner is not awarded their prize until after the baby is born. As such, the party fun gets to continue until the little one makes his way into the world.
And If You Must Play Games
When it comes to your typical baby shower games, theyre not all as silly as each other. In fact, with a little thought, you can arrange a few light-hearted distractions that will be both entertaining and informative for your guests. Youve got lots of options here so let your imagination run wild!
But if youre stuck for ideas, heres ours: a swaddling masterclass. If youre not aware, swaddling is the age-old practice of wrapping a newborn in a blanket to provide comfort and encourage deep sleep. However, it should be practiced correctly and with care.
With this in mind, a brief tutorial on swaddling can be great for any mom-to-be you might even have guests try out swaddling for themselves using blankets and dolls, with prizes for the best attempts!
We hope our guide to baby shower activities will have inspired you to come up with your own ideas. Heres to planning a baby shower that wont have guests rolling their eyes and looking for the nearest exit!
How To Keep Infants Clean Between Two Baths
Just because you dont keep bathing your baby every day, it does not mean that you dont need to make sure that your baby is clean. It is important to make sure that certain areas of your babys body remain clean.
As babies tend to dribble and drool a lot, you need to always ensure to wipe down their faces. Make sure that you gently lift the chin and clean under the neck as milk and drool can slide down and cause rashes if not cleaned.
In the same way, you should be sure to clean your babys genital areas frequently. If your little boy is not circumcised, you will need to gently pull back the foreskin and clean around the area. This way you will not have any build-up of urine. If you are unsure how to do this, be sure to ask the nurse at the hospital.
For girls, there are folds around the vagina that need a good cleaning every day as well. Your little one will need to have their bottom cleaned well.
Always ensure to use lotion to moisturize the skin that has been cleaned. This will make sure that the sensitive baby skin does not get dry.
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Youre Worried About Dropping Your Baby
This is the number one fear for most parents when they start to bathe and shower with their baby.
Wet babies are slippery! Surely well drop the baby!
Yes, wet babies are slippery. But dont worry!
Once you know the steps to take, the positions to hold your baby, and the pro-tips specifically for showering with your baby, you wont ever have to worry about dropping your baby while showering.
Make sure to keep reading the rest of this guide so you know exactly how to prevent this fear from coming true.
Why Would You Even Want To Bathe With Your Baby
The first time I heard about bathing and showering with baby, Im pretty sure I had the most confused look ever on my face.
I couldnt help but wonder why I would even want that.
I love bonding with my baby, but I was convinced that this would be super awkward and way too challenging for this uncoordinated mama.
Luckily for me, I have some awesome mom friends who helped to teach me a little more about co-bathing with a newborn.
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How Often Should You Bathe Your Baby From Birth Through Early Childhood
One of the most common questions new parents ask has recently become the focus of anongoing social media debate among celebrity parents, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, and Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell: How often should I bathe my baby?
Some parents bathe their babies daily as part of a bedtime routine or due to regular baby messes, from extra spit-up to diaper blowouts. But for most families, bathing the baby two to three times a week is plenty after the first couple of weeks of life.
In fact, we recommend delaying your newborns first full bath for at least two weeks. Newborns shed about three layers of skin within their first week, which often surprises new parents. Their skin is still adjusting to the dry air, so its perfectly normal. You can prevent further skin irritation by moisturizing your baby with chemical-free lotion and washing their clothes with a gentle, chemical-free detergent before dressing them.
After that first two-week period, its OK to bathe your baby a couple times a week. You can follow this schedule through your childs elementary school years. Of course, you should modify the bath schedule based on your babys skin health and your familys lifestyle.
How Much Water Must Be Used To Bathe A Newborn
When bathing a newborn, you can simply fill a bowl with water and clean your baby using a sponge or gentle washcloth. It is important to make sure that your baby stays warm, so you should keep your baby wrapped up in a bath towel and only expose the parts of your baby that you are cleaning.
How often to bathe babies can sometimes be of concern to new parents. While at first, it may feel a little uncomfortable for you to not bathe your child every day, you will soon realize the many benefits of it. Do not over bathe your baby, or bathe your baby too little either. Babies need a good balance of bathing just as with everything else. If you are still unsure about something or your baby has a particular skin ailment that may require special treatment, you can speak with your doctor to formulate a plan to take care of your baby.
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Printable Baby Shower Games
Cut down on the baby shower prep by downloading and , but read on for more inspiration.
14. Baby Shower Bingo
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Bingo cards
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Small stickers or pens
How to play:
Before the party, , and give one to each guest. Hand each guest a card, which should be unique for everyone with a different combination of gifts. Then, as the mom-to-be opens her gifts, guests can mark off any items received with a sticker or cross it out with a pen. The first guest to complete a row, column, or diagonal wins!
15. The Price Is Right
What you’ll need:
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Pictures of baby items cut from a catalogue or printed out â they can even be from the mom-to-be’s registry wish list
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Small gifts for the winners
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Pen and paper for the guests
How to play:
Lay out the pictures of the baby-related items, and give your guests a pen and paper. You can pick up each item and give a description and have your guests write down a price as a guess. The guest to get the closest price without going over gets a gift. You can download and print our âThe Price Is Rightâ game here!
16. Who Said What?
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Printed copies of our downloadable he said/she said game
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Pens
How to play:
17. Wishes for Baby
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Pens
How to play:
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Pens and paper for each guest, or
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1 printed calendar of the expected birth month to pass around
How to play:
19. Guess the Famous Mom
What you’ll need:
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Name tags with the names of famous mothers printed on each
How to play:
20. Do You Know What It Is?
What you’ll need:
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10 baby items
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Pen and paper for each guest
How to play:
Keep Your Babys Face From Being Doused
Especially when youre first showering your baby, youll want to keep their face from being doused with water. I like to hold Penellope upright, against my shoulder and scoop water onto her head and then apply soap.
Initially, I repeated that same process to wash the soap out. Now that shes a little older, I take her up the water shaft. With my hands tucked firmly under her armpits, I raise her up through the spray, keeping her face towards mine and just outside of the water.
My mom swears washing a babys head this way makes them less afraid of the water and swimming. But honestly, who knows?
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Make Sure That You Have A Steady Grip On Your Baby At All Times
You want to make sure that your baby is never at risk of being dropped.
If this happens, she could fall and hit her head or become submerged under the water. This means that its very important that you have a steady grip on her during your entire bath or shower.
First, consider buying these bath gloves. They make it easier to grip and hold your slippery baby and also act as a washcloth when you are ready to clean your baby.
Next, if you want to be extra cautious, I highly recommend buying a waterproof baby carrier.
You can wrap your baby up tightly and ensure that you dont drop your baby while showering together. Plus the bonding you will get while baby wearing is incredible!
Like I mentioned before, I also think this baby bath chair is one of the best purchases you can make for your newborn. It makes bath time so much easier, both when you co-bathe and when your baby bathes by himself too.
If you really dont want to purchase anything extra, you can still bathe and shower with your baby, but remember that your baby will be slippery.
Make sure to pay super close attention to your baby and also make sure that you always have a firm grasp on them so they dont fall.
Use A Baby Chairwhile Showering With Your Baby
You probably have guessed this, but I think having a great baby bath chair is one of the most important parts of successful showering with your baby.
You can put your baby in the baby chair and know that they will stay stable and safe while you stand and shower off. You also dont have to worry about holding onto their slippery body while you lather and rinse yourself.
You can pick up your baby later during shower, or just bend down and wash your baby while they stays in her baby chair.
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Older Babies Have New Safety Concerns To Watch For
Older babies have a tendency to want to stand in the bathtub and often pull themselves up on the side of the tub.
This can be very dangerous for your baby because the bathtub is incredibly slippery when it is wet. They can easily slip and fall and then bump her chin or head against the wall of the tub.
Make sure to watch your baby carefully and help her to sit down every time she stands up.
Prep The Landing Zone
Before I bring Penellope into the bathroom, I always prep her landing zone the space on the floor where I will place her before and after the shower. I put the heat pad on top of a bathmat and then top it with a towel.
NOTE: When she was still small enough for the DockATot, I used to put the heatpad in the DockATot and then a towel over that.
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What’s In The Diaper Bag
Depending upon how close a mother is to her delivery date, her diaper bag might be packed and ready to go with items her baby will need. Why not use the bag to be part of the party festivities?
Have the baby shower guests grab a piece of paper and a pen, or provide them a list beforehand from a company such as strawberry & hearts. Then with a five-minute time limit, have them write down everything they believe is in the bag. The person who comes up with the most amount of items in the bag is the winner!
Safety Tips For Bath Time
Its important to keep safety in mind at bath time. Babies and young children should never be left unattended in a bath, not even for a minute . Here are some bath time tips:
- Get everything ready ahead of your babys bath, so you have everything you need to hand.
- Make sure you always use the hot and cold taps at the same time when you run the bath.
- Check the bath water temperature first before putting your baby in. The standard way to check is to put your elbow in the water because your hand can cope with high temperatures.
- Dont be distracted away by another child, a phone call or doorbell. What feels like a couple of seconds can turn into a minute or two. Leaving your little one even for a few moments could be enough time for them to seriously hurt themselves or drown.
- If you forget anything ask your partner or another family member to grab it for you. Or take your baby with you to get what you need.
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Youre Worried That You Wont Be Able To Shower Properly
Parents also worry that they wont be able to focus on their own shower if theyre worried about baby the whole time.
No worries, you can definitely shower properly and thoroughly wash yourself every time you take a bath or shower with your baby.
In my step-by-step guide below, Ill tell you how to work with a partner or by yourself to make sure you always get in a great shower while bathing with your baby!
What To Consider When Picking A Baby Shower Outfit
What to Wear?
Before you decide what to wear, ask yourself these questions.
- Where is the event going to be held indoors or outdoors?
- Is the baby shower during the day or in the evening?
- Is there a theme, color, or dress code?
If there isnt a theme or dress code, ask your friends what theyre wearing to help avoid being over or undressed for the shower.
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