Grandma's First Grandbaby

When a woman becomes pregnant, as the mother-to-be she is usually showered with many gifts from adoring friends and family. At the same time, the Grandma-to-be is left without the crucial items necessary for having her grandson or granddaughter over to her house. Poor Grandma! What will she to do? She has no baby supplies! Ensure that when Mom needs a few hours away, she can trust the bambino to Grandma, who is fully equipped with a place for baby to sleep, play and get the diaper changed with a shower for Grandma!

Baby Shower Invitations
Since Grandma's friends are throwing the bash, borrow a child (anyone with very small hands will do) and dip the child's hands in paint to make one or two hand prints on the front of the invites. This is very simple, and it doesn't imply that Grandma is the one having the baby. (That could cause some interesting gossip around the neighborhood!) Write all the important information in child-like writing on the invitation.

How about a birth announcement for Grandma? As soon as the baby is born, she will be taking on a new role, so an announcement that she will soon be a grandmother is a lot of fun as an invitation for this party.

Or choose a personalized baby shower invitation. Be sure to mention that this party is being held for the future Grandma! Ask people to come prepared with words of wisdom and advice as well as a gift that will help her settle into her new role as Grandma. Add some baby theme confetti to the envelope for a bit of extra fun.

A caricature invitation is a fabulous choice. You can have it drawn with Grandma sitting in a rocking chair, surround by everything baby - a crib, stroller, lots of toys and bottles. You get the idea.

Baby Shower Decorations and Party Supplies
You don't really need to do too much for decorations for this party. Think of traditional decorations and keep them simple. Balloons or floewrs are perfect.

If you are having seating, tie each guest's seating card to a baby bottle! 

When your guests arrive, ask them to sign in words of wisdom for Grandma. There are a number of options:

• Choose a baby themed sign in board.
• Look for a coffee table book about babies, like an Anne Geddes photography book, and let people sign on different pages in the book
• Create a small scrapbook and decorate each page ahead of time with baby themed embellishments. Let everyone sign a page of the book.

We always recommend balloons for baby showers; they are economical, they make a big impact, and there are some really cute designs available for baby showers! Make bunches of pink, blue and white latex balloons. Add a fun Mylar balloon to each bunch. Always group balloons in odd numbers, which are more pleasing to the eye.

Grandma's Baby Shower Table Decorations and Menu
Have fun with your table decorations at Grandma's shower. First choose fun baby theme paper goods (inexpensive and easy to clean!) and then pick a fun centerpiece.

Here are some ideas for Grandma's baby shower centerpieces:

• Place a different large toy in the middle of each table and add balloons to each toy. Of course these can all go home with Grandma to use for her new grandchild.
• If Grandma is a bit more conservative, you can decorate each table with a different plant, or pot of flowers with a small baby rattle sticking out of each one.
• Stacks of baby books and DVDs in small baskets also make fun centerpieces.

Add an assortment of baby rattles, stuffed animals and toys all over the tables. Basically, it will look like Grandma's house at the end of the day after she's taken care of the baby. It's kind of like a look into the future- something for Grandma to get excited about!

Your menu should be determined by the time of day you are holding your party. A brunch is always fun and is easy to stock with bagels, muffins, eggs, coffees, juices and other breakfast fare. For lunch, choose small sandwiches and salad and set up a buffet for your guests. Dessert showers are also fun. Choose an assortment of cookies, cakes and chocolates.

Baby Shower Games and Activities
It's a shower, so be sure that everyone brings a special gift for Grandma to open at the shower. Since Grandma won't need some of the same things as the mother-to-be, here is a list of some of the most important items she will need to make her grandchild comfortable at her house when she babysits:

• Port-A-Crib or Crib
• High chair
• Baby bathtub
• Bouncy seat
• Changing pad
• Linens/sheets/blanket for baby
• Car seat
• Diapers and baby wipes
• Super saucer - you know, that round thing with a seat in center that's safe for the baby to sit in and play
• Baby swing
• Baby gym - toys that the baby can lay on its back and play with - mounted on a swing like bar
• Bibs, bottles, formula
• Stroller
• Toys, puzzles, books, stuffed animals
• Baby monitor

Or maybe Grandma-to-be's friends can get together with their grandchildren and have a big day at the park or at one grandma's house. Present a "gift certificate" to your honored Grandma as an added bonus. Here are some other fun games:

"Baby Business" - Buy 10 baby objects that aren't easily identified, such as a nose syringe, a temperature strip, a breast pump, a teething ring, and so on. Distribute paper and pencil and ask players to try and guess what each object does. The player with the most correct answers is the winner. Present a basket of the objects (minus the breast pump) to the Grandma-to-be.

"Guess Who?" - Have the guests bring their baby pictures to the party. Tape each picture to a sheet of paper. Pass around the baby pictures and try to have players try to identify each baby. For added fun, write crazy captions underneath each picture, such as "Future President?" or "What are you lookin' at?"

We also have a huge list of baby shower games that you can play throughout the party on our Baby Shower Games page.

Grandma's Baby Shower Party Favors
Send everyone home with a special favor to remember this special day. If the other women in attendance are grandmothers, send them home with a new toy or book for their grandchildren. Here are some other fun favor ideas:

• If you are using plants for centerpieces, let everyone take one home as a favor.
• Custom Candy Bar Wrappers
• Personalized Mint and Candy Tins

Your Grandma to be will have a wonderful time at her beautiful baby shower. She will always remember the special celebration that you put so much thought and love into!