As we shared in our last blog, it’s ok to be on the fence about throwing a sprinkle, being offered a sprinkle or attending a sprinkle. If you’ve committed to planning one, the good news is that it is such a new idea that Emily Post has not yet written an etiquette primer, so you can make it your own special party with very few rules to follow. If the sprinkle helps to prepare you for your next baby in a practical way and you have some fun you can call it a success.
With that in mind, here are just 5 tips for sprinkle planning:
Keep the games, or lose’em - Baby shower games may feel a bit less authentic this time around. If you do want games try some new games so you avoid the deja vu feeling. If you didn’t like the baby shower games the first time around though, you can probably just skip them all together.
Consider keeping things casual and gender inclusive - Baby showers are often formal affairs with ladies in their Sunday best. Some people like it that way while others long for something more casual. If you felt pressure to be formal and traditional the first time around, you can take a different approach this time with a family and friends BBQ or picnic instead.
Invite your closest - If your first baby shower felt like a community bingo hall the good news is it’s totally ok to keep a shorter guest list this time around. Colleagues, neighbours and your grandma’s distant cousin may not need to come this time (and they are less likely knocking on your door expecting an invite anyways).
Kid-friendly factor - Maybe your baby shower included kids, or maybe it didn’t… either way kids are already in your life and it’s likely that friends your age are also wondering about bringing their kids. Making the sprinkle kid-friendly with a few activities for them will help kids feel included and excited about their role as big brother/sister.
Don’t sweat the registry - Our next post will go into this in detail, but essentially a sprinkle requires a lot less gifting, and so you could do a light version of a registry or skip the registry all together. An alternative would be to indicate in your invitation what sorts of gifts would be useful. You can never have too many frozen meals or offers to babysit.
Are you thinking about a sprinkle registry, or what gifts are essential for the re-mom in your life? Stay tuned for our edge-of-your-seat concluding blog on sprinkles - covering all the best and most practical sprinkle gifts for the sprinkle star in your life.
