What about giving gifts at the baby shower?

Let's not beat around the bush - the whole point of a baby shower is to be 'showered with gifts' in preparation for the baby's arrival. In the States, the expectant parents usually have a gift registry at a baby store, (just like we do with weddings, but with somewhere like Mothercare or BabiesRus).

A baby gift registry can be very sensible in that it eliminates the possibility for duplicate (or unwanted) gifts, but at the same time, we Brits often feel a little uncomfortable with this whole concept. We suggest that the host might like to put a note on the baby shower invitations along the lines of 'Please call me if you would like ideas on what gift to buy John & Tina'.

The host could then speak to the mum-to-be (or the dad-to-be if the baby shower is intended as a complete surprise) and suggest that the expectant parents register a baby gift list if they haven't already.

Some expectant parents will feel uncomfortable with a formal gift registry, so a very good alternative is getting them to fill out the baby gift ideas form available on this website. This form is a list of baby essentials and theme ideas for expectant parents to fill in. The host looks after the list, proving very useful to guests who do call in advance for ideas on what is wanted and needed for the baby's arrival.

Some guests will simply like to be creative and buy something really unusual or sentimental for the baby. We say this is good too, and have a range of gifts in our shop - perfect for those more creative baby shower guests.