A baby shower is always a joyous celebration of the addition to someone’s family. An adoption baby shower is no exception to the rule. You still pick a theme, send out invitations and include some sort of fun activities. There are a few special considerations however.
1.) The first thing to decide is when to have the shower. An adoption can unfortunately fall through at the last minute and while this is rare it would cause you to have to cancel the shower and explain why. It would be best if you waited until after the adoption process has been finalized but the parents may decide to do it beforehand. You should always honor the wishes of the adoptive parents as you are doing this for them and their new child.
2.) Theme of course is one of the most important decisions. This is what you base your choice on invitations, party favors, and decorations. It also helps the guests choose their gifts. You will want to take into consideration how the parents are decorating the nursery and how formal the party is. Another thing is the child might be older and a “baby” shower is not appropriate. Perhaps then you can use what the child is interested in and decorate around that idea. The best thing of course is keep it simple. The party is to be enjoyed not tolerated just to be polite.
3.) Now we are onto games. If you have ever been to a shower you know there is almost always games. Well with and adoption shower you have to remember the adoptive mother is not pregnant so you cannot play the normal “how big is she?’ or “how big will the baby be?” games because of course the adoptive parents already know. There are books in the library and of course you can always do a search online to figure out some fun games that everyone will enjoy. Also coed parties are becoming the norm so remember to invite at least more than one guy and make the games something they can participate in as well.
Showers are important to many adoptive parents of newborns because this is new territory for them and you want them to be as prepared as possible. There is so much stuff that is needed for a newborn and a baby shower can really help out new parents who may already be strapped for cash paying all the expenses of adoption. Even parents of an older adopted child will need stuff to decorate the new room, clothes, toys and even possibly school supplies.
An adoption is an exciting time for the parents. A much hoped for new member of the family is being added and helping them celebrate by hosting a shower is a very thoughtful thing. Just remember to take your cues from the parents and have a great time.
Elizabeth Smith is a Marketing Associate for Tiger Team Solutions, http://www.bestwebsitedevelopment.com, a company based out of Little Rock, Arkansas. She and her husband have considered adopting a child. If you are looking for a reputable Christian adoption agency go http://www.abbaadoption.com
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