Yay! You’re celebrating a new baby. So what’s a ‘welcome to the world’ party? Well, it’s a variation on a baby shower, but happens after the baby is born – hence the welcome bit! It’s a bit like a Christening, but without the religion. Sometimes called a baby ‘naming day’. It’s all about bringing friends and family together to celebrate a new baby. This is possibly one of life’s most exciting and looked forward to events. So what’s involved and how do you plan one? Read on to find out how to host the best welcome to the world party, with a little help from friends, family and Patchwork!
What is a Welcome to the World party?
A welcome to the world party is an alternative to (or even a sequel to) a baby shower. Baby showers are usually held before the new arrival makes an appearance. It’s a chance to shower the parents to be with love, affection, attention and gifts before the hard work of parenting begins! But in recent months, with Covid restrictions playing havoc with our social calendars, it’s been difficult to get together physically. Especially with expectant friends who may be feeling extra cautious. So, a welcome to the world party is a chance to get together after the birth of the new baby, and shower parents AND baby with love and attention. There’s nothing more joyous and exciting than welcoming a new baby. And a ‘welcome to the world’ party is a great alternative to a Christening or other religious ceremony.
Who is it for?
A welcome to the world party is perfect for those who have recently had a baby and want to share their joy with those they love. Especially if they’ve missed out on a special celebration due to restrictions. It’s for people who want to welcome their baby in to their extended family, and their community and celebrate the huge milestone that is becoming a parent!
Of course, there are already traditional and religious celebrations such as a Christening, or naming ceremonies in the Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities. However, a welcome to the world party is a non-religious new baby celebration. Here you can really start your own traditions and welcome baby in the ways that feel right for you.
How can Patchwork help?
Patchwork is a joy to use and will get you in to the party spirit from the start! The platform works like a dream as a welcome to the world party planning tool. You can bring everyone together online to share in the organising. Patchwork was created to allow people to come together to contribute money, time and skills to make something amazing happen. It’s, therefore, perfect for a new baby celebration! Add images and text to a ‘mood board’ of things that need to be done. Next friends and family can choose how they’d like to help.
Using Patchwork takes the headache out of planning the party and delegating roles and responsibilities. You can see at a glance how much money has been collected towards gifts, and who is volunteering to do what. All gift money is sent direct to your bank account via our payment partner Stripe. You can also message guests via your Patchwork account and share photos and thanks afterwards!
What sort of things should I include?
You can include practical things you’d like people to help with on your welcome to the world Patchwork. Maybe someone can offer to make a cake, and someone else can prepare some games? Add requests like “bring a dish to share”, “make a new-baby playlist”, or “chip in towards the drinks”? Anything that needs doing (rather than funding) can be added to your page as a “make” or “do” patch.
You might also want to use your Patchwork to collect cash contributions towards one much wanted gift for the new baby. Popular group gifts for new babies include money towards doing up the nursery, or contributions towards big items such as a cot, a highchair, or simply some money to save for the future! You can add “fund” patches to your registry so that people can chip in towards a gift. Whether it’s £100 towards a cot, £25 for a pot of paint for the nursery or £5 for a board book, everyone can come together to contribute what they can.
The welcome to the world party venue
The best place to host a welcome to the world party is at someone’s home. Everyone can be comfortable and you’ll have the place to yourselves! Unless they really want to, it’s best to avoid hosting at the new parents’ home. They’ll have enough to do with a new baby without the washing up and cleaning that comes after a party. (Unless of course you add a patch to your page to ask for volunteers to clean up afterwards, which come to think of it is a great idea!)
Otherwise a local venue can work, especially if you’ve got a large guest list and space at home is an issue. Just make sure to check it’s baby-friendly of course. And don’t forget, that the bigger your guest list, the more opportunities there are to ask for help via your Patchwork. It’s a great way to get everyone feeling involved. Also, for guests that don’t know each other, it’s an ice-breaker at the party too ?
Sending messages of thanks afterwards
With Patchwork all pledges to “make and “do” are recorded in your account so you can keep track of who is doing what. If you are collecting money for a group gift you can see who has contributed what and how much in total you have collected. After the party, you (or the new parents) can contact everyone to say thanks for helping make it a success. It’s also a great time to make the most of the upload photo function and share cute baby photos from the day too!
How do I get started?
You can start by clicking “use template” on our readymade template here. Simply add a title and a short intro about the party plans, and then edit the images and text to suit. Once you’re happy, simply save your Patchwork and link your payment details. You’ll be prompted to create your own URL during the process so it’s really easy to share your page with friends. Simply share the link via WhatsApp, email or digital invite and let everyone choose how they want to help! If you’re planning a party to welcome a new baby, please get in touch, we’d love to hear your plans and help make them happen!
