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new baby gift

tiny baby with brown skin holds the finger of a brown skinned woman's hand

Plan a Welcome to the World Party

by Rosie Hurwitz October 6, 2021

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!

Delegating jobs and catering takes away party planning stress

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.

A Welcome to the World party is a lovely non-religious way to mark a new arrival

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.

Ideas for Welcome to the World party food

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!

Get together to help fund one big gift for baby

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.

A Welcome to the World party needs a baby friendly venue

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 ?

Send thanks afterwards to everyone who helped make the party happen

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!

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Parent & Baby Patchwork Kids

Socially Distanced Baby Shower Ideas

by Ismay Ozga September 8, 2020

written by Ismay Ozga

Although some aspects of life are gradually returning to normal, when it comes to baby showers, it still may not be possible to celebrate in the way we used to. If there’s a new mum-to-be in your life who deserves to be spoiled rotten, but you aren’t able to get together, we’ve got some ideas for socially distanced baby showers for you. It’s still totally possible to show her loads of love, from a distance.

Organise a drive-by baby shower

Drive/walk/cycle-by baby showers are becoming a big hit in place of getting together for a bash. This is the perfect option if you all live near the parents-to-be. Just send out an invitation telling friends to pass by their house at a certain time, decorate your car or bike, and blast some favourite tunes out as you go! Arrange for the mama-to-be to sit by her front door as you all come past in your party parade to shower her with love. Everyone can drop off their gifts – from a safe distance. Pro tip: order pizza and cake to turn up at the same time. Pregnant people like food.

Host a garden extravaganza

If one of you has a nice big outside space and you’re all able to travel, it’s a lovely idea to get together for a socially distanced baby shower in the garden. Set the table with beautiful flowers and little games, and lay blankets and cushions on the grass so that everyone can sit comfortably (a meter apart!) and enjoy the afternoon. Just make sure the mum-to-be gets an extra comfortable seat with lots of cushions! Decorate with balloons and bunting and make (or order in!) some special treats.

Post a big box of love

Volunteer to put together a big box of treats from all the friends and family. Ask everyone to either send a homemade gift to you or choose something special which you can buy – then wrap everything up beautifully and package it all up together in one big box. This saves everyone making trips to the shops or post office and it creates a super special moment for the parents-to-be as they get to open all of the gifts for the new arrival at once. Organise a Zoom so that you can watch their faces as they dig into their box.

Chip in towards one big ticket item

If you know you can’t physically take your friends a gift at the moment, why not ask everyone to club together to help buy them a more expensive item – like a beautiful new cot? It’s a gift that will be loved, used and appreciated for years to come. Or maybe they’d rather a high chair, a bouncer, car seat or baby carrier? Whatever it is they really need, just make a patchwork to send to everyone, collect the money, and then buy the gift.

Throw a virtual baby shower

Zoom baby showers are a super fun way to get everyone together – albeit virtually – to show your mate lots of love. There are plenty of things you can do to make it a special call – from matching backgrounds and a gift delivery to the mum-to-be in time for the call, to coming up with lots of fun games to play. In fact we’ve got a whole post about virtual baby showers which tells you everything you need to know to make it a hit.

So whichever route you decide to go down to show your friend and their new arrival some love, all you need to do is make a patchwork to let everyone know the plan – then they can choose how to get involved and you can keep track of the funds and who’s doing what. Then you can surprise your pal with a gorgeous treat that will definitely make them feel your love, even in this strange time.

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Parent & Baby Patchwork Kids

Help with New Baby Essentials for First Time Parents

by Rosie Hurwitz June 3, 2020

written by Rosie Hurwitz

Alice and Angus were expecting their first baby and knew that friends and family would want to shower them with new baby gifts – who doesn’t love shopping for tiny clothes? However, living in a London flat meant that space was precious. Rather than risk getting bought duplicates of items that weren’t really needed, they put together a baby ‘wish list’ with all the new baby gifts that they’d need for baby’s first year. Then they set up a baby gift page with Patchwork, showing friends some of the things they’d love, at a wide range of price points to suit all budgets. This meant that everyone could contribute in an easy, secure and fun way, and the new parents received money towards baby essentials that were really wanted and appreciated. From a car seat to a baby bouncer, everything was covered!

Tell us a bit about your new arrival!

We had our first baby Sienna, in 2018; the first couple to have a baby in our friendship group. We celebrated with a massive baby shower a week before she was due, with 100 people who all contributed to our Patchwork. Subsequently she was born the next day by c-section. Advice to new mums, don’t have a baby shower at 39 weeks!

Doing up the Nursery New Baby Patchwork readymade template in iPad

What made you choose to use Patchwork for your baby gift registry?

My friend used it for their wedding gifts and I thought it was a great idea. We are young parents so the idea of getting exactly what you want without having to buy it yourself was great!

Toddler at nursery looking out of window

How did Patchwork help you as new parents?

The support we got for the first few months through patchwork was invaluable. It was great as we had a sum of money we could use to buy what we wanted for our baby. We also didn’t have to use the money straight away. It lasted for the first 6 months for anything we needed. Our friends and family all loved it too! Super easy to use and happy they were buying us what we wanted! The customer support was great too when I had a few questions.

Would you recommend Patchwork to other new parents?

I would recommend using it if you’re a first time family living in London with not much space. When you have a baby EVERYONE wants to buy you something! It’s so lovely but it means that your tiny flat gets even smaller! It’s nice to be able to stagger the purchases so you don’t have too much at one time.

Patchwork Kids: Toddler walking on pavement next to pram

And how is life with a busy toddler?

Sienna is now at nursery in Stockholm. We moved here just before Corona hit. We have great adventures in her pram everyday! Her pram, cot, Moses basket, newborn clothes and toys were all bought using Patchwork. Also some of her bedroom furniture. We still have all of those things and we use them all the time.

THANK YOU SO MUCH PATCHWORK!

Thank you so much Alice and Angus for sharing your story with us, and we wish you many more happy days exploring Stockholm with Sienna!

If you’d like to set up a new baby gift page, for yourself, or a friend, we have lots of beautiful, easy to customise templates for you to use, or you can create your own page from scratch.

From baby shower ideas to celebrating birthdays, Patchwork can help make family milestones fun, personal, and inclusive for your friends and family. And practical and waste-free for you!

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Yay - Bunting and pom poms for baby shower

Parent & Baby

Best Virtual Baby Shower Ideas

by Rosie Hurwitz May 21, 2020

written by Rosie Hurwitz

Baby showers are the best! Nothing is more exciting than sharing the anticipation of a new life with closest friends, sisters and aunties-to-be. The current climate might have thrown a few obstacles our way, but we are here to help you throw the best virtual baby shower ever with our top tips.

Set your date and invite your guests

Whether you choose to use Zoom, House Party or something else, at least at the moment you know no-one will have any other plans! Set the date, ideally 6 weeks or so before she’s due. Have a chat with the mum-to-be about gifts that would be most appreciated and talk about ideas for the day. Don’t give away all the surprises though! Then use Patchwork as your party planning tool and get everyone in the mood. Let everyone know what they can do to make it the best virtual baby shower EVER.

A drink and some cake to celebrate

A virtual baby shower isn’t complete without plenty of cake and a glass of fizz (or whatever your favourite drink is). This bit is easy, as everyone can simply make sure they have enough cake for themselves and a drink to toast the new arrival with. If you want to really go to town and get creative, baby themed cakes and a newly invented cocktail named after your friend are a great idea. Otherwise a doughnut and a Pimms will do the trick!

Decorate her space

Under usual circumstances you’d be decorating the venue (most likely someone’s living room) and making it all look gorgeous before her arrival. The next best thing is to arrange for some decorations, flowers or bunting to be delivered on the morning of the baby shower. Like this gorgeous personalised bunting from The Sewcial Circle. Then she can surround herself with gorgeousness and you can all admire from a distance.

A wish for the baby

This is a lovely one, and works so well for a virtual baby shower. Just ask each guest to find some coloured paper or card, and write down their wish for the new baby. Then each person can take it in turns to read their wish. Or if you prefer, you could ask everyone to send them a week ahead, so mum-to-be can open them all and read them all out on the day. And do her very best not to cry.

Club together for one big gift

Booties and bibs are cute, but is there something else that would really help the new parents out, and be more appreciated once little one arrives? One of the most popular group gifts we’ve seen on Patchwork lately is a food delivery for new parents. Time with their new born baby is so precious, and without friends and family physically around to help, they might struggle to cook in the early days. A food delivery service from somewhere like Cook is perfect, or maybe put together a hamper with some easy to prepare meals, healthy snacks for those late night feeds, and some vitamin packed fruit. Otherwise maybe there’s a big ticket item they might like help with? Maybe they’d appreciate money towards decorating the nursery, or you could chip in towards a beautiful new cot.

Design a babygrow or vest

Buy a multipack of plain newborn vests or babygros and send one out to each guest along with some coloured fabric pens. On the day of the shower, get everyone to design their own tiny masterpiece, to be sent to your friend as extra gifts. Every time she puts one over a tiny head, she’ll feel the love. (Especially needed during those middle of the night feeds).

Place your bets

An oldie but goodie – everyone loves doing this at a baby shower. Nominate someone to run the game and get everyone to guess the sex, weight, birth date, hair colour, or any other variable you can think of. Carrying high or low, craving salt or sweet? There are so many old wives tales to help you out here.

Jelly babies in the jar

Ask one of the crew to fill a jar with jelly babies, or any other kind of sweets and everyone else has to guess how many there are inside. The winner wins the jar through the post! What a treat.

Baby boogie

Use your patchwork to get everyone to suggest a baby related song and make her a playlist. (Yes, there are a LOT of songs with the word ‘baby’ in the lyrics). She can play it during the baby shower and you can all have a baby boogie. Or she might want to play it at the birth, or just when she needs to feel her friends’ good vibes close by.

Who’s that baby?

Ask everyone to send over a baby pic of themselves, upload the pictures and see if everyone can spot who’s who (and vote for who had the cutest smile or the chubbiest cheeks).

Who knows her best?

Organise a “who knows her best” quiz. Does she like to sleep in late or get up early? Is she craving fish and chips or a curry? Is she a fan of shopping in town or browsing online? See who’s been paying attention and who knows her best!

Set up your virtual baby shower patchwork

You can customise our readymade template in minutes and then send the link to all her friends to get everyone involved in making it the best baby shower ever. You can upload images, personalise the text and make it your own. Or you can create your own page from scratch. Once everyone has pledged what they want to fund, make or do, you can start planning and treat your friend to an AMAZING lockdown baby shower.

We’re here to help if you need any more tips or advice – just drop us a line at [email protected]

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Gift Ideas

Sunny Day Gifting: Digital Giving During Lockdown

by Rosie Hurwitz May 14, 2020

written by Rosie Hurwitz

We’ve certainly had a lot of grey and stormy days lately; but even on the bleakest days we can always look out for rainbows, and remind ourselves that storms don’t last forever. In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, babies are being born, birthdays are being celebrated, and important milestones and anniversaries will be marked. Whilst social distancing measures make it impossible to physically be together to celebrate, we can still show our love from a distance. In fact, now more than ever, it’s important to remind friends and loved ones that their special days are not forgotten! Digital giving, distance gifting, or ‘sunny day gifting’ are all on the rise, and Patchwork is perfect for them all!

What is sunny day gifting?

Sunny day gifting is simply sending someone a gift now, to be enjoyed when the clouds clear. So, you might want to treat your friend or loved one to a luxury spa day, a night at the theatre or a birthday sky dive. With Patchwork you can set up a group gift page in minutes, share the link with friends and collect cash contributions towards the big gift. Then on their (lockdown) birthday you can gift them their beautiful patchwork page, with all the messages from their friends and the money towards their ‘sunny day gift’ to be spent when they are ready. It’s a way of connecting with friends, and bringing some joy and excitement to their special day. When life returns to normal and this is a distant memory they can enjoy their gift and send thanks to all those who made it happen!

Patchwork rainbow fund

If you’re not sure what your friend might need or want – we’ve thought of that too. Have a look at our brand new Rainbow Fund template. It’s kind of like a rainy day fund but much more fun. It’s money towards whatever it is that will help keep them excited about the future. Allowing them to dream of freedom to come; something to plan for, when the clouds have finally lifted.

Ideas for new baby gifts while social distancing

A new arrival is always a sign of hope and new beginnings, and one of the happiest (and cutest) occasions to celebrate. Social distancing measures are especially important for pregnant women and no-one wants to spread germs to a brand new baby, so distance gifting is extra important. Whether you want to treat the new parents to a food delivery service, or contribute towards a big item like a new cot, Patchwork makes it easy with readymade templates that can be customised in minutes.

Say happy birthday with love, from a distance

There are going to be a lot of birthdays celebrated during lockdown, and whilst the parties might have to be put off, the birthday gifts don’t! You can use Patchwork to get together with friends and family and let loved ones know you are thinking of them on their special day. Collect birthday messages on the page to share with your birthday buddy and they can treat themselves to their gift whenever they like. Whether it’s a subscription of beers for a year, money towards a vegetable patch, or contributions towards a new sofa (for all that staying at home!) they’ll feel loved from a distance.

So if you know someone with a birthday or special occasion coming up (or if you have one coming up yourself!) check out our 100s of stylish templates and get some distance gift inspiration to bring some joy to someone you love!

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Patchwork Story

Patchwork Story: Chloe & Jude’s Doula

by Ismay Ozga April 3, 2019

written by Ismay Ozga

Chloe and her partner Jude are both in their early thirties and having just bought their dream home together, found out they were expecting their first child. One of Jude’s first concerns was the amount of plastic toys that might soon fill their home – while Chloe was obviously nervous about the birth itself! So she decided to kill two birds with one stone and set up a patchwork to fund a doula. That way she would get the support she needed and their family would know exactly what they could buy for them – avoiding all the plastic! We asked Chloe all about it.

Tell us more about why you set up a patchwork?

My partner’s sister introduced me to the idea of getting a Doula, someone who could answer my many questions and support us in the lead up to the birth.

After realising that the costs of a Doula can be expensive we both felt that the money our families would be eager to spend on tiny outfits and teddies would be better spent helping us feel prepared and confident about the birth and early parenthood.

After contributing to a friend’s honeymoon via Patchwork earlier in the year we thought we would create our own and family and friends could fund the help and support of a doula.

We knew that our families were eager to help us, so we wanted them to be able to do so in a way that was practical and useful.

What was the best bit about funding through patchwork?

It was lovely reading all the messages and made us feel so supported during such a special time and such a big change in our lives.

Although the birth itself didn’t go to plan, I have fond and positive emotions surrounding other aspects of the birth and labour and our Doula contributed massively to this. And memories last forever

How were you feeling in the lead up to your birth?

Being the first in our group of friends to venture into the new world of parenthood we were a little overwhelmed by all the things we needed to consider. As a mum-to-be I was eager to know about all my options but was overwhelmed by all the available information on the internet.

Why did you feel you wanted a Doula?

I wanted the continuity of care that a doula provides that unfortunately I feel is absent in today’s maternity system. Between my initial checkups the midwives would always differ from occasion to occasion and there wasn’t that feeling of having someone you know and respect to answer the many questions you will have.

That’s why having a Doula is such a magical gift as you have someone who can be with you along the whole journey who understands your concerns and worries and is able to make you feel confident and self-assured at a time of such importance. The relationship between me and my lovely Doula has continued to this day and my boy’s face always lights up when he sees her.

How did having a Doula prepare you for birth and parenthood?

The Doula answered my long list of questions over a tea at our home, she was a calm and reassuring presence. Although respecting the magnitude of the occasion she made birth feel as though it was an everyday occurrence – which of course it is!

Our time with her made us fully aware of our options in regards to the birth and during the hours after birth she was able to help greatly with breastfeeding and through the days that followed was a continual support.

Even now with our little boy being older I still attend a post-natal group my Doula runs, it is a relationship that I am sure will continue for many years to come, and with that in mind Patchwork enabled our family and friends to provide our new family with a gift that keeps giving.

Thank you Chloe, Jude and little Lenny for sharing your incredible Patchwork story with us. Inspired by their story? You can see more new parent gift ideas here.

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Parent & Baby

Patchwork x No+mi Indulgence Gift Box Giveaway

by Ismay Ozga March 31, 2017

written by Ismay Ozga

We think the gift boxes from our friends at No+mi London make the perfect baby shower and birth gifts. Filled with beautiful, useful products, hand-picked by the No+mi team, they’ll make any new mum feel super special and very loved. And now we’ve made it easy for a group of friends to chip in towards one, so it can be presented from all of you at a baby shower, or posted to a far away friend to show you’re all thinking of her. All you need to do is customise one of our new No+mi patchworks (A Hamper for a Mum-to-be, A New Baby Hamper or an Indulgence Gift Box), send it out to friends to fund, then head to No+mi to order your gift.

To celebrate our partnership we’re giving away TWO Indulgence Essentials gift boxes – one for you and one for a friend. The Indulgence box isn’t just for mums to be – it’s perfect for anyone in need of a treat. Each box contains:

1 x Cashmere blend Sleep Socks by YAWN
1 x Dry Nourishing Oil 100mL by Enfance Paris
1 x Box of Herbals caffeine-free infusions by Paper & Tea
1 x Soy Wax Scented Candle 100mL by Earl of East
1 x Luxury Raw Chocolate 45g
1 x 1 Month Unlimited Magazine access with Readly Gift Card
To enter for your chance to win head to either our Facebook page or our Instagram:
1. Follow both @patchwork_it and @nomi.ldn on instagram OR like both Patchwork and No+mi on Facebook.
2. TAG someone in the comment of either this post on Facebook or this post on instagram who deserves a treat
*1 entry per user. 1 winner. UK Only. Ends 06/04/17. Full Ts&Cs below.

COMPETITION T&C’S

Terms & Conditions
The Patchwork x No+mi Collaboration Instagram & Facebook Competition is open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Promoter: Patchwork or their affiliate companies, their families, cohabitants, agents and anyone connected with the promotion.
No purchase necessary.
To enter, you must TAG your friend on the competition posts and FOLLOW @patchwork_it and @nomi.ldn on Instagram or LIKE Patchwork and No+mi London on Facebook so we can see your entry to the competition. Entering on both Facebook and Instagram equals two entries.
The start date of the promotion is 30/03/2017 5.45pm. The closing date by which entries must be received is 06/04/2017 23.59pm. This competition will run for 7 days from the start date ONLY.

Prize
There will be 1 winner ONLY. The winner and their friend will receive 1 x Indulgence Essentials box from No+mi each.
The prize is as stated, is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
Should the original prize, or any part of it, become unavailable for any reason whatsoever, Patchwork may substitute a prize of comparable or greater value.

Winner Selection
The Free Prize Draw will be carried out on 07/04/2017. The prize-winners will be picked at random.
The prize-winners will be announced on the @patchwork_it Instagram and Patchwork Facebook page on 08/04/2017. The winners will also be notified via direct message on Instagram and email within 7 days of the Free Prize Draw.
Should the prize-winner not respond to the email within 14 days, Patchwork reserves the right to allocate the prize to another entrant.
The result of the Free Prize Draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

General
If Patchwork is unable to satisfy certain terms and conditions of this promotion due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, they may modify such terms accordingly or, if necessary, suspend or discontinue the promotion. By entering the Free Prize Draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and that their names and counties of residence may be released if they win the prize. Entrants agree that Patchwork shall be entitled to use the entrants’ quotes in any publicity material.
Promoter: Patchwork, 7b Harefield Road, Brockley, London, SE4 1LW

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Parent & Baby Party Planning

10 Super Cute Baby Shower Ideas

by Ismay Ozga December 14, 2016

written by Ismay Ozga

We love baby showers. There are few occasions in life that are so full of love and excitement. And cute baby things. If you’re organising a shower for one of your bezzies we’ve got some ideas you’re going to want to steal. Take it from us, if you include just one of these in their shower, you’ll have a lovely day. Do them all and you’ll go down in history as the best mate ever. So get your organising-head on and take some notes:

Beautiful blooms

Fill your venue with fresh flowers. This is a foolproof way to make the occasion feel super special. Get friends to help you gather the parent-to-be’s favourite flowers from the market and arrange them around the place – it will look and smell incredible.

Make a delicious non-alcoholic drink

Invent a fresh and fruity non-boozy drink for the occasion and name it after your bestie. We love a refreshing cucumber + mint limeade, but why not do a bit of experimenting yourself with different juices – you can’t really go wrong.

Throw an outdoor picnic

Picnics make for a practical and relaxed baby shower (weather depending!) with enough room for everyone to spread out and for big kids to run around. Just head to a local park, or ask a friend with a nice garden if you can use their space. Keep things casual by asking friends to bring a blanket and a dish, then make your little area feel special with balloons, twinkling lights and pretty decorations. Don’t forget to bring a garden chair and lots of cushions for the pregnant person in case they’re not comfy sitting on the ground.

Baby shower biscuits by Tuck Box

Baby themed snacks!

Like these incredible baby biscuits by the genius Tuck Box Cakes. Order enough for everyone and they will be amazed by their beauty. Or if you’re a star baker, whip out your whisk and make some little cakes of your own. We’re not huge fans of the whole pink for girls and blue for boys thing – why not make some in your friend’s favourite colour instead. Or a nice gender-neutral yellow.

Go polka-dotty

If you’re struggling to come up with a fun theme, polka-dots are always a winner. It’s a bright, cool alternative to pastels and you can incorporate it into the day in lots of ways. Buy polka dot straws for your drinks, dotty napkins, and huge clear balloons filled with confetti.

Baby shower planning patchwork — A Subtle Revelry

Bring out your inner-artists

There are tons of baby shower games to keep everyone entertained, but this activity might be our favourite. Buy a bunch of plain white baby-grows (in a range of sizes so baby has something to grow into) and some waterproof fabric pens, and get everyone to sit down and draw a design. It’s a chance for everyone to get creative, plus they’re lovely for the new parents to keep as mementos.

Snap a photo

Ask everyone to write down a message for the baby to read when he or she grows up. Then get them to hold it up while you take a photo. You’ll get instant results with a Polaroid camera, but if you don’t have one just get them printed and put them in a little box for your friend to keep.

Chip in for a big gift

Club together for an expensive item

If you know there’s one thing (a pram, cot, or sling) that the new parents really need but haven’t wanted to splash out on, get everyone to chip in. With Patchwork you can show everyone the gift, collect cash contributions, then buy it where you like, ready to wrap up and give to them on the day.

Send notes in the post

Send a baby shower in a box

Finally, if your best mate doesn’t live close to you, you can still show them you love them by creating a ‘baby shower in a box’ and posting it out to them to open while you Zoom. Fill the box with homemade cookies, handwritten notes, pre-decorated babygrows and all the other fun things you’d have if you were to celebrate in person. Although the ombre mocktails might not travel too well.

Get everyone involved

As with all events, organising a baby shower is way more fun and much easier if you get friends involved.

Just use Patchwork to show everyone the plan and ask them to help. You can customise our baby shower patchwork or create your own from scratch uploading your own photos and using images from our gallery. Then write descriptions telling everyone what you want them to help you to make and do. Friends can then click around the patchwork and choose whether to do the decorations, make a cake, bring a dish or pick up the parent-to-be and bring them to the venue. With Patchwork it’s easy to keep track of who’s doing what in your account. And once the day rolls around, your friend will have the best baby shower ever, knowing that everyone helped make it happen.

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A colourful salad in a blue dish on a wooden table, viewed from above

Gift Ideas Parent & Baby

New Baby Gift Idea: Food Delivery

by Rosie Hurwitz July 14, 2016

written by Rosie Hurwitz

Lots of people use our site to organise baby-showers and new baby gifts and recently we’ve noticed a bit of a trend. Food. Lots of it. On the doorstep. So we asked three new mums why a food delivery, organised and paid for by friends, is such a special gift to celebrate the birth of a new baby.

Harriet’s friends used Patchwork to organise a hamper from her local deli, health food shop and bakery. Then added “a few of her favourite snacks, some champagne and extra tea bags for all the visitors”.

When Harriet’s husband found a huge hamper on the doorstep he was “surprised, delighted and, after a night of no sleep, very grateful for some fresh croissants and coffee”.

Harriet says “I just felt really loved. It was like having a big hug from all my friends and exactly the help we really needed. Not only the most useful present we received but also the most heartwarming. At a time when you really need to eat well you don’t have the energy to think about meals, so it was lovely to feel that our friends had thought of everything and were really taking care of us”.

mum with new baby and two siblings in bed - food delivery gift

Steph’s friends used our site to collect cash towards a week’s worth of readymade meals from Cook.

“We were having baby number three” says Steph. “We really didn’t need much in the way of clothes, toys and baby things so when my friends asked what they could do as a baby gift I suggested some readymade meals! I was half joking but I was so chuffed when our Cook delivery turned up. Having a new baby is exhausting but of course my other two children expected life to continue as normal. Having meals that were already prepared and required no cleaning up saved my sanity. It also meant I had more time to cuddle with my new baby and rest and recover after the birth. I thought it was such a great idea that I have used Patchwork to organise the same gift for a friend who’s about to have her second baby.”

Hetty’s friends used our cash gift list to organise a supermarket delivery the day she got home from hospital.

“The idea was just to have some really good comfort food and a few easy meals within reach” says the friend who organised it. “As Het has moved away, we couldn’t all pop around with supplies so we thought this was the next best thing.” Hetty says, “I barely remembered or had the time to cook for myself in the first week. So a supermarket delivery from a bunch of friends living 100 miles away was a godsend. So thoughtful and the most perfect baby gift.”

Although we all love buying cute booties and bibs, it’s practical and emotional support that our friends really need when a new baby arrives. You could treat them to a local hamper, a selection of home-made meals or essentials from the supermarket. Whatever you decide, we think a food delivery is a wonderful way to show your love and offer real support in those first few weeks.

Congratulations to Hetty, Steph and Harriet and welcome to the world Imogen, Jack and Rosa.

Check out our other Parent and Baby gift ideas here.

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mother with blonde hair sitting holding baby

Gift Ideas Parent & Baby

Gift for New Parents: Baby Sleep Consultant

by Rosie Hurwitz March 26, 2014

written by Rosie Hurwitz

Anna has two children. She has a gorgeous three year old daughter Isla who bounces around the house all day and a beautiful six month old boy called Sid who wakes up every hour of the night. So when friends asked her what she wanted for her birthday this year her reply was honest and instant: “Sleep!”

“I adore my children but six months without sleep nearly broke me! I was crying most days and felt like a terrible mum because I kept losing my temper with my little girl. I even wondered if I had post-natal depression. I knew friends who had used sleep consultants to help them in similar situations but spending £300 for professional help seemed completely ridiculous whilst on maternity leave when money is so tight.”

So of course Anna was delighted when her friends got together to ‘patchwork the problem’ of newborn sleep deprivation. From a cup of hot chocolate to a session with a specialist, friends could choose a range of sleep related gift items from £1 to £50 and together contributed the £300 needed to pay for professional help.

A month later and Anna says she feels like a different woman: “It was a difficult week of sleep training but I did it, and actually the fact that my friends had contributed made me even more determined. My baby now sleeps for 11 hours a night and I feel human again. I’m a better mum and I am so much happier – as is my baby! Cheesy as it sounds, I can honestly say that Patchwork changed my life and saved my sanity!”

Thanks for sharing your story Anna. We’re just so glad we could help.

If you like this gift idea check out our Parent and Baby patchworks here.

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