Winter Wonderland Baby Shower

We decided to do a “baby sprinkle” (instead of a shower) because we saved everything from Little Ox #1 and we knew that we were having another boy – so we didn’t need clothes. We advised people that we didn’t want them to bring anything, but that if they felt obligated, we would love diapers, wipes, or bath-time products since those are used consistently.

The problem with me though, is that I like to wait until the last minute to do baby things. I like doing baby showers and maternity photos toward the very end because then you look more pregnant and the pictures are cuter. Also, you don’t have to wait as long to see your squishy new baby in all the new things you get at your shower.

However, luckily I made up my mind about even wanting a second “shower” because 5 days after my baby shower, my water broke and Little Ox #2 came the next morning. This is also why I didn’t get maternity pictures – because this mama likes to wait until the last minute and baby decided he was ready to come before everyone else was ready. 🙂

Anyway… I wanted something fun and simple for this second “shower” that would just be a time to get friends and family together to have fun and simply celebrate the new little one coming – as well as big brother!

I almost decided not to have one – but again, at the last minute – I changed my mind. I wanted it somewhat close to Christmas and I wanted a wintery theme since the weekend before it was so cold and the perfect wintery week.

I searched on Pinterest – as everyone does – and I didn’t find as much as I thought I would, but I loved what I saw from other bloggers!

I decided that I wanted a Winter Wonderland type theme that would make it feel and look like it was Christmastime as well as something warm to combat the chilly weather.

We wanted all the “games” to be low key and something that everyone could do while they were eating or talking. Nothing super organized.

For the decorations, target had recently just put out all of their Christmas stuff and it was on sale. So we used a few simple christmas decorations and ornaments to just decorate the tables. We figured since it was almost Christmas the house being decorated for that would add into the feel that we wanted.

For “games” we had a gingerbread cookie “baby” decorating station. We found that idea on this site: http://www.thelittleumbrella.com/2013/01/peppermint-and-pine-cones-themed-winter-baby-shower/

For these we used cookie cutters and pre-made gingerbread cookie bags. I would have made them from scratch, but because of the time crunch we figured this would be a better choice. We set up this table so people could come make a cookie baby and the best one would win a prize.

 

Another “game” that we did was a simple M&M jar guessing game – that one doubled as the game and the prize! (The winner won the jar and the candy)

 

We also did a diaper raffle for a prize – if the guest brought diapers or wipes, their name went in the jar for a chance to win a gift card.

One of my favorite parts of any party is doing the gift bags or baskets for the guests to bring home with them. We found these baskets in the target dollar section and made “confetti” to go on the inside with a small bag of homemade cookies.

 

My idea for the whole shower kind of stemmed from REALLY wanting a hot chocolate bar. I loved this idea and I thought it was perfect for the cold winter weather.

My favorite came from here: http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2014/01/baby-its-cold-outside-first-birthday.html

We added a whole mess of toppings and things you could add to your hot chocolate.

 

We decided to put the hot chocolate in the crock pot to keep it warm throughout the party.

 

Lastly was the main table with all the food.

I absolutely LOVED this printable given by Kim Connor from Seven Thirty Three Blog – http://www.733blog.com/2014/10/hot-chocolate-bar/

It was exactly what I wanted for the shower. I used it here on the main table.

 

We made the food really simple. We had finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit with fruit dip (recipe below), and cupcakes.

We ordered the cupcakes and then added the silver sprinkles ourselves to make them fit the decorations a little better.

Enjoy this Fruit Dip Recipe below!

 

Even though the party was last minute and really low key – it was perfect for being cold out and VERY pregnant. I love that I can use this to give you inspiration for your next winter themed party AND as a reminder to plan in advance and early when it comes to baby and pregnancy related things! You never know when God might surprise you and bless you with your baby a month earlier than expected. 🙂