10 Make the Most of Your Baby Shower (1)

Baby Shower_imgUntil about the age of two, your baby won’t know that he’s been sleeping in a shallow cardboard box, upon a mattress cleverly fashioned from an old pillowcase stuffed with discarded hosiery. Yet from the time of conception until the moment of birth, his needs -- real or imagined -- grow exponentially. And expensively. The other great reason for having a baby shower is to make sure that you don’t end up spending all your much-needed postpartum cash on someone who, quite frankly, doesn’t care whether his top matches his pants. Or even whether he’s wearing pants. Ensure that your own baby shower delivers by simply following these strategies:

Make a list. Go window shopping, research online, read product reviews and figure out exactly what you want -- what brand, size, color and quantity -- and then make a very detailed list. Remember, this is not the time to be vague. If you are anything less than absolutely specific when asked the question “Is there anything you need?” you can bet your bottom dollar (the one which will then have to be spent on clothing your new child) that you will get things you don’t like or already have.

Register. Scribbling things down on a scrap of paper may make you feel better (less mercenary) than compiling a registry at a store or online, but a list’s a list. The only difference is that when you register officially, your illegible handwriting won’t cause you to end up with two diaper bags when really you meant two packages of cloth diapers.

Don’t be greedy. Go for small-ticket items. A humble pack of washcloths, a bottle of baby shampoo, a nail clipper -- it’s all good. And it’s all money that you don’t have to spend on the baby equivalent of an oil change, or toilet paper, or some similarly tedious but necessary purchase. The less of the regular, everyday, boring stuff you have to buy yourself (diapers, for example), the more cash you’ll have to spend on yourself and your postpartum comforts.

Don’t be self-effacing. Maybe one person by herself won’t spring for that fabulous stroller that all the celebs have, but people are pack animals and they like to give in groups. So if you really want it, really ask for it.

10 Make the Most of Your Baby Shower (2)

Avoid the unnecessary. This is a great time to talk to other moms and get their advice about what you do and don’t need. For example, the books may tell you to purchase twelve small, kimono-style undershirts for the first month of your baby’s life (a) so that you need to do laundry only once a day, and (b) because a nasty old onesie might rub against your infant’s delicate cord stump and break it off prematurely (and messily). However, the truth is that a loose onesie is perfectly fine, that yucky stuff gets everywhere anyway, and that cord stumps are tougher than you think. But before you make your final decisions, remember to talk to a new mom who’s on your wavelength. Don’t ask your cousin who has elevated neuroticism into an art form unless, of course, you’re even more neurotic. In which case you’ve already purchased, washed, ironed and put away your twelve small, kimono-style undershirts.

Don’t ask for things you can liberate from the hospital yourself. A bulb aspirator (a.k.a. snot snatcher) is a good example. On leaving the hospital a day or two after your baby’s birth, you’ll be able to walk away (albeit uncomfortably) with at least one, as well as a handful of digital thermometers.

Don’t underestimate (or forget) how fast babies grow. Or even how big they can be when they come out. Apparently, the average baby weighs about seven and a half pounds. Which means that in order for some babies to be average, there must be non-average babies on either end of the weight chart -- delicate little slips of things around the five-pound mark, and great, hefty ten-pounders. Both extremes are fine, both can be perfectly healthy and both can completely screw up your well-laid plans. So ask for things in a variety of sizes—bigger rather than smaller—and take into account the time of year when your baby will be born. Nobody wants to wear angora in August.