Thank you VTech for sponsoring this post. Check out the VTech VM342 Video Monitor with Wide-Angle Lens and Standard Lens to keep an eye on your little one!

I’m at the stage where most of my closest friends have had their babies, so when Jane, my frousin (friend AND cousin-in-law), announced that she was pregnant, I was elated! First because, obviously, we’d have a new baby doll to love and play with, and second because I knew I’d get to throw her a shower. (Little fact…I set up Jane and her husband Micah, my husband’s first cousin. Jane and I worked together at Parents magazine and now she’s the Editor-in-Chief of Junior Scholastic magazine.)

Jane is definitely not the traditional baby-blue booties or pale-pink pacifier type, so my co-hosts and I knew that we wanted a more modern baby shower experience for her. So we…

• …invited the men! Child-rearing is not just the momma’s job, so why shouldn’t the dudes get to enjoy the yummy party food and the shower of love?
• …colored it neon! For as long as I’ve known Jane, one of her defining characteristics is her impeccable taste and ahead-of-the-curve style. Baby blue and butter yellow (they’re having a boy!) was not going to fly, so we went with brights!
• …designed our own shower traditions!

When I had my son, I loved how my seasoned parent-friends gave me all of their favorite books, so on the invite we asked the guests to each bring an unwrapped book to start this little guy’s library. At the door, everyone placed their book in a cute little book caddy that Jane and Micah got to take home.

In addition to the classics that friends and family brought, we also wrote our own collective baby book for Baby SommBaum (a combo of their last names!). Here were the instructions at the book-writing station:

1. Pick a word from the bag.
2. Write and illustrate your page of the book using that word. You don’t have to draw the word, but the word must appear in the text.
3. ONE RULE! You can only look at the ONE PAGE preceding yours.
4. Write your name(s) on the top line.
5. Draw in the blank space.
6. Write text on the lines.

Friends mingled about and took turns illustrating and writing their pages. (I promise to do a post on the final board book once it’s done!)

And then of course, it was gift opening time! In between each gift, we went around the room and offered advice to the parents-to-be…either advice as a parent or advice from having parents (there were some childless friends in the room). It was a sweet, and often laughter-inducing, way to give our friends a personal intro into parenthood.

In addition to cuddly lovies, cute onesies, and awesome books, I got to give Jane and Micah a gift that kept me sane through my kids’ babyhood…a VTech VM342 Video Monitor with Wide-Angle Lens and Standard Lens.

This well-designed monitor doesn’t sacrifice style for functionality, and there is nothing more comforting than knowing you can always have eyes and ears on your little ones, even when you’re not in the room. Most VTech baby monitors come with up to 1,000 feet of range, so you can be downstairs in your kitchen blending carrots and mashing bananas, while still hearing, seeing, and even being able to talk back to your baby from right where you are. And that gift is priceless!

Now I’m ready for more shower action…wedding, baby, I’ll take whatever I can get!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

July 26, 2017| ad, Decor, Food, Games & Activities, Gifts, Parties