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Baby Shower Ideas if You're Not Sure You Want a Baby Shower

It seems like the traditional baby shower is getting a bit of a bad rap, lately.

Even before I got pregnant, I saw a flurry of blog posts and discussions on Facebook and Twitter as to whether a shower should have been had by so-and-so celebrity.

Some “reasons” given as to why people shouldn’t have a baby shower:

This isn’t her first baby, therefore she has everything she needs;
She can afford to buy her own things;
If all she wanted from her shower is the get together, then a no-gift policy should be enacted.

I’ve always had an opinion about the judgment women only seem to reserve for baby showers, but having never had one myself, I wasn’t sure if it was a conversation I could intelligently weigh into.

Here’s my two cents: I think everyone deserves to have a shower, especially if friends or family throw the mom-to-be the celebration. It makes it hard for her to really say no when loved ones have put a lot of hard work into the event. A woman can ask for no gifts, but it doesn’t mean guests will abide by that.

If being showered with gifts still makes you feel a bit icky (and you don’t want to enact a no-gifts policy), here are a few creative ways to make your shower work best for you.

Think about what you’ll need after the baby comes

OK, I know, most of the gifts given at a shower are usually for after the baby comes. However, think beyond Babies R Us and little cute onesies.

For example, my husband and are are trying to plan ahead for when the baby comes. We’re not good at eating in as it is right now, and I know when the baby comes going out for dinner is likely not going to be something we can: a) afford all the time or b) be awake enough to do.

So I’m using my chest freezer to its advantage and plan to freeze a bunch of ready-to-cook meals that all we have to do is pop in the oven, the slow cooker, or throw on the stove. Of course, my recipe arsenal is only so big, so I would love if the guests at my shower each brought a meal we could add to our freezer for variety’s sake.

Help others less fortunate

If you’re lucky enough to be someone who might be able to afford many of baby things other couples cannot, you might want to think about asking guests to bring two gifts: One for you and one for the local women’s centre or pregnancy centre near you. This may mean you won’t get really big ticket items, but you’ll be paying it forward and helping a mom-to-be who may not be as fortunate as you are.

Alternatively, you can ask guests to donate money or canned goods that you can then take to the local food bank. Helping others makes everyone feel good.

Go sentimental

The crib. A stroller. The diaper genie. They’re all classic baby shower gifts, but they’re not that original, and they’re not really from the heart.

What you might want to do instead is ask your guests to bring a gift of something they treasured as a young child, or something that meant something to their child. This will mean getting gifts that have stories to them, and mean something to the giver. It’s also a great way to start a new tradition.

Do you have some creative ideas to make a baby shower one to remember?

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Moms-to-Be: What You Need to Know About Fifth Disease

Ever since getting pregnant, I have worked hard to be healthier. I’ve been watching what I eat (ahem, McDonald’s hashbrowns excluded from this), and how much of what I’m eating.

It’s funny to me that it took pregnancy to make me a more health conscious person. But I guess that comes with the territory of becoming a mom. I’m looking out for my little one, even though it hasn’t arrived yet.

There are some things that are in your control as a pregnant woman, like what and how much you eat. There are others that are not.

Recently, a number of kids in my town came down with Fifth Disease. Fifth Disease is a skin rash virus caused by Parvovirus B19. Like Chicken Pox, kids typically get it, and is generally considered benign. Most adults have had it, and are immune. But for pregnant women however, the disease can present risks in those who are not immune and their unborn children.

From the Center for Disease Control:

“However, sometimes a baby will develop severe anemia, and the woman may have a miscarriage. But, this is not common. It happens in less than 5% of all pregnant women with parvovirus B19 infection and more commonly during the first half of pregnancy.”

The risks for me were low, as no one I was directly to had come down with the virus, yet. I recalled a friend of mine had recently contracted Fifth Disease while pregnant with her third child. I reached out to her to learn more information.

“I knew I had no immunity because they usually test for it in early pregnancy,” Jen explained to me.

After her daughter and niece came down with the virus, she continued to get regular blood tests to monitor her situation.

“Eventually one of the tests came back positive. Then I was referred to McMaster to the high-risk obstetricians and had weekly ultrasounds and appointments to check on baby's condition. If at any time they could see that baby was not doing well then they would have sent me to Mount Sinai and baby could have had a blood transfusion. Happily, our baby was completely unaffected.”

Jen and her husband welcomed their healthy baby boy to the world last month.

After speaking with Jen, my contact with the virus got closer when a colleague came down with it. I reached out to my doctor, who said I hadn’t been tested as part of my early pregnancy bloodwork. She gave me the choice to get the test done or not. I chose to get checked, as I didn’t recall coming down with it as a kid.

It took two weeks, but luckily our results were negative. I was immune to Fifth Disease.

If you’re pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, and around children, make sure talk to your healthcare provider about Fifth Disease.

RELATED: Your Weekly Pregnancy Guide

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