Everyone was very happy and supportive when I told them I was pregnant for the first time. In fact, there was so much support that I was able to have not just two, but three baby showers! When I got home and saw how many adorable outfits, little shoes, and baby goods we had acquired, my initial elation immediately changed to fear.
In spite of my gratitude for the baby showers, by the time I was expecting my second child, I realized I had no need for the gifts given to me. Our second child spent a month in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), so we had a lot of medical costs and concerns to cope with once they were discharged. What we truly needed was support at home and money in the bank, not cute clothes and cuddly animals.
Ideas for a Financial Baby Shower
New baby celebrations aren’t always about the traditional shower full of strollers and baby clothes. The party throwers are concentrating on various methods to aid the new parents. If it’s not the parents’ first child or if they’ve previously had a traditional baby shower, this is a great alternative.
Don’t worry about offending anyone with the shower’s unusual gift guidelines if you make it sound like a lot of fun. One of these themes might be perfect for a baby shower:
- Diaper Bath
To sleep-deprived parents, the idea of a “diaper shower” may not seem appealing, but trust me when I say that it has nothing to do with actually changing diapers. However, in lieu of a typical present, visitors are invited to bring a package of diapers.
To spice up the celebration, consider holding a raffle for a special gift; for every package of diapers brought, each guest will be entered one extra time.
It’s important to specify on the invitation what brand of diapers the parents like in case anyone brings any. Request that visitors bring diapers in a range of sizes so that the new parents don’t have to worry about buying diapers for at least a few months. If the parents want to use cloth diapers, find out the kind they like, and have visitors bring one to add to the growing stockpile. A diaper shower is a welcome relief from the financial strain that can be caused by the high cost of diapers, both cloth and disposable.
- Shower of College Savings
It would be fitting to throw the parents-to-be a baby shower centered on higher learning if they are intellectuals themselves. While it may seem premature to start saving for a kid who hasn’t even been born yet, doing so can assist the child’s future parents develop healthy savings habits.
Talk to a financial planner about opening a 529 plan for a friend’s child’s future education. Then, you may tell your guests that they can skip the presents in favor of a donation to the account. After that, you can make a formal declaration to the guardians.
Alternately, you might have attendees contribute in the form of cash or checks. After the new parents have been briefed about the purpose of the donations, you may hand over responsibility for the plan to them. Just a few hundred dollars invested at the outset might grow into a substantial sum of money over time.
- Shower for Freezer Meals
I know firsthand how the days and weeks following giving birth may feel like living in a state of utter stupor. In all candor, when I’m home recovering, my family eats a lot of pizza.
Freezer meal showers are great because they provide a welcome alternative to quick food. The convenience of a chest freezer comes in handy here because new parents will need somewhere to store things.
Before the party, have everyone bring a disposable casserole dish filled with a frozen meal. That way, whenever hunger strikes, the new parents can quickly heat up one of many healthful, home-prepared meals saved in the fridge or freezer.
After the birth of my second child, I was showered with freezer dinners, and my daughter quickly grew accustomed to heating up her meals in the microwave to the point that she would exclaim, “Dinner!” at the sound of any beeping appliance. Seriously however, it saved my bacon in the first month.
- Shower with a Gas Card
Just recently, I paid a visit to another mother who, like me, had to spend a lot of time in the neonatal intensive care unit. We were talking about the time and money it takes to make the daily commute to the hospital. In spite of it, it was around this period that she had a truly inspired thought. People would often ask how they can assist, and she would reply, “I’d ask for a petrol gift card to help pay for the trips to the hospital.”
Rally your pals and bring the parents of a newborn still in the hospital some petrol money or a credit card gift card. Even while you may be unable to do much else to help, you may at least help ease the stress of having a baby who is hospitalized.
- Shower of Service
Throwing a service shower for the new parents is a certain way to make them well up with emotion. Attendees at a “service shower” are asked, rather than to bring presents, to instead deliver a card to the hostess with the pledge to perform some service for her. The recipient can choose to get a handmade dinner, a babysitter for a night out on the town, assistance in maintaining the garden, or two hours of prepaid house cleaning as a service present.
In the early days, a new parent’s attention should be on their child, not on chores like cleaning and yard work. New parents can really need some help, and you can be that help by providing a service as a gift.
Bottom Line
If you’re holding a baby shower for parents who are struggling financially but don’t really need a lot of baby stuff, it pays to get creative. There is such a thing as too many baby gifts, including clothing, toys, and books. The financial burden of having a child can be eased by directing attention to the parents’ money account.
