Baby showers are a traditional gathering and celebration for the pending arrival of a baby, but not everyone wants to have a shower. Whether due to costs or other circumstances, there are still ways to share your baby registry and receive a few baby goods to help you prepare.
While many new moms still opt to have a baby shower, times have changed, and so have the traditions surrounding baby showers. If your friends or family are unable to host a baby shower, many new mamas like to replace the traditional baby shower with an occasion to celebrate the news in different, creative ways.
But before you begin to brainstorm ways to share your baby news and your baby registry, it’s important to remember that your close friends and family will always be excited to celebrate and likely, more than happy to gift you baby necessities and offer a helping hand along the way.
Here are some ways to celebrate your baby news along with some fun ways to share your baby registry!
How to Share Your Baby Registry Without a Baby Shower
If you are opting out of a traditional baby shower, but wondering how to best share your baby registry with your friends and family, here are some ideas that may feel like a good fit for you.
Baby Announcement
Whether by snail mail or a sweet e-card, creating a baby announcement and sending it off to your friends and family can be a great way to share your baby registry. Some couples like to send out a baby announcement after they know the gender of the baby while others simply like to share that they are expecting.
Simply create a style of the announcement that feels like the right fit for you and at the bottom of the announcement or on the backside of it, you might include a link to your baby registry. This lets friends and family know that you have a baby registry without pressuring them into purchasing a baby item. That said, it invites them to shop away even without having a formal baby shower to attend.
Pregnancy Website
The journey of pregnancy can be nice to share with close friends and family. Some moms have found that the perfect way to keep loved ones informed on the pregnancy’s progress is by creating a website.
This can be really fun to do whether you want to capture monthly pregnancy belly photos or just share some of your thoughts on your family adventures during pregnancy like creating your nursery and prepping for the baby. Of course, on the website, you can also create a link to your baby registry. Friends and family can have easy access to what you need and purchase with a click of a button!
Sip-And-See After Baby’s Arrival
If you are not interested in celebrating the pending arrival of your baby, you can consider celebrating the baby once he/she has arrived! Some parents choose to host a “sip-and-see” once they’ve returned home with baby and are settled in. It’s a great way to have an intimate celebration and share your baby’s arrival with your closest friends and family members.
Typically, you would send out an invitation after the baby arrives and just have light snacks, coffee, or any beverage so that friends and family can stop by and meet your sweet new bundle. It’s super casual and less to prepare for. This gives them the chance to bring by a gift as well. I suggest including your baby registry link in the invitation to the sip-and-see event.
Related: Ultimate Non-Toxic Baby Registry Checklist
Casual, Small BBQ
Similar to offering a sip-and-see event, you can think about doing a casual outdoor gathering with a small group of close friends and family after your baby has arrived. Again, another opportunity to meet the baby, bring by a gift and grab a bite to eat. It doesn’t require the same level of formality or preparation as a baby shower, likely doesn’t cost nearly as much, yet still offers a chance for loved ones to celebrate the new arrival! Again, I would put the link to your baby registry in the invitation.
Social Media Posts
You don’t want to be tacky with this one. You can treat a social media post to announce your pregnancy as you might with a baby announcement via e-card. A post announcing your pregnancy, a note on how you’re doing, what you’ve been doing to prepare for the baby, etc.
It’s probably best to wait for friends and family to ask if you have a registry. This is a great and socially acceptable way to share the news and create an occasion to share your baby registry as well.
Note: the biggest advice I have is to make sure you have told everyone you want to in person before putting it on social platforms.
Want to Save This Post?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Word-of-Mouth
Share your registry with your best friends and your parents. You know they will ask anyways!
Leave it to them to share your registry information from there. You’d be surprised how quickly word-of-mouth can travel when it comes to shopping for a baby. Everyone loves to buy baby items.
Note that if you are not having a baby shower and relying on word of mouth, some thoughtful friends and family may wait to purchase baby gifts until after the baby is born. Don’t be surprised if you have a bunch of unexpected packages on your doorstep when you get home from the hospital.
Advice Gathering
All those seasoned parents love to give advice! And many times it’s useful. In fact, this is precisely why you will find a place to leave advice at a baby shower — whether as part of signing a guest book or as a fun baby shower activity.
The good news is, you can still get all those words of encouragement from friends and loved ones without a baby shower. There are a couple of ways to do this.
One way is to invite friends and family to create a video for you that includes them giving you baby tips, parenting advice, and words of genuine support and encouragement. Once you have the video clips, you can either save them in a folder and review them as you want, or create a compilation by combining them together. Post that on social media if you’d like!
A second way to do this is to ask friends and family for written words of encouragement. Simply send an invitation with a stationary card and a return envelope. It’s kind of fun to receive lots of mail from those you love most!
Depending on how you position this, you could include your registry link in the invites if you’d like to.
Related: The Best Baby Registry Sites: Where to Register and How to Score the Best Perks
Virtual Gathering
In today’s world, it’s not unusual to have a virtual baby shower or baby sprinkle. This is definitely a scaled-down approach that does not require too much time or effort, yet allows you to connect with your family and friends, celebrate without travel, and of course, an occasion for you to share your baby registry.
Simply include the link in the invitation and DO feel free to open gifts on camera in front of your guests if you have time. Decorate the room you are in, have snacks by your computer, and have your friend or family member plan a few games. It’s more fun than you may think!
Share Away!
When it comes down to baby showers and all the traditions around preparing for a baby, the truth is, it’s totally up to you what you decide to do, and what you decide to opt-out of. It’s totally appropriate to explore alternative ways to celebrate your little one.
All of these methods of sharing your baby registry are tasteful, in my opinion, especially if you are subtle about it. By incorporating a link to your baby registry, it invites them to gift you baby necessities without making them feel obliged to do so. This also opens the opportunity for you to celebrate your baby’s pending arrival in a way that feels right for you!
Don’t forget to check out my baby registry handbook for all the details on how to make the best baby registry.
How did you announce your baby registry? I’d love to know!
Keep Reading:
Leave a Reply