they are not as common in the uk as abroad. i had 1 with my eldest but not my youngest as my mum did the 1st 1 but died when i was pregnant so 1 wanted to do 1. but OH and neighbour are doing 1 for me this time.
we are holding it at home as a "couples shower" (so OH and friends OH's can attend if they wish). we are making our own invites and not asking for gifts etc but boots/mothercare vouchers so we can buy any bits we forget. we will have pizza cut through gingerbread men and women and general snacks (may go for bbq if nice).
everyone will be given a "bump" upon arrival (a balloon and some sticky tape) and they will wear it for the whole evening! friends will be asked b4 hand to bring a baby picture and a recent 1 for a comparing game. these are 2 things i am doing but i have a list of games and ideas
*place jelly babys in ice cube trays with water and freeze, give 1 to each guest with thier drink, 1st to "give birth" gets a prize
*perfect baby - write a list of body parts and attributes (eyes, smile, bum etc) in 1 colomn and then have another colomn for guests to write from mum or from dad.
*a-z of baby stuff, write a-z down a page, give guests a time limit and they need to write down as many items as they can of baby stuff to cover the alphabet
*baby advice - buy or make little advice cards with the words advice for parents....... get each guest to write a hint or tip
*how well do you know the mum to be, get mum to be to write a list of 20-30 questions about herself, including stuff from when she was young. either give multiple choice answers or a blank space. person with most correct wins a prize.
*empty the bottle - fill baby bottles with either soft drinks (coke lemonade orange milk etc) or beer (if plenty of men of attending) on go they need to empty the bottle as quickly as possible. (not easy through a newborn teat!!!) but fun to watch.
*wheres the pin go? - draw a baby on a piece of wall paper (go to local DIY shop and get a piece (uk allow you to get samples, they dont know your not testing it against your existing paint work at home). give the baby a nappy on picture and place a cross in the middle where the nappy pin would go. blindfold guests 1 at a time and give them a pen or crayon to place a mark where they think it goes, closest wins.
*whats the food? b4 the event prepare some foods in bowls and cover with tea towels etc. jelly, mashed banana, weetabix with milk so soft and many more. dont allow guests to see them, but they need to put their hand in to "feel" what it is and then write it down. person with most wins.
*hold a sweepstake on babys weight at birth. each guest pays a small set fee to guess the weight, keep a note in a book/diary who guessed what. upon the birth the person who guessed correctly or enarest gets the money. (this was done at my 1st 1 and the person who won gave the money to my son).
there are laods of other games if you google baby showers/couple showers.
i am making small party bags for everyone - going o cash and carry to pick up a box of the candy filled baby bottles, a fortune cookie from local chinese wholesaler and a short poem "from baby" thanking everyone for coming etc.