Many of us are pretty familiar with baby showers. Friends and relatives shower the mum-to-be with gifts and presents that will help her in caring for her newborn baby-to-be. It’s like a celebration of an impending motherhood. But what about a baby sprinkle? Perhaps you have already heard of it but are quite confused whether it is the same as a baby shower or not.
What is a Baby Sprinkle?
From the word itself, a sprinkle connotes little, few, or even small. When compared to a “shower”, which can be taken as profuse, lavish, grand, and huge, a baby sprinkle therefore, is pretty much like a baby shower but in a scaled down form. Let us just say it is a mini form of baby shower. A baby sprinkle is, as the term implies, just a sprinkling of gifts for the second, third, or any succeeding newborn. Do take note, a baby sprinkle is NOT for the first born child.
How is it Different from a Baby Shower?
In its stricter sense, however, a baby sprinkle is NOT the same as a baby shower. The idea of a shower is for nonfamily members to celebrate the coming of motherhood by providing gifts that will help the mother fulfill her roles and duties as a first-time mom. In essence, it is an acknowledgement of a first-time mother’s entry into the exciting and challenging world of motherhood and parenthood.A baby sprinkle, on the other hand, is designed primarily to provide smaller gifts to succeeding children born to the same mom. So if the mother who had a baby shower 2 years ago suddenly invited you for a baby sprinkle this time around, you need not be surprised because this is actually different. Of course, you will be asking yourself why you should give presents again. The thing is that, the gifts you’ll be presenting will be for the succeeding child. If the family still has the crib, the milk bottle steriliserr, the stroller, or even the car seat that were given to them during the baby shower, you’re no longer expected to give these again. Check out these gift ideas for newborn babies for some ideas on great gifts to give at a baby sprinkle.
In essence, a baby shower helps prepare mothers for caring for their kids by giving them, albeit not really absolutely a must, big ticket items. Succeeding births will no longer require these bit ticket items so only the small essentials are given during a baby sprinkle celebration.
How to Set Up Your Baby Sprinkle
Different moms will have different ways in which they would want their baby sprinkle activity to be conducted. However, the process is technically the same. Here’s how.- Pick a date. Usually a baby sprinkle is conducted no less than 2 months before your expected delivery.
- Keep it short. The program itself should not take longer than 2 hours. However, it is possible to consider setting up an “open house” so guests can pop right in anytime to “sprinkle” their gifts.
- Be ready with your guest list. Remember this is not a baby shower. So, the objective is more about advice and support. In many instances, the guest list is limited to only family members and very close friends. It is also possible to include male members of the family as well as male friends.
- Informal invites. There’s no need to get very lavish invitations printed. A simple email or even a text message will do.
- Keep it light. Light snacks should suffice. Remember, it’s the continuation of your journey to parenthood that’s being celebrated.
Hopefully, with this information, you’re now more than ready to have your baby sprinkle. Keep it light and simple and everything will be just fine.
Mummy B xoxox
* Collaborative Post
