Babies and Children

Dogwood Square is really excited about our new Baby and Children's products.  We hope you will like the ones we have chosen of all the ones on the market.  We have searched for companies who produce well-made and more importantly products which are safe for the children you will buy these for.

Our whole reason for adding a Baby and Children's section to Dogwood Square is pictured at the left, Miss Brynlea.  She has been and continues to be a precious addition to our family.

You will find baby products from Baby Aspen.  They are the same people from whom we buy most of our wedding favors.  Their wedding favor division is called Kate Aspen.  They are just getting started in the "baby business" and don't have a lot of products to offer, but the ones they have are made of good materials and they stand behind them 100%.

We are also proud to offer baby and children's sleeping products from a company called Halo Innovations.  They produce the HALO^® SleepSack™ Swaddle and SleepSack™ wearable blankets.  Introduced in 2000, the HALO^® SleepSack™ wearable blanket is the only product to carry the First Candle/SIDS Alliance #1 Safest Sleep Product gold seal and is universally recognized by new Moms for its thoughtful design and exceptional quality.  We are also proud to say that a percentage of all SleepSack™ wearable blanket and SleepSack™ Swaddle sales go directly to First Candle/SIDS Alliance to support medical research, education and family services.

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Hosting Your First Baby Shower

Trying to throw a baby shower is far different than thinking back to the ones we attended or even the ones that were thrown for us. We have to consider what the mother to be wants and does not and make sure we plan the shower in a timely manner. This article will cover the basics of a baby shower.

The first question that must be addressed is who is going to throw the shower. Today just about anyone can throw the shower as values and traditions are rapidly changing. However there was a time when only close friends were the ones who were supposed to have this job. The reason was because when a relative throws a shower it can give the impression that they are trying to get gifts for their family member instead of wanting to celebrate the upcoming baby with family and friends.

The invitation list must be decided early on. Close family and friends for both the mother and father to be should be invited. A traditional view of a baby shower is to keep the lit intimate, less than 25 people, in order to allow the guest of honor time to spend with each guest. However when big families and lists of close friends are involved this may not be possible. Make sure before you finalize the list you allow the mother to be to go over it to make sure that no one was left out and that everyone being invited is someone she is comfortable sharing her special day with.

In the ever changing world of baby showers one thing that might need to be considered is throwing a modern co-ed shower. This would allow both the men and the women to celebrate together in one place. If this is the way you want to go you may want to reconsider the decorations, the food or the activities to best suit everyone's tastes.

If the couple wants something modern but the woman still wants her own shower you may want to consider having a shower for the women and a party for the men, this would allow both partners to celebrate the upcoming birth in their own way.

Now that we know what type of party is being thrown, who is throwing it and who is being invited it is time to decide when it will be. An ideal time for a baby shower is near the end of the sixth month through the beginning of the eighth month. This will ensure that the mother to be will have a small chance of going into labor before the party. This will also help the expecting parents know what they do and do not have in time to finish shopping and to put all the baby's new things in place before the arrival.

Now it is time to choose the invitations. The invitations can be of any design, but if the parents have chosen a theme for the nursery the invitations should follow that theme. The invitations should be sent out with the guest of honor's name, the hostesses name and number, the location, date, and time of the party, a date to RSVP by, a map to the shower as well as a list of any of the stores the parents may be registered at.

Now that all preparations have been completed it is time to look forward to the shower. A typical shower is 2 to 3 hours in length. The beginning is usually when the hostess and the guest of honor will thank each guest for coming. During the period of everyone's arrival is usually time for people to mingle. After everyone is there, there is usually some king of food either a sit down meal like a brunch or a variety of finger foods and desserts. After the food you may choose to play a couple of games. Finally, the guest of honor gets to open her presents. As the hostess besides providing the party and the food, you may also want to buy door prizes, prizes for the baby shower games and party favors.

Now you know the basics of throwing a successful baby shower.

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