Babies are so much fun. But baby games shower are much more fun since moms-to-be, godparents, grandparents, and other invitees in the baby shower can get to play childish games again. Some of the baby game shower that can be played include Sing It, Baby!, Measuring up Mommy, Here’s Looking at You, Kid!, Don’t Say Baby, Baby Truth or Dare, The Seventh Gift, and Dig out the Pins.

These baby games are the common baby game showers usually played. They are a great way that would let the guests mingle and get to know each other, if they aren’t acquainted yet. This is also another great way to give honor to the mom-to-be for having that precious baby on the way.

How do we play these baby game showers? Here is the run-down on how to play the baby game shower and create good memories of a great baby shower.

In Sing It, Baby!, the guests participants form a circle. They can sit or stand. Then, each guest must sing a line or two from a song that has the word “baby” in it. When the first game player has finished, the next person seated on her right has ten seconds to sing another “baby” song. “Baby” songs cannot be repeated, thus, participants who repeat a song or cannot think of a “baby” song gets booted out of the game. Last person singing in this baby game shower wins the prize!

How big has mommy become? Measuring Up Mommy is the baby game shower to play as this gives the guests the freedom to measure mommy’s size. Have a couple of toilet paper rolls ready and ask each participant to estimate the size of mommy’s girth by cutting the toilet paper to their guess size. Then each one wraps around the new mommy’s stomach the toilet paper they cut. The nearest length approximating to the mommy’s stomach wins the prize!

Remember how you looked when you were a baby? This game takes you down memory lane as you need to dig up those baby pictures of yours. Because you need them to play the baby game shower Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid! Before the party itself, request all the guests coming to bring the cutest baby picture of themselves. Upon their arrival, secure each baby picture and assign a number per picture. During the game, lay all baby pictures and give each participant paper and pen and ask them to identify as many baby pictures as they can. The guest with the most number of correct guesses is the big winner.

This baby game shower makes you NOT say what you are suppose to be attending to! The game Don’t Say Baby is precisely that! Don’t say “baby” during the entire length of the baby game shower for the diaper pin that was given to you upon your arrival will be taken away from you. The person with the most number of diaper pins collected at the end of the shower party wins a prize.

This baby game shower is for those who love baby trivia and the like. Play Baby Truth or Dare by writing down some baby trivia, some correct and others purposely written incorrectly. During the baby game shower, ask randomly if the baby facts are either true or false. Those who guess correctly gets a prize while those who don’t will be dared to perform in front of everyone else.

We all know that the single lady who catches the bride’s wedding bouquet is said to become the next bride. In The Seventh Gift, it is not so much a baby game shower but more of a fable that says that the giver of the seventh gift unwrapped will be the next expecting mother. However, avoid “planting” the seventh gift.

Last but not the least, Dig Out the Pins is the baby game shower that tests the agility of the guests as they fish out the most number of diaper pins from a large bowl filled with uncooked rice and diaper pins in under two minutes. The participant that has the most number of pins brings home the prize.

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Capture precious baby memories at every milestone

(ARA) – As a proud new parent, you want to make sure that you capture every precious moment of your new baby’s life. It’s tempting to hit the nearest photography studio for a quick professional session, but in these tough times, that can be costly and time-consuming. For families on a budget, learning how to take great photography at home can be easy and fun.

“Taking beautiful pictures of your new baby is a great way to preserve life-long memories. By following a few simple steps, anyone can learn to take baby photos that they can be proud of,” says Jodie Otte, the photographer behind the Similac Advance EarlyShield advertising campaign.

Here, Otte reveals her tips on how to take and archive the best shots of your newborn and protect your memories.  

* Get natural: When taking a picture of your newborn, you want the “soft glow” to emanate. The best way to achieve that is through natural lighting. Place your baby in a spot that is exposed to a lot of bright, indirect light void of shadows. Do not use a flash and raise your ISO speed to about 400.  

* Practice patience: Infants are fueled by curiosity. Everything captures their attention. Try to get them to focus on one object throughout the shoot. Also, it’s a great idea to take a few test shots to ensure you have the perfect light and that your baby is comfortable. Once you have the best shot possible, snap away.  

* Go black and white: Although color prints are vibrant and fun, make sure to print an array of photos in black and white. Not only are these photos classic and timeless, but they’re also the best option when trying to attain that professional look.

* Sharing is caring: Once you have the perfect shot of your new tot, make sure to share with friends and family. Cutting and pasting baby photos into an album is a thing of the past. To save time and cash, upload photos to free Web sites such as Shutterfly.com and create a personalized baby photo book. Need to add more photos? No problem — simply insert another page in your virtual baby book.

* Store safely:  After countless captured memories, be sure to have hard copies as well and archive photos with care. Choose albums that are acid- and lignin-free in order to prevent photos from yellowing or becoming damaged. Look for plain pages without adhesives and always make sure to use page protectors and pocket corners.  Store photo albums in a cool, dry, dark place that does not have dramatic temperature fluctuations.

Learning how to take professional baby photos has never been easier with these simple steps. Make sure you don’t miss another opportunity to capture a memory with your baby. For more baby tips and information, visit www.earlyshield.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

1. Stop it already with the dictates of your family’s tradition. Choosing the right baby name does not have to always rely on what your elderly relatives deem to be the best baby name. It is your baby’s name, not theirs. So, better act like it. Once your baby is born he will be stuck with that baby name for life. That means it’s not wise to just settle for any baby name that will suit your grandma’s or auntie’s taste.

2. Take a look of a picture of his future. You don’t want your baby to be always called with a monicker that will forever ridicule him or will allow his playmates to make a big laughingstock out of him, right? Research about the meaning of the baby name you are eyeing to give to your baby. Don’t consider Beelzebub as a prospective baby name just because you heard it from a TV show and you find it cute. Don’t use Rodelfa just because a certain Mexican TV show’s hunky lead actor is called Rodolfo. Just plainly saying yes to your gutfeel, thinking of the people that pops into your head upon hearing somebody spout a certain name, trying to follow a fad by naming your baby a certain celebrity’s (sometimes notorious) or NOT THINKING AT ALL in giving your precious one his or her baby name are huge no-nos!

3. Consider reading the initials of the baby name you are planning to give your baby. Make sure they don’t stand for anything funny, disturbing or something utterly stupid. Christine Sue Irving? What will happen on the next episode? Alvin Stephen Stuart? He’ll surely remember not to get near any hole. Fran Ursula Catherine Klein? Uh-oh! See? Can you imagine the sickening situation you may put your child into when he or she grows up?

4. Go check your family tree once and for all. Some can’t still get away from some traditions regarding baby name decisions, especially when they have a special bond with a certain family member that they want that person’s name to be a part of their baby’s name. If your planning to still follow the tradition of putting a part of your elder relatives’ names on your baby’s name, you have to know whether anybody else in your family use that name too. You don’t want to confuse people when they’re calling a name that’s owned by two. Ask around.

5. Don’t go for the overkill. Being too creative on thinking of a baby name can backfire, I’m telling you. Examples are too unique spellings. It will be hard for the kid to keep on spelling his or her name to people who only know the common spelling of such name.

6. Decide with your partner in coming up with the best baby name for your sweet baby. It wouldn’t be nice to be always blamed when people ask who chose that awful baby name, right? Okay, kidding aside. Sharing on this kind of decision-making is a good way of furthering your bond as a couple, not to mention the possibility of coming up with a better baby name. Remember that the “two heads are better than one” thought also applies to dealing with the troubles of finding the most suitable baby name for your baby.

Sound, appeasing relatives and friends and avoiding embarrassing initials and discovery of disgusting meanings are some of the major concerns that should be considered in your quest for the perfect baby name. You might find them a bit taxing. But in the long run, you’ll see that doing your homework will make your baby thank you when the right time comes. Happy baby naming!