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5 Free Printable Baby Shower Games

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free printable baby shower gamesYou’ve graciously offered to throw a baby shower for someone. Perhaps it’s a friend, coworker, or family member. Well done! It’s a fun time, but planning can be stressful. That’s why I’ve put together a roundup of free printable baby shower games to make the most of the mom-to-be’s special day.

5 Free Printable Baby Shower Games

Name That Baby

This is a game we used at my baby shower. Simply pass out the printable forms with a list of animals and have each guest write the names of baby animals of the same breed. for example, goose and gosling.

Find your printable sheets for “Name That Baby” here.

Name That Nursery Rhyme

This single sheet lists several first lines from famous nursery rhymes. Test your guests and see who gets the most right! The printable sheet and answer key are both at the link below:

Print off your copy of “Name That Nursery Rhyme” here.

Baby Bingo

Baby Bingo is a simple and fun game shower guests of any age can play. Print off several of these bingo cards – blue or pink. Make sure you have game pieces, candy, buttons, or coins for players to use for their cards. In each box, write what the expectant mother could potentially receive at her baby shower. For example, diapers, baby blanket, or lotion.

Call out each item and see who calls “Bingo” first!

Choose your printable “Baby Bingo” cards here.

Baby Shower Scavenger Hunt

A great ice breaker that helps people interact with one another is a scavenger hunt. Ask your guests to form into teams of two or three, then give each team a copy of the first clue. The rest of the clues have been hidden by you throughout the house.

I like this version of a scavenger hunt for a baby shower because each clue is fill-in-the-blank, making the clues more solvable and moving the game along at a nice pace. Make sure you have enough prizes for each team member to receive!

Get your “Baby Shower Scavenger Hunt” clues here.

Baby Shower Charades

Could you stand up in front of your friends and describe “Mary Had a Little Lamb” without using words? Try this fun version of charades that centers around popular nursery rhymes. Cut up each choice and have each guest draw one out of a hat to act out.

You can choose a different theme for charades, of course. You can have your guests act out baby-related things like going into labor, swaddling a baby, or having your water break. Oh, the possibilities for fun…

Print off your nursery rhyme-themed “Baby Shower Charades” here.

If you’re looking for more free printable baby shower games or need help putting together your theme, invitations, or snack ideas, then be sure to check the wealth of resources on Pinterest. These five games should help your guests break the ice and enjoy their time making memories and honoring their friend.

Next Up: “5 Quality Baby Items That Are Worth the Investment”

Which baby shower games have you played? Share a favorite with us below!

Image Credit: jdurham (MorgueFile)

Planning on staying home after your baby is born? Check out our top financial resources for stay-at-home moms:

Free Comic Book Day this Saturday

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Free comic book dayI have mentioned in previous posts that I have been a life long comic book fan.  My cousin introduced them to me when I was in 3rd grade or so and it blossomed into I cherish.  It taught me to love reading and worked my imagination to it’s fullest.

Every year, the comic book industry puts on a special event called Free Comic Book Day.  Most comic stores participate.  This one time every year the comic stores can purchase a specific selection of comic books for very cheap (pennies on the dollar) as long as they give them away for free on free comic book day.  Comic stores typically have events surrounding the day with other giveaways going away and comic creators showing up to sign books and meet their fans.   This year, Free Comic Book Day is this coming Saturday (May 7, 2011).

How to find stores participating in Free Comic Book Day

It’s a great event for families looking for something cheap and different.   If you aren’t sure where the closest comic book store is, use the Comic Book Store Locator Service to see if there is one near you that is participating in this event.  If you can find a store close by, take the kids, have some fun, introduce them to the wonderful, creative world of comic books for Free!

You can read more about it at FreeComicBookDay.com

Do you read comic books? Have you gone to a Free Comic Book Day event in the past?

Discounts for Parents of Twins and Multiples

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having twins is expensive!Having twins is wonderful but it is also pretty expensive!  Well,  having children is expensive but when you are blessed with two or more babies at one time, things add up really fast. The good news is there are several companies who understand this and are willing to give parents of twins and higher order multiples a break. Some companies will send you freebies or really great coupons. Be aware that in some cases, you will be asked to provide the babies’ birth certificates, to prove that you do have multiples.

Here is a list of discounts parents of multiples can receive and for even more money saving tips check out my post on tips for buying for twins. I will do my best to update this list from time to time but you will definitely want to check with each of these companies to make sure they are still offering their multiple birth programs, discounts or freebies. If you know of a multiple birth program that is not listed, please let me know I’d love to add it! 🙂

American Baby Magazine

(possible) Free 1yr Subscription

When I called I was told that you just need to enter your name, due date and number of children and when they see you are expecting multiples you will get the discount. I don’t know for sure if this works but it’s worth a try and if it doesn’t automatically apply the discount I would call customer service 1-800-678-1208

Please let me know if you do try it and whether it works or not. Thanks!

Babies R Us

10% discount to parents of multiples (in-store)

This discount applies when buying two or more large items such as, furniture, high chairs, swings, pack-n-plays, strollers (I am told this also applies to a double stroller), etc. Be sure to ask before making your purchase since these discounts can change at any time.

Baby Depot

(part of Burlington Coat Factory)

20% discount on anything in the baby department when you buy two or more identical items.

This could be a substantial savings, especially if you are buying furniture. Be sure to ask in your local store about the discount because discounts can change and possibly vary by region.

OshKosh and Stride Rite

Provides discounts for parents of twins, as do many other national retailers.

Carnation Good Start Formula

The Carnation Company will send you six containers of its formula. Send a copy of the babies’ birth certificates to: P.O. Box AW, Wilkes Barre, PA 18703. Address it “Attention: Nestle Infant Nutrition.”

Pampers

Call 1-800-726-7377 to request a freebie package as part of their Pampers Multiples Birth program. They’ll also send you coupons.

Luvs

Call  1-800-665-3257 for a freebies package from the Luvs Multiple Birth program. You’ll get coupons for diapers and wipes and product samples.

Huggies

If you call the Kimberly-Clark Company at 1-800-Tel-Scot, you will be sent free mailing labels to send in your babies’ birth certificates. Then you will receive coupons for free diapers.

(I recommend contacting all three companies. I used all three brands for the boys. Luvs were my favorite because they worked well and were the least expensive but I used pampers or huggies at night because they both carry and overnight diapers which help prevent leaks)

McNeal Consumer Products

(The makers of Tylenol)

Free welcome packs for your twins
Call 1-800-962-5357 ( option #5) and make sure you tell them you have multiples.

Tomy ~ First Years, Learning Curve, Boone and more

(Free baby gift package)

You must submitt a birth announcement, birth certificate or some other proof of multiples by fax or mail.

1-800-533-6708 ph | 1-563-875-8263 fax

Tomy

Attn. Multiple Birth Program
2021 9 St. SE
Dryersville, IA 52040

Once the kids are older you’ll want to ask if there is a multiple child discount for preschool, lessons (swimming, art, music), and sports. Most will automatically offer it but if they don’t be sure to ask.

I hope this has been helpful. Please pass it along to anyone expecting twins! 🙂

Get a Free Movie from Amazon on Demand

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Amazon has a new On Demand serviceNetflix has the majority of the market when it comes to movies on demand but Amazon wants to change that. They know that if they are going to take customers away from Netflix, they are going to need to make it easy for you to try them out and that is exactly what they have done. New customers of Amazon on Demand get to start out with a $5.oo credit which will allow you to get more than 1 free movie streamed directly to your PC. Most movies cost $0.99 with new releases at $2.99 so $5.00 will get you a nice bit of entertainment at no cost.

With Amazon on Demand, you can watch a movie on your computer without having to download any special software. Just like iTunes and Netflix they offer both movies and TV shows. With the huge economic power of Amazon behind the service they have a great selection so give them a try. New customers can get a free movie at Amazon on Demand by going to the Amazon on Demand New Customer page.

Have you tried Amazon on Demand? What do you think of it?

How to Make the Most of Your Baby Registry

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Ideas for what to list on your baby shower registryOne of the most exciting things about having a new baby is preparing for their arrival. Suddenly, you have to prepare your home, as well as yourself and for family, for an extra person. The best tool that new parents have at their disposal is the baby registry.

Whether you have been looking forward to this moment since childhood or find it a tacky practice, a baby registry is an excellent way to get the things you need. People want to give you gifts, whether you like it or not. Think of a baby registry as if all the people who will buy you gifts got together and decided to get things that matched, things you wanted, and just enough of what you need.

A baby registry can be a lot of fun, but if you fill it with impractical things, you will get less of what you actually need. Here are some tips to make the most of your baby registry:

Figure out what you’ll actually need

There are lots of adorable and completely impractical things for sale in the baby aisle. These are things that you and your partner can buy the baby yourselves.

Furniture

You will need a place for the baby to sleep, for example. Don’t forget crib sheets and bumper sets. You will also need a car seat (you often can’t leave the hospital without one) and a safe place to set down your baby during the day.

Clothing

Only register for the bare minimum. Some people will not buy off of your registry. Those people will buy you clothes. If you register for as many clothes as you’ll actually need, you’ll end up with a lot more than you need.

Diapers

This includes wipes, diaper cream and other diapering aides. Decide on a brand, and register for a couple bags of each size.

Food

Whether you plan to breast feed or to bottle feed, you will need some stuff. Bottles, nipples and formula are basic for bottle-feeding, and breast feedings moms might need a pump and storage containers. Once the baby is used to eating solids, Hipp baby food and similar products are also something to look out for.

Start Researching Early

You’ll want to have your baby shower a month or longer before you are due. You’ll want to give your guests at least four weeks to buy a gift. And it might take you a month to decide on all the brands you want. So you should start this process as early into your pregnancy as possible.

When deciding on what store to register at, there are several things to keep in mind. You want a store that is accessible not only to you but to your loved ones as well. Online shopping is handy as well. A large chain store might be your best bet if your family is spread out.

Talk to Other People

Ask for suggestions

A pregnant woman is inundated with “helpful” tips by nearly every other woman on the planet. It becomes hard to keep track of who suggested what, but try to steer these conversations towards what you should register for. Fellow moms will help you remember the little things that you might not realize you need: like a bottle brush or gas relief medication.

Tell People

The whole purpose of having a registry is to tell people what you need for the baby. So you have to make sure you tell the people where it is! Have family and friends spread the word for you, post it on social media networks, and add the information to your baby shower invites.

Freebies Coming Soon

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The best things in life are free! We will be scouring the Internet every day to find you the best freebies, giveaways and trial offers that we can find. Our focus, of course, will be on freebies that parents can benefit from the most. Please bookmark our site, subscribe to our RSS feed and check back often.

Kids Ain't Cheap

What kinds of freebies would you like to see?