Throwing a full month party for your new baby is a celebration for the new mother too!
In Asia, families usually celebrate the baby’s full month or full moon (满月) when the baby is about to, or, is turning one month old. It is loosely referred to as the ‘baby shower’.
But it is different from that of our Western counterpart’s party which is an event thrown during the third trimester before the baby is born to celebrate the mother’s soon-to-be new life.
New parents are excited to share the birth of their child, but how can they pull off a baby full month celebration party without going into a frenzy while struggling with a new baby?
If you’re planning to organise a full month party, then rest easy — we’ve done the legwork to make things easier for clueless parents. To help you along the way in all your preparations for your baby full month celebration party, here’s all you need to know!
7 Steps For Planning Your Baby Full Month Celebration
Here are 7 steps to guide you through your baby full month celebration planning just like a pro:
Set a Date and Time for the Full Month Party
Most families usually pick a weekend to accommodate schedules. The ideal date would be on the actual day—or before—as traditional Asian families don’t believe in celebrating after the actual date.
When to start: 2 to 3 weeks before the date of party, pin down dates you’d like to hold the event. That would help you let your guests to block their calendar too.
Decide on Who to Invite to the Full Month Party
Take time to plan your guest list. Consider how big or small a baby full month celebration you are hoping to have and will be able to manage. Don’t forget, that planning for a party requires logistical arrangements and coordination with various people involved. The larger the scale, the more complex things become.
Tip: Get your husband to list down the people he’d like to invite, you do the same too, then combine the lists. If the group gets too large to handle, consider scaling down. Remember, the more guests you have, the bigger the venue will need to be and that might affect your budget if you are cost-conscious.
When to start:2 to 3 weeks before the date of party; done concurrently when deciding the date and time.
Image Source: iStock
Look for an Accessible Venue and Plan Your Budget
Once you have an estimated number of guests, start looking at venue options.
Will it be a simple baby full month celebration at your own home or at your in-law’s condominium function room? Or will you be going all out to throw a classy party at the hotel—fit for your little princess?
Shortlist a few locations, so you have options in case the top choice is taken or way out of budget. Some favourite party places require a minimum number of guests in order to book the venue and may include various packages, so you might need to check and confirm with your guests on their availability prior to booking.
Indoor venues are usually favoured due to unexpected weather conditions. Plus, you wouldn’t want to deal with a sticky, cranky, little baby on this special day.
At the same time, start costing out how much you will need to set aside. Don’t forget the nitty gritty details such as party decor, party favours, and cakes too!
When to start:2 to 3 weeks before the date of party, especially for popular locations such as a cafe. They are booked on a first-come-first-served basis, so ideally, site reservations should be done early too.
Send out invites to guests
There are several ways to send out invitations these days: through text messages, Facebook event invites, email invitations, etc. Find a method which works best for you and your guests. Remember to leave your contact numbers so that guests can call if they have any questions and to RSVP to confirm their attendance for your baby’s full month celebration.
Some traditional families send red eggs (you can DIY them easily!) and cakes personally to the seniors in the family out of respect. These folks may or may not be invited or might not be attending the actual full month celebration, but this gesture is passed down from generations to announce the birth of a new family member.
When to start: After the date, time, and venue have been set, send out the invites to your guests to tell them about the party!
Image Source: iStock
Decide on a Theme and Plan the Menu
How you wish to beautify the space will depend on your concept. Decor can be entirely minimal with just standard balloons. You may go all out and splurge on a printed backdrop, with a customised dessert table and made-to-order themed birthday cake. Additionally, parents couple it with activities and games!
Meanwhile, choosing venues for a baby full month celebration becomes a daunting task for most parents. We often look for a specialised baby full month celebration restaurant or cafe. Plus, parents look for venues that help them connect with places that sell baby full month celebration gift sets.
Moreover, these places offer food options that save busy parents from taking too much time to decide on food. They may also check out baby full month celebration package offerings from the venues we listed below.
Alternatively, you can purchase baby full month celebration gift sets and hold an intimate celebration at home. With this, you can control the number of visitors and cater to each guest’s food preference.
When Should You Book the Event?
1 to 2 weeks before the party, as some guests might not respond promptly to the RSVP deadline. Some caterers or F&B places allow an estimated heads-up on the expected guests but will need the final figure a week before. Be sure to get your numbers right, because if the guests don’t turn up, you will most likely be charged for that agreed number anyway.
For party decor, you may hunt for them as soon as you have decided on the party theme. Online purchases may take several days to reach, and you may wish to factor in waiting time for any unexpected delays. Getting the party frills from retail stores is more straightforward, unless, of course, you prefer to shop around, and that would take some time too.
Plan the Full Month Party Agenda
Now, the fun is getting started!
New parents may be too caught up with their newborn and might prefer an easier full month party with just food, catching up with guests, cake-cutting, and, perhaps, a goodie bag for the kids.
A simple 4-hr party agenda can look like this:
12pm: Guests arrive; lunch and mingle
2.30pm: Cake-cutting and photo taking
3-4pm: More mingling and party ends; goodie bags for kids to take home
Some excited mums and dads may actually go all out with the full works: with clowns, storytellers, magicians, or a bouncy castle for their kiddie guests.
Others may tone down by preparing a simple activity booklet to keep kids entertained while the adults mingle and coo over the star of the party.
If external vendors will be engaged, it might be good to book them at least 2 weeks prior. Regardless of the complexity of agenda, it’s good to start preparing early especially if you foresee plenty of DIY needed – well, that is if you actually have time for that!
Image Source: iStock
Have Fun and Enjoy This Special Day!
All the planning is half the glory of an awesome event.
But take heart if some things don’t turn out the way you had planned. The purpose of a full-month party is to celebrate the birth of your child and share the joy of becoming new parents.
This date most likely marks the end of your confinement too, so rejoice and bid farewell to those Sesame Oil Meat and Pork Trotters in Vinegar!
Now that the preparation work is over and your family is all ready to enjoy the party, have you forgotten about your newborn?
Preparing Your Newborn Baby For Their Full Month Celebration
Your little bundle of joy is much too young to know that they’re the star of the baby full month celebration. However, that doesn’t mean your baby should not have a good time too.
After all, snapshots of that day will be lingering on the internet, on your computer, and printed in albums! Go about the day like any other day. Your newborn will most likely still be in a sleepy state at this point and spend his special day, well, dozing. But that’s perfectly normal.
In the busyness of entertaining guests, remember to check on him every other moment. Just in case he might be cold, hot, hungry, or needing a cuddle. If the husband or yourself will be caught up chatting away with friends, remember to designate a trusted person who is able to prepare baby’s milk and feed promptly.
Most importantly, ensure your little one is taken care of during the event. This might be one of the first few times that your new baby is seeing so many new faces, with excited uncles and aunties pawing over him or wanting to steal a cuddle.
Host Etiquette During The Baby Full Month Celebration
Now that your baby full month celebration party is happening, have you thought about how you and your partner will be hosting your guests on that day?
- Don’t arrive later than your guests (or at least try not to!)
- Ensure there’s enough food to go round – better to be over-prepared than under!
- Don’t stay glued to your mobile, and other digital devices
- If the party is at home, ensure the bathroom is well-stocked with necessities such as toilet paper and hand soap
- Be gracious and remain calm if spills happen – accidents are, well, accidents!
- Remember to mingle and chat with each guest – they’ve taken time off to celebrate your newborn, it’s rude to have them feel like they have been invited to be seat fillers
- If your partner has invited his/her own group of friends, do thank them for their presence of sharing your joy even if you’ve not met them before.
Don’t forget to thank all your guests at the end of the party. After all, they have made special arrangements and effort to share your joy, so don’t forget your P’s and Q’s too!
Image Source: iStock
Here’s What You Need to Remember for Your Baby Full Month Celebration
We see a wave of new-age parents with an entirely different outlook.
Most young parents now tend to be less rigid when it comes to adhering to tradition. It doesn’t have to elaborate or need to have all the checkboxes ticked. But if you want to incorporate the traditional elements, why not?
In the end, it all boils down to the genuine thought put behind it. Additionally, we encourage you to use this baby full month celebration to work together and bond with your loved ones.
Remember, there are some cons that you might like to consider on whether to stick to a full month celebration
- Will your older relatives find it difficult to relate that there will not be a full month party? They could hold deep-rooted beliefs to the tradition. Will they be receptive to a 100 days baby celebration?
- A 100 days party is a seemingly “bigger” affair. This often causes parents to stress over coming up with gifts to prepare.
Using our baby full month celebration recommendations, mums and dads can easily organise an eventful party. Feel free to use different themes to make the occasion more memorable!
This article was updated by Kaira De la Rosa.