Looking for some major baby shower inspo? From venue to decor and games, here’s how the pros (us) do it!
While the Sassy Mama team counts 15 children ages 1 to 12 amongst our ranks, it’s not every day that someone has a baby. With our partnerships colleague Nadia due to give birth in late November (a baby boy to join his big sister, Surina!) it was obviously cause for celebration.
We are super lucky to work with some of the best companies in Singapore when it comes to stuff like baby gear, maternity wear, family photographers, party planners, and pre- and post-natal fitness – basically anything and everything relating to pregnancy in Singapore – so you better believe we put together a pretty fab bash for Nadia.
From finding the perfect venue with delicious food to putting together fun baby shower games, click through our gallery to see what it looks like when Sassy Mama throws a baby shower…
This recently opened spot on Dempsey Hill is picture perfect for a pretty event, what with its private room and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for plenty of natural light and lush garden views. The resto serves up inspired spa cuisine with the freshest and finest ingredients sourced locally and regionally; our custom brunch menu featured yummy nibbles like Avocado Toast, Smoked Salmon Waffle Bites, and freshly baked croissants, along with a choice of Blueberry Pancakes, Eggs Benedict or a hearty Quinoa Fruit Porridge. Plus free-flow fresh juices and yummy coffees, oh my! The staff also couldn’t have been lovelier or more helpful, a real selling point when it comes to Singapore restos, in our experience.
COMO Cuisine, Block 18A Dempsey Road, Singapore 249677, email [email protected] or Tel: 1800 304 6688, www.comodempsey.sg/restaurant/como-cuisine
The gorgeous space didn’t need too much jazzing up, but of course we wanted to personalise the room a bit to celebrate Nadia’s forthcoming baby boy. Enter Glittering Eyes with classy touches like sparkly photo booth props, confetti for the table, a super cute “little quote jar” where we could share our best wishes, and a “BABY” foil balloon. Glittering Eyes sources the niftiest, most complete range of unique “scene-stealer” party supplies and decorations; we can’t recommend them highly enough!
What baby shower would be complete without gorgeous blooms? Ask a French – Flowers takes its inspiration from the beauty of wild nature as well as classic still life paintings. Aude responded to our brief so well that each flower jar for Nadia felt like an organic part of the event space. (Psst! Ask a French offers lots of workshops in their Tiong Bahru studio, too!)
Sassy Mama readers can take 10% off any order above $100 (excluding workshops) when they use promo code SASSYXMAS. *Valid through 23 December 2018*
Ask A French Flowers, Tel: (+65) 8721 5167, www.askafrenchflowers.com
It’s no wonder this lovely bakery features in our roundup of the best birthday cakes in Singapore – they specialise in customising cakes to your taste and preference. They’re also less sweet and lower in sugar than your typical cakes. As you can see from the photos their cakes and cupcakes look absolutely gorgeous, too – and you’d be surprised how affordable their prices are, mama! Curious? Try out their popular “Surprise Me” cake concept and get a fab cake for as little as $40! Click here for the deets, mama!
Monice Bakes, Tel: (+65) 9815 0022, www.monicebakes.com, www.facebook.com/monicebakes
Nadia had long ago given away the stroller that she had with her daughter so obviously it was time for an upgrade! Joolz is a fast-growing Dutch company (Nadia gave birth to #1 in Europe) that’s all about Positive Design. This translates to ergonomic, comfortable and stylish pushchairs (along with car seats and organic accessories), as well as a dedication to creating smart, sustainable products that are as earth-friendly as possible (OMG they plant one tree for every stroller sold!).
The Joolz ‘Hub’ is a sleek, compact-yet-comfortable stroller fully equipped with premium features like vegan leather handlebars and high-quality wheels that guarantee a smooth ride. The ergonomic seat has six positions, and the stroller also allows for a bassinet and baby cocoon for those early days when bub is too small to ride in the regular seat. Throw in an XL sun hood with UPF 50+ protection (so key for our tropical climate), and it’s no wonder Nadia cried tears of joy when she spotted the stroller with a big old bow on it (seriously, watch the video!).
The Joolz ‘Hub’ is available at Motherswork, both online and at stores across Singapore. Click here for all locations.
Once bub starts moving around, it’s particularly nervewracking finding a place to put him down so mama can give her arms a rest! What’s particularly cool about the Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Activity Center is that it grows with baby in 3 stages, starting out as a spot where baby can sit, swivel, bounce and play, then becoming a stable anchor for cruising explorers, and then finally turning into a sturdy toddler table (with a handy chalkboard surface, no less!). The 360-degree rotating seat turns and stretches for easy bouncing, while the four included dreamy toys can be rearranged for customized play.
We just found out about Malabar Baby while writing about their boutique on the cool new site The Upmrkt, and oh my goodness, are we in love, mama! It’s a new line of organic muslin swaddles and block-print baby bedding that’s at once elegant and stylish (and oh so soft!). Just watch the video to see Nadia’s reaction. All the bedding is hand-crafted in India, and each quilt takes a full seven days to stamp and stitch, ensuring each piece is truly unique and special. The cotton voile fabric is just the right weight for our hot climate, too.
Nadia received the “Whole Shebang” gift set including a reversible quilt, a super soft fitted crib sheet, one quilted pillow cover (with hypoallergenic filler), and two bolster pillow covers, all in the stunning “Southside Blue” pattern. She also received a gorgeous “Mandala” Organic Swaddle blanket, because she is one lucky lady!
Nadia received the best kind of diaper bag – the kind where you almost can’t tell it is a diaper bag (save for the super cute animal print inside and the clever pockets). May & Bahru is all about designing sturdy canvas bags for anyone who likes to be able to carry a lot of stuff around. Ring any bells, mama? All bags are handmade with lots of care, and the neutral exteriors belie their funky, cheerful linings that will always put a smile on your face. Nadia’s reaction when she saw the bag: “My husband will be totally fine with carrying that!”
Lucky Nadia gets to recuperate, restore and rewind with a series of postnatal massages from Babies Laughter, the fertility massage specialist (by the by, pregnant mamas: they do an awesome prenatal massage as well!).
Besides obvious benefits like relaxation, post-natal massage also helps with hormone regulation, improved circulation and breastfeeding. Post-natal massage also helps reduce water retention and even helps shrink the uterus back down to its normal size (bye bye, bump!).
Every mama’s post-delivery recuperation is completely customized, with therapists employing a wide range of techniques and specially-blended oils to relax the senses. Baby Massage is also renowned for helping to promote better sleep and boosting neurological development. Lucky Baby Marco!
Before giving birth, many women might not even know the term “pelvic floor”. After giving birth – whether you’re dealing with incontinence, ab separation, or any other number of fun side effects, chances are you’re going to become intimately familiar with this small internal muscle. And you’re gonna want a pelvic floor physio on speed dial.
Physio Down Under is Singapore’s first and only dedicated women’s health physiotherapy practice. Co-founders Monica Donaldson and Tamara Gerdis are legitimate rockstars on the pelvic floor scene in Singapore, with 25 years’ combined experience in women’s health physiotherapy.
Monica and Tamara are truly passionate about women’s health (even their company name is A+), and approach their patients with sensitivity, understanding, and an awareness that many of the conditions they treat are extremely personal and can be quite distressing. They believe every woman should be able to access professional care in a safe and supportive environment. They also recognize that preventative care plays a huge role in what they do, and to this end a post-natal check at 6-8 weeks after delivery is key for helping guide women safely back into exercise (and catching any post-delivery problems early). Nadia was gifted a post-natal assessment, a follow-up check, and two post-natal core/Pilates sessions.
Physio Down Under, 318 Tanglin Road, Block B, #01-30 Phoenix Park, Singapore 247979, Tel: (+65) 6909 5580, www.physiodownunder.sg
Pilates is a fabulous way to get moving again after giving birth. With a convenient location at Raffles Place and a team of dedicated and professional instructors, FOCUS Movement is a popular choice for post-natal mamas. The integrated Pilates, Physiotherapy & Movement studio is a place where everyone can reach their personal fitness goals, and achieve their optimum state of health through intelligent movement.
Nadia nabbed herself 2 x 60-minute private Pilates sessions, 3 x 60-minute group classes, and an additional complimentary 60-minute group class.
FOCUS Movement, 22 Malacca Street, #08-00 RB Capital Building, Singapore 048980, Tel: (+65) 6235 3938, www.focusmovement.sg
Gunilla from Sugarlight Photography is no joke one of our favourite people in Singapore: down to earth, warm, and friendly, she immediately puts her subjects at ease, and is all about having lots of fun while she endeavours to get the perfect shot (which she always does!). Sugarlight Photography specializes in contemporary, unique and relaxed natural light portraits, with a particular focus on family photography, maternity photography and newborn photography in Singapore. We gave Nadia a family photography session to capture the magic of her new addition.
For the unfamiliar, Badger & Fox is a cool little lifestyle store collective at Tanglin Mall housing fashion and homewares “at the edge of luxury”. It’s a one-stop shop for bespoke designs from local and international artisans, filled with art, home décor, and boho chic fashions you won’t see anywhere else. Nadia (and the whole Sassy Mama team!) received items from the following merchants:
- A gorgeous woven laptop bag from Ruby Slipper
- Singapore fridge magnets from Memory Boards
- Vegan, organic, plant-based skincare products from SALT by HENDRIX
- Soft Arabian Keffiyeh scarves (for the team) and a bestseller shirt from Jasper Living
- A beautiful embroidered tassel shirt from Bravo Collection
- Gold and glass jewelry from Sea Trendy
- Lightweight, absorbent Turkish towels from Tara’s World
- Safari-themed pouches and artisan-made jewelry from Ashepa, purveyor of unique pieces from Africa
- A Lava Rock Diffuser from Cocolux Australia
Badger & Fox, 163 Tanglin Road, #02-14 Tanglin Mall, Singapore 247933, www.facebook.com/badgerandfoxsingapore
What baby shower would be complete without some fun baby-themed games? No gross diapers here! Instead we kept things pretty clean with word scrambles, baby animal and celebrity baby matching games, and a few others. Click the links below to download!
Celebrity Baby Names
‘Baby’ Around the World
Baby Word Scramble
Who’s My Mama?