Home and Family

Some people love to take long, luxurious baths. Others can’t wake up without a shower in the morning. Whichever you prefer, hydrotherapy, in the form of a bath or shower, is something almost everyone enjoys. There’s nothing better for waking us up in the morning than a nice, hot shower. And there’s nothing better for relaxing our bodies and soothing our minds into restful sleep than a bath before we go to bed. It lowers our body temperature and prepares us for sleep, naturally.

Scented Bath Salts

When I want to relax, I take a bath with these bath salts. I’ve been making them since the 70′s when I sold them at craft fairs. Now I make them for my own enjoyment. They’re so simple to make and leave your skin soft and silky. Kids love to watch them color the bath water and they’re not irritating like commercial kids’ bath products can be.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Sea Salt, Kosher Salt or Rock Salt

20 Drops Essential Oil

Add the essential oil to the salt. Spread it out on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil or parchment paper. (Don’t use paper towels, because they’ll absorb the scented oil.) When it’s dry, which may take as long as 24 hours or as little as 3, pour it into a pretty glass jar with a cover. If you like colored bath salts, use a couple of TBSPS of beet juice, or non-toxic food coloring to the salts with the essential oil. You can find non-toxic food coloring at Health Food Stores. To use, just scoop out about a half-cup and add to running water.

Remember, scent is a very personal thing. It’s wonderful to surround yourself with it in your own home. But it’s considerate to keep it very light or just not use it in public.

Scented Shower Gel

Ingredients:

1 Cup Water

1 1/2 Cups Liquid Glycerine Soap, Scented (Dr. Bronner’s or any natural brand)

2 TBSP Finely Milled Sea Salt

Natural Food Coloring (optional)

Add liquid soap to water. Do not add water to liquid soap, because you’ll have a kitchen full of suds. Stir in salt and coloring, if you want it. If it separates, shake gently before using.

Variations: Use unscented liquid soap and add about 20 drops of essential oil to it. Or add a stick of cinnamon, a tsp of ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut or chocolate extract. Store in a shampoo bottle.

Simple Soothing Milk and Honey Bath

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Dry Milk Powder (I use organic)

2 TBSP of Dried Honey Powder (I use HoneySweet Brand)

2 Cups of Finely Processed Oats (I use my food processor)

12-20 drops of essential oil (I use half lavender and half rose)

Mix milk and honey powder in large bowl. I use a whisk. Add essential oil, mix well and put in a plastic bag or tightly covered jar. Let the powder absorb the oil for at least 24 hours. Add 1/2 cup under the tap while you’re running your bath. This is a good bath powder for children, although I omit the essential oil for children under 2, just in case it irritates them.

Bathing is an integral part of human life and it is an activity which is entangled with the very mode of human existence. It is the means by which it is possible for every individual to keep oneself clean and maintain proper hygiene. Bathrooms are separate zones available in every house or apartment which is dedicated to this ritual of bathing and at present all modern bathrooms are provided with the facility of taking a bath with the aid of showers. Showers are the commonest modes used for bathing in the contemporary world and showers are devices through which the water is ejected in the form of a spray to reach the different parts of the body. Showers may contain warm or cold water and taking a bath in a shower is usually accompanied by the usage of soaps, shampoos or shower gels which are used along with water to keep the external part of the body clean and free of infections and ailments.

It is interesting to note that there are various historical evidences that prove the usage of showers in ancient times. Prominent examples include the murals and vases belonging to the Greek civilizations. It is also necessary to point out that in the contemporary world, the act of bathing in a bathtub has been greatly replaced by the practice of showering as a form of bathing. One of the reasons that have contributed to this may be because modern day apartments always have space crunch and under such conditions the shower is a better and efficient arrangement compared to a bathtub which may occupy larger area. Showers are not only used for bathing and rinsing the body but also for leisure and wellness. Moreover, for the elderly people and also for those who suffer from physical disabilities, showering for bath is an easier option. Showering involves the pouring of water in different parts of the body. This is followed by the usage of various supplements like shower gels and shampoos to remove the dirt and then again shower the body to complete the bathing procedure.

Showers may be of various kinds. Some showers are attached to the bathtub while free standing showers are very common. Usually, each bathroom has a separate zone dedicated to showers and it is separated from the rest of the bathroom by means of a shower curtain. The shower head contains various nozzles through which the water ours out in the form of a spray in the different parts of the body.

The baby shower games played at a baby shower are usually one of the most memorable experiences during the pre-baby events. However, to ensure the baby shower games are successful there should be some thoughtful baby shower party planning, All About Baby Showers. Before starting the baby shower games, it’s a good idea to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves and their relationship to the Mommy-to-Be.

Here are some of the more popular baby shower games you can play during the baby shower:

Guess Mommy-to-Be’s Tummy Size: You will need some string / yarn and scissors for this game. Have each participant pull the yarn to the size they believe would fit perfectly around the Mommy-to-Be’s center of her pregnant tummy. After everyone cuts their string, compare the results to the Mommy-to-Be’s actual tummy. Give a prize to the guest who is the closest! This baby shower game is an ole favorite and will be enjoyed by all.

Say “Baby”: You will need baby safety pins or another type of baby object you can place on a string for each guests at the baby shower as well as string or yarn, enough for each woman to wear as a necklace. Have each guest place the necklace with the baby safety pins around her neck when she gets to the party. The rules for this baby shower game are given at the beginning of the baby shower. Whenever someone says the word “baby” during the baby shower, any woman who calls it out gets a pin from the other woman who stated the word. At the end of the baby shower, the woman with the most pins wins a prize.

Naming Baby Items: You will need a pad of paper and pen for each guest. Have each guest write down as many baby products as they can name, such as bottle, blanket, pacifier, etc during a five minute period. This sounds easy, and IS at first, but during last few minutes, the participants will start racking their brains for more baby items. The guest with the most baby products named will win and receive a prize.

Make The Mommy-to-Be’s Baby: You will need baby magazines, scissors, glue and paper. Divide the guests into teams with each team having three members, and give each team some baby magazines. Ask each team to cut out pieces of different baby qualities and put together a picture of what they think the Mommy-to-Be’s baby will look like. Ask the Mommy-to-Be pick the baby she likes the best. Prizes will go to the winning team. This is another of the most popular baby shower games.

Guess The Gerber’s: You will need Gerber’s infant food, pads of paper and pens. You will need to take the labels off of the baby food jars and have the guests at the baby shower guess the food, i.e. carrots, peas, sweet potato. This game usually has ten different jars or more of different baby food. The winner is the guest with the most correct guesses.

Guess the Number of Safety Pins: You will need a lot of safety pins and a jar. Pass a jar full of baby safety pins around so all the guests can view it. Each guess will then guess the number of safety pins they think are in the jar. The one who guesses the closest wins a baby shower prize. This another baby shower game favorite.

Place The Baby On The Mommy-to-Be: You will need cutouts of a baby, tape and blindfolds. This is a version of Pin The Tail on the Donkey, a game kids love to play. Blindfold each guests and give them a paper baby to place the baby as close to the Mommy-to-Be’s tummy as possible. The one who gets closest to placing the paper baby on the pregnant tummy wins.

Bottle Races: You will need several baby bottles with milk. Have each guest take a bottle filled with a milk (you may substitute milk for another liquid) and suck the bottle as a baby would. The woman who drinks the most during an allotted time wins the baby shower gift. This is always a laughter filled baby shower game.

Baby Bingo: You will need pens and bingo cards. Before opening the baby shower gifts, number each baby shower gift on the box starting with one. If you know that 35 people will be attending the baby shower, pre-print bingo cards with numbers 1 through 35 and randomly place them on 35 cards. When the Mommy-to-Be’s decides to open the presents, she grabs the present she wants to open and reads the number out loud. As soon as someone receives bingo, they win the baby shower game and the baby shower prize.

What’s the baby item: You will need various baby products and a blindfold. A bag of baby items are placed in front of the Mommy-to-Be for her to take one item out at a time blindfolded and tell the baby shower guests what item she has in her hands. This is really fun baby shower game when you choose some crazy baby toys or products.

Complete the Baby Rhyme: You will need a book containing baby rhymes. The host will read out loud to all the guest a part of the rhyme, which is to be completed by the other women.

Baby Bingo: You will need pens and bingo cards. Before opening the baby shower gifts, number each baby shower gift on the box starting with one. If you know that 35 people will be attending the baby shower, pre-print bingo cards with numbers 1 through 35 and randomly place them on 35 cards. When the Mommy-to-Be’s decides to open the presents, she grabs the present she wants to open and reads the number out loud. As soon as someone receives bingo, they win the baby shower game and the baby shower prize.

How’s the Baby: Ask all guests to bring a baby picture of themselves before the baby shower. Have all the pictures in a collage and draw lines for people to fill in who they think the babies are out of the people at the baby shower. If most guests don’t know each other, just have the pictures of the mother, mother-in-law, sisters, and Mommy-to-Be. See how many people guess right. You can make copies of the baby picture collage to see how many can guess right.

Baby Scrambler: Another fun baby shower game is to choose 25 baby related items and scramble the spelling. For instance, pacifier can be changed to reiifpca. Ask the guests to unscramble the words. The one who gets the most right in five minutes receives a baby shower prize.

Name that Baby Song: You will need a pad of paper and pen for each guest. Have each guest write down all the songs that have baby in their titles, like baby love, Santa baby, one for my baby and so on. Allow five minutes for this game. This baby shower game can be made more difficult by asking who also wrote the songs.

Dirty Diaper Circle: You will need a diaper, chocolate and music player. Although one of our “dirtiest” baby shower games, it is one of the favorites. The host takes a diaper that has been “fixed” with warm chocolate in the right place and have the guests pass it to the person next to them is in a circle. When the host stops the music, whoever is holding the diaper is out of the game.

Pacifier in the baby’s mouth: You will need a blindfold, a baby picture and a pacifier drawing for each guest. Tape a picture or drawing of a baby on the wall and have the blindfolded women try to tape the pacifier as close to the mouth of the baby as possible. The one who gets the closest ones.

Blindfold Diapering: You will need a blindfold, baby doll (life size) and diapers. One of the funniest baby shower games. It calls for the guests to be divided into teams of up to five people. Each team has a doll, blindfold and diapers. The object is for each participant to place the blindfold on, take the current diaper off the doll and place the new one on while blindfolded. After the first person completes diapering, they run to the next teammate who places the blindfold on and has to do the same. The first team to finish diapering wins!

Baby Tic-Tac-Toe: You will need a large erasable board to use for the tic-tac-toe board, writing utensil, and baby facts. Baby shower guests are divided into teams and are ask to answer a question about a baby fact. If they get the answer right, they get to choose a space, like the classic tic-tac-toe game.

The baby shower games are a very important part of your baby shower. You want to do everything you can to ensure the baby shower games are enjoyed by all and are a huge success. Here’s some tips for ensuring your baby shower games are successful:

a. Be sure you have writing utensils for everyone

b. Wrap games prizes

c. Make sure to have extra prizes in case of tie games

You can view lot of printable Baby Shower Announcements, Baby Shower Invitations and imprinted Baby Shower Cards, add your personal message, along with your favorite fonts, ink color and then Preview your personalized baby card. This process allows you to see your baby card before you buy!