For those who don’t enjoy the spotlight – not to mention, pomp – of modern-day baby showers, there’s a newer celebratory event on the block which is a lot more low-key, not to mention incredibly helpful, for expecting parents.
Dubbed nesting parties, the idea is that instead of people coming for what is essentially a party and spoiling you with gifts, they’ll come and carry out useful tasks instead – like helping deep-clean your home or getting the nursery ready.
Usually pregnant parents will “nest” in the last few weeks before a new arrival, which typically involves getting the home ready for their baby – whether that’s washing baby grows, batch-cooking dinners, or building the cot.
It’s something that’s typically done with just the parents-to-be present, but the idea of a nesting party is that friends and family get involved, too. Many hands make light work, after all.
Plus, with parents typically working up until their due date, it can be hard to find the time to get everything done that you want to – so bringing in some extra help can’t hurt.
Renee Patrone Rhinehart, party planner and founder of Party Host Helpers, told The Bump: “Now more than ever, mums need to be celebrated and pampered. This is the perfect way to get a little extra help so new mums – or even veteran mums – have a little less stress.”
What do you do at a nesting party?
The sky’s the limit. If you need help painting the nursery, now’s your chance to get some extra help doing just that.
Other activities you can do together, include:
- Washing the baby’s clothes and putting them all away
- Building the pushchair, cot or changing table
- Batch-cooking meals and freezing them
- Packing the hospital bag
- Deep-cleaning (especially the bathrooms)
- Getting up-to-date on laundry
How do you choose who does what?
Well, there are two options. You can either delegate tasks out to people or you can make your own ‘task cards’ – as seen in this TikTok video – and let people choose which task they want to undertake.
What do people think of them?
One mum Nia took to TikTok to share her experience of them, saying: “Every pregnant mum needs a nesting party. If you’re pregnant and don’t want a baby shower, do this. If you have a pregnant friend, do this for them!”
She explained how her friend had organised the logistics of the party and all she had to do was send a list of things she wanted to get done before the baby arrived.
“I kind of took on more of a supervisor role, telling people where I wanted things and what I wanted to do with things, and then we took a dinner break,” she said in a TikTok video which has had over 1 million views.
“Everything was so clean, so organised and I feel so much more ready for this baby,” added the parent.
It’s safe to say lots of people thought it was a great idea. “I’m sorry but how has this not been a thing FOREVER?! I would absolutely go help alllll my pregnant friends. And wish I could have had one,” said one person in the comments section.
Another added: “This is a true village and I love everything about it.”
But not everyone’s convinced by the idea. One respondent shared: “Nah my husband can clean the house and cook. Me and my girls will be eating fabulous food, drinking champagne and celebrating me.”
Well, we can’t argue with that.