I loved having visitors, donвЂ™t get me wrong but sometimes it was overwhelming when I had my boys, getting round to seeing everyone and tidying the house before each guest arrived was hard work in the early days. I thought itвЂ™s a nice way to celebrate her safe arrival with my close friends and family and get a cake made with her name on and instead of having lots of staggered visits in the new early days of having a newborn baby it gets all the visitors out of the way in one go.

I was in the card factory one afternoon and noticed invitations that said вЂњsip and seeвЂќ on them and it was for parties to meet babies, I hadnвЂ™t heard of a sip and see before but I thought it sounded quite cute and shorter than welcome to the world party. How did you first hear about a Sip and See Party?

I decided to wait until the big day came where I found out the gender of my baby and then set about planning a вЂњwelcome to the world partyвЂќ where I could plan my colours according to the babyвЂ™s gender and have things with her name on and people could meet the baby.

I decided to have a sip and see party instead of a baby shower because I wanted the gender to be a surprise with my 3rd baby, and as much as I would have been grateful for neutral toned baby gifts I knew if my baby was a girl there would be no chance I would dress her in greys or beiges. Why did you decide to have a Sip and See Party? I asked Hollie to tell you all about her own Sip and See PartyвЂ¦ I created a Pinterest board to help you plan your own Sip and See Party > CLICK HERE You can plan menus, games and of course DRINKS! You are only limited by your own imagination! It got me thinking that the Sip and See Parties could be a perfect replacement for the baby showers once we are over the lockdown! You can indulge your creative side with themes, invitations, decorations, or involve your best friends to do this for you (they too might feel theyвЂ™ve missed out!). IвЂ™ve been to many baby showers and they are all fun and a lovely bonding experience between Mum-2-be and her friends and family and itвЂ™s such a shame this canвЂ™t happen for a while. This means that sadly, many pregnant ladies are missing out on baby showers. Plus, how fun is it to have a bash with the baby everyoneвЂ™s been so eager to meet?ДЄt the time of writing this blog we are under strict lockdown procedures due to the spread of Covid-19 and social gatherings are banned. Not everyone enjoys being the center of attention, after all. The idea of an informal вЂњwelcome babyвЂќ party is becoming a lot more popular and itвЂ™s ideal for those who donвЂ™t necessarily love the idea of having a baby shower. ItвЂ™s an informal setting which is usually held in a home environment that allows loved ones to fawn over your new addition, but under your terms. I did a little googling and I found that a Sip and See Party is an intimate gathering of your closest friends and family to meet your new bundle of joy. My first thought was вЂњWhatвЂ™s a Sip and see PartyвЂќ? You might be having similar thoughts! ItвЂ™s definitely not something IвЂ™ve heard of before!

It also allows you to pick a date (usually when baby is between 4 to 6 weeks old) when you feel you have a good chance of being out of the newborn fog & into some kind of routine.A little while ago I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw that a friend had held a вЂњSip and SeeвЂќ party following the birth of her beautiful baby girl, Avaya. The beauty of a party like this is that it keeps you in control вЂ“ you only have to make yourself and your home presentable for one day, instead of dealing with a constant stream of visitors wanting to meet the baby. It can work as an alternative to a baby shower for anyone who isnвЂ™t keen on the idea of being the centre of attention, or simply as an additional excuse for a party! The idea is that new parents open up their home for a few hours, and invite all their closest family & friends to enjoy some light refreshments and meet their new arrival in a relaxed setting. Shop the Look: Double Layer Maternity & Nursing TopДЇor those who donвЂ™t know, a sip and see is a tradition that comes from the United States, specifically from the South. A post shared by Seraphine Maternity on at 10:15am PDT