"Preparing for the arrival of a newborn can be exciting and overwhelming, no matter if you’re a new or seasoned mom. While having a baby shower can be a great way for loved ones to gift items from your registry, it may be stressful when you realize some of the items still have to be cleaned, folded, or assembled. When you get to the nesting phase of pregnancy… well, things can feel a little hectic. Between frequent prenatal appointments and increasing discomfort, it can feel as if you’ll never have things ready before you give birth.
But what if we told you there’s another way to celebrate your baby’s arrival that would also help during the final months of pregnancy? Nesting parties are making their way around social media. They’re an alternative—or in addition—to a baby shower to get parents ready for their new baby. Nesting parties are also an option instead of throwing a baby sprinkle for families expecting their second (or third) baby. We’re here to share the scoop on nesting parties, including activity ideas from multiple moms whose nesting parties went viral. If you or someone you know have a due date coming up, this guide is one to save.
How does a nesting party differ from a baby shower?
Unlike a baby shower, a nesting party is meant to help the expectant mom feel less overwhelmed. It allows loved ones to help prepare for the baby’s arrival with practical to-dos like assembling nursery furniture, washing baby clothes, and making freezer meals.
A nesting party places the focus on the mother’s needs. While receiving gifts geared toward your baby is always welcomed, moms need support, too. No one is meant to do everything by themselves. A nesting party is meant to relieve you of the pressure to get everything done, to help you focus on caring for yourself, and preparing to meet your little one for the first time, whether this is your first or fourth baby.
Allegra Gast, RDN, IBCLC, a mom of two whose Reel about her nesting party went viral in 2021, recommended moms practice the 80/20 rule while nesting. She said, “80 percent of the work is what the other person does, while 20 percent is you adding your personal touch.” The goal is for you to try to relax as much as possible, even if you have a particular way you want things done.
Also, she suggested combining your baby shower and nesting party instead of making them separate events. It can be a nice way to have help organizing the items you receive from your baby registry.
How did nesting parties become a thing? Gast shared, “My mom suggested that I invite one or two friends over to help me after my husband and I moved when I was 34 weeks pregnant.” From there, she decided to turn this idea into a nesting party but couldn’t find anything about how to host one on Pinterest.
“I thought about what I wanted, what I needed help with, and how I wanted to host the party,” said Gast. She also made sure to invite friends she knew would provide the kind of support she was looking for.
Kathlyn Celeste also heard about nesting parties and sent a last-minute text to her girlfriends to help her with the final prep before her baby arrived. Her reel has thousands of likes and shares. Like many commenters, she mentioned in her caption that she wished she’d heard of nesting parties sooner. She also shared that she can’t wait to throw a nesting party for a friend in the future.
But expecting moms don’t necessarily have to plan their own nesting party. In another viral post on Facebook, mother and birth worker Tanya Ebony hosted a nesting party for her daughter in a call to “normalize” having them. Family and friends rallied together to ensure mom had ample support, sterilizing bottles, making freezer meals, prepping padsicles, and more to help the mom-to-be.
People in the comments love the idea of a nesting party
Come across any social media about nesting parties, and you’ll find tons of positivity in the comments. Here are a few that show why people love supporting expecting moms with a nesting party.
“This is a great idea 🥰 I love this and you have such wonderful support”—@bettswtfpage
“Awe you can tell this baby is going to be LOVED! Genius”—@kaylakristen95
“OMG! I LOVE this idea!!!!! 🥰 …way better than a stressful gender reveal or baby shower…. Which leaves the mom to deal with all those new gifts”—@Tameka Lindsey
“I’ll have to remember this for my next little one”—@kelkeltakie
“Why did I never know about this being a thing!? This is genius.”—@dink_of4
“This is what we did after my friends shower, us girls went over and set up everything we could to try to help out. It was so needed and took a load off because her child ended up in the nicu for a bit”—@rachaeldashner
Nesting party ideas
Depending on your preferences, a nesting party can have a personalized theme or can simply be a casual gathering of friends and family. The main goal is to make sure the expectant mom has help prepping for baby’s arrival.
“One thing I want moms to know is that you don’t have to invite a lot of friends or family members to your nesting party. There’s a lot you can do with 1-2 friends,” said Gast.
To give you some ideas, we’re sharing a few tips on hosting a nesting party and nesting party activities for guests to do below!
Create a theme
If you’re hosting a nesting party, choosing a theme can help tie everything together. Gast’s theme was “Bless this Nest.” Another viral nesting party from TikTok user Michelle Burr was bee-themed. Burr’s video opened up with the statement, “This is your sign to skip the baby shower and do this instead.” Initially, Burr told her friends and family she didn’t need anything when preparing to welcome her second baby. They still pulled through and delivered. She claims her nesting party was the “best thing her friends and family could have done for her.”
Her group was able to get all of her postpartum supplies ready, her swing put together, her laundry done, and her playroom organized. But like a traditional baby shower, she and her friends and family were still able to mix and mingle. They made it fun with activities mixed in throughout the day. This included a diaper raffle and a candy salad challenge.
Make task board
Burr’s party started out with a busy bee board. Her hosts filled the board with tasks people could do for the day. When showers consist of a large group, it can be chaos without some sort of organization. This was delegation at its best.
Whether or not your nesting party has a theme, you can add some organization so you have more time to get things done. Create a board with all the tasks you’re hoping to accomplish—this can be as simple as putting Post-It notes on a wall.
Meal prep
Once baby arrives, it can be hard to find the time to sit down and eat meals, much less sit and make them. Nesting party attendees can help prep freezer meals or postpartum snacks.
For her nesting party, Gast said, “I printed some recipes I wanted to eat so one of my friends could create bags of food for crockpot meals. This looked like placing sliced veggies and chicken in separate bags.”
Assemble baby furniture and prep the nursery
Guests can also help assemble furniture and sort the baby clothes. Gast said, “Having someone help me organize the baby’s clothes by age and put them in drawers was a big help for me.” She also mentioned that having someone wash the baby’s clothes prior to organizing them was beneficial.
Create bathroom and nursing stations
“One of my friends helped me create ‘padsicles,’ which came in handy after giving birth,” said Gast. Other items can be featured in a bathroom station. This could include a peri bottle, a favorite body lotion, and other skincare items.
To create a helpful nursing station, you’ll want to include items frequently used during feeding sessions, from nipple balm to burp cloths. “It can also be a place for snacks and water bottles,” said Gast.
If the new mom has a toddler or other children, it may even be beneficial to create activity and snack bags to help keep them occupied. “I had coloring books, stickers, and little toys for my daughter,” said Gast.
Have a Blessingway
A Blessingway is meant to honor the mom during her motherhood journey. Gast said, “I tied some of this into my nesting party, where we said more words of encouragement for those late-night postpartum feedings.” You can keep things simple by creating an area for guests to leave encouraging words for the new mom to read throughout her journey.
Mix in games for brain breaks
Unlike a traditional baby shower, nesting parties can take more than an hour or two. To have some fun, come up with some shower games throughout the day. This will give friends and family a break before you get back to putting things away.
Thank your guests
A nesting party is about family and friends helping the new mom prepare for baby. However, Gast decided to show her appreciation for her attendees by giving them personalized gift bags with thank you gifts. But even a handwritten thank you note would be a personal touch they’re sure to appreciate.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Intern
As the editorial intern, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.