Thanks to Tastefully Simple for providing product samples. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

I’m curious: if you have more than one child, did you have a baby shower for the second (and beyond) child? Traditionally, the sentiment has been that you only get a shower for your first baby. Can we all just agree that this is a tired notion? Every child deserves to be celebrated, and every expecting mama could use some help getting ready for baby. And not all help has to take the form of a new receiving blanket or a car seat, either, which is why I think baby showers for subsequent children can be more practical (but still very fun!).

Baby Shower Theme Idea: Stocking the Kitchen

I didn’t have a shower for my second child (I was still fairly new to this city and didn’t know many people, so that wasn’t a shocker for me) but if someone would have offered to throw one, this is what I would “registered” for: freeze ahead meals and easy recipes! 

I would have been tickled beyond belief to have received meals that were ready to be heated up, for sure! When you are adjusting to life with two little ones (or three, or four, etc.) you are having to find a whole new rhythm. You might not need a pack-n-play, but if dinner could just be figured out for you, that would be amazing, am I right?!

I would also love to give this gift to an expecting mama because I know it would take some stress off of her while she is dealing with a newborn and also still dealing with the other kid(s). I can’t be too sure about a new mom needing ANOTHER pack of 0-3 month onesies, but I can feel 100% sure that she can use a meal!

If you are thinking about planning this type of event for a friend, be sure to ask if there are any food allergies in her family to keep in mind, or if there are any very strong likes or dislikes. Then simply invite attendees to bring their favorite freeze-ahead meal as a gift, or if they prefer not to cook anything, to consider bringing along some great supplies for the pantry.

Tastefully Simple is a fantastic resource for food items that can really help bring out a lot of flavor and fun to what might be otherwise another ordinary dish. For example, they offer an array of seasonings that can be used put together really great food on the fly. In fact, their website has a HUGE collection of recipes that you can create with their products. It would be such a great idea to buy some of these items, and include one or two recipes to go along with each item to help the mom get started. Here are some great products you can find at Tastefully Simple, along with a recipe idea to put it to use!

• Onion Onion Seasoning (pair with a Tikka Chicken recipe card)
• Garlic Garlic Seasoning (pair with world’s best meatloaf recipe card)
• Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix (pair with zucchini fries recipe card)
• Seasoned Salt (pair with seasoned potato wedges recipe card)
• Ultimate Steak Seasoning (pair with honey apple pulled pork recipe card)

I remember having many, MANY instances where that new mommy brain fog made it seem like the most impossible thing on earth to figure out what we should be eating for dinner. If I had a stack of recipes on hand and key ingredients needed to pull them off, that would have made a big difference and we would have eaten much less takeout during those first few months as a family of four.

What do you think about a baby shower idea that is more focused on practical needs for the family? I’d love to hear your thoughts, as well as any other ideas you might have for ways to celebrate a new little one hitting the scene!