6 Tips for Hosting an Adoption Shower

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Sometimes those who are adopted are forgotten when it comes to showers to celebrate a new addition to a family. Nicole Witt, Executive Director of The Adoption Consultancy, says there are six key tips to keep in mind if you’re planning an adoption shower for a friend or family member who is adding to the family.

Ask What Time Works Best: Some people prefer showers before the adoption, while others would like to wait. Ask the prospective parents what they want. Some will want the baby shower prior to the birth so they can enjoy what other women get to enjoy, while others will prefer to have the shower after the placement when they no longer have to worry about the adoption falling through.
Specify Age, Gender and Size on the Party Invites: If the child was not adopted as a newborn or if the shower is taking place some time after the placement, make sure guests know the age (& sizes) of the child so they can buy appropriate clothing
Choose an Appropriate Theme: An adoption shower should have a non-pregnancy theme, either something cultural associated with the birth mother’s life or where the baby will be/was born. You can also make it match the nursery design the parents have selected.
Consider a Co-ed Shower: Having a co-ed shower makes it less baby-centric and more of a celebration of life and the parenting journey.
Adult Beverages or Fancy Non-Alcoholic Drink Are a Must: Serve mimosas or another specialty/themed cocktail (with alcohol or not) so that the adoptive mom gets something special from not being pregnant.
Games Are A Must–But Stay Away from Anything Pregnancy Related: Do a baby shower games that don’t relate to pregnancy, such as Nursery Rhyme Jeopardy or a Baby Item Scavenger Hunt.

If your shower is for a child placed through an international adoption, I love the globe themed shower at The Pleated Poppy. I think this beautiful event perfectly showcases the miracle of the adoption process. If you think about it, there’s nothing more amazing than a child traveling halfway around the world to meet his forever family.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?