What’s a Sprinkle?

As the weeks roll by and the belly grows bigger and bigger, I’ve been contemplating whether having a Sprinkle would be a good idea… Originally I was opposed to it! Seeing that I just had a baby shower not too long ago when I was pregnant with Huntley and seeing that this baby is also a girl, I didn’t think it was nice to have people gifting baby items again and so soon. However, my sister in-law is also pregnant and is expecting mid-April and I totally understand why she is having another baby shower – she is after all having a GIRL and with the first born being my nephew, she is looking forward to all the girly-things that I’ve already had the joy of experiencing and will experience all over again.

When we found out that we were expecting another little girl in our lives I knew that we could put a lot of our baby/newborn items on the repeat (i.e. our pink bouncer and anything else pink). What I didn’t realize was that we were going to have two little girls under the age two at the same time! I didn’t realize that with another nursery comes a lot of the same things we already have but are still being used by Huntley, think – crib, crib bedding, dresser/changing table, curtains/blackout curtains (this room has x2), rug, changing pad, changing pad and crib mattress covers, diaper pails, diaper pail liners, baby hangers, sound machines, additional camera monitor, and this list can go on and on… Luckily, I had some covered with my crazy Craigslist/HomeGoods/Amazon finds and early preparation I was able to get the crib, dresser, bedding, and rug, and thankfully Huntley is out of the rocking to sleep phase and we can reuse her beautiful rocker/glider for her little sister’s room! However getting the rest, although small and doesn’t seem too expensive when you look at them individually, I’m quickly seeing how this can really add up! Besides needing to re-purchase many of the same items, I’ve also come to realize that before Huntley I was a working pregnant woman with more time, energy, and money than I have now. It was easy to purchase whatever I needed and wanted for her, but this time I am a stay-at-home mom. As the things we need for Penelope add up, and trust me I’m still going, I’ve come to realize why new mamas might want/need to be sprinkled.

Now what’s a Sprinkle? Even though throwing Sprinkle showers have gained more popularity over the years, there are still many people that haven’t heard of the term or even know what it’s about. A Sprinkle is basically a smaller scaled, less pressure, informal baby shower in which friends and family can “sprinkle” the soon to be new mom (again) with little necessities that she might need for the new baby in which she doesn’t already have. A baby shower is the time when new moms are showered with big ticket items that baby will need (i.e. carseat, stroller, crib, bottles, high chair, etc.) where as a Sprinkle might be the time to get baby new clothes (especially if hand-me-downs are getting bit too worn, out of style, and/or out of season), bathing products, pacifiers, bottles/bottle nipples (feeding things that might have gotten overused), toys, new sheets/bedding, books, wipes, diapers, diapers, and more diapers or anything that deals with poop and pee. Sprinkles are also meant as a way to celebrate each new child, which I love the idea of being a second child and all.

Luckily I still have time to decide whether I’d like to go this route, but I’m glad I have the sister and best friends I do, who were already on top of this before I even knew to be. And they couldn’t be more supportive and positive about throwing me one! Feeling very lucky and blessed to have these people in my life!