Welcoming a second baby into the world is an occasion filled with love and excitement. As our family prepares for baby #2, it just felt right to celebrate with our close family and friends! While traditional baby showers are often associated with the arrival of the firstborn, hosting a baby shower for a second baby is a wonderful way to celebrate your expanding family with support and well wishes. In this blog post, I’ll explore some ideas and tips for hosting a memorable baby sprinkle for a second baby. And I’ll share every last detail of my dream event as we prepare to welcome baby Graham!
Yes…an unofficial name announcement | our sweet boy, Graham
Consider a Different Theme
To differentiate the second baby shower from the first, consider selecting a different theme that reflects the parents’ evolving tastes and preferences. It could be a gender-neutral theme or something specific to the baby’s nursery decor. By choosing a unique theme, you can add a fresh and exciting twist to the celebration. As this is my second baby, we chose a western theme ‘Not Her First Rodeo’.
Intimate Gathering
Since the focus of a second baby sprinkle is primarily on celebrating the imminent arrival of the baby rather than collecting essential baby items, it is common to have a smaller and more intimate gathering. Close friends and family members can come together to create a cozy and supportive environment for mom. In this case, I gathered twenty of my closest gals in our small, backyard patio!
SHOP | NOT HER FIRST RODEO NOTEBOOK
Sprinkle Shower
A sprinkle shower is an alternative to a traditional baby shower for second-time parents. Instead of big baby-gear gifts, guests can bring smaller, practical items that the parents may need for the new baby, such as diapers, wipes, or personalized baby essentials. This approach acknowledges that the parents may already have many items from their first child and helps to ensure they receive things they truly need. We still made a registry through Babylist, but it was a fraction of the size of our first registry when we were pregnant with Stella.
Sibling Inclusion
Involving the older sibling in the baby sprinkle festivities can help make them feel special and excited about their upcoming role as a big sister or brother. Encourage guests to bring a small gift or token for the older sibling(s) to make them feel included and appreciated. On our ‘Words of Wisdom’ instructions, we asked guests to write advice for Taylor and I, or a prayer for Stella as she enters into the new role of big sister. The notebook had the cutest cover, titled ‘Not Her First Rodeo’. (Pictured and linked below). We also titled on of our signature cocktails after her – granted, not something she’ll notice or appreciate at 21 months old, but it felt special to us!
Create a Memory Keepsake
Consider organizing a creative activity during the baby sprinkle that allows guests to contribute to a special keepsake for the new baby. This could be a DIY scrapbook or a personalized guestbook where attendees can write their wishes, advice, or funny anecdotes. These mementos will serve as cherished reminders of the love and support surrounding the baby’s arrival. In addition to the ‘Not Her First Rodeo’ words-of-wisdom notebook I just mentioned, we had guest’s sign their name on a cowboy hat for Graham.
SHOP | BROWN MINI COWBOY HATS | WHITE MINI COWBOY HATS |
COW PRINT MINI COWBOY HATS
Now that we’ve touched on some tips for hosting a memorable baby sprinkle, let me share all the details of our DREAM baby sprinkle! It’s truly so fun to see a vision come together, and I find such joy in sharing each and every planning and decor detail. Life is just too short to celebrate in any way but an extravagant one!
THE OUTFIT | AMAZON
SHOP | ROMPER | BOOTS | INITIAL NECKLACE
Click on the links above to shop my romper, boots and initial necklace. Size up one in the romper to accommodate for your bump, as this is not a maternity piece. The boots run true to size, though they’re much more comfortable pre-pregnancy as my calves have grown during the past 33 weeks LOL. I purchased this initial necklace while on our babymoon in 30A, Florida; but the exact same piece is available on Amazon for much cheaper. My hat is by Shop Stevie.
RELATED POST | OUR BACKYARD CLEMENTINE BABY SHOWER FOR STELLA
TABLES, SEATING & LINENS | ABBEY PARTY RENTS
We rented three long farm tables, a combination of benches and vineyard style chairs, and blue napkins from Abbey Party Rents. Not pictured, but also rented, were ivory linens to cover our welcome table and beverage bar. This was our fourth (!) event renting with Abbey. If you are local to the greater San Diego area, highly recommend! You can choose to pick up your items at Will-Call, or have them delivered! The quality of these tables and chairs was so clear, and truly were a centerpiece for our backyard set up! Umbrellas and stands are Amazon, linked below. We DIY’d floral arrangements from Trader Joe’s, and used our own Seagrass placemats, also linked below.
SHOP | SEAGRASS PLACEMATS | UMBRELLAS | UMBRELLA STAND
BALLOONS, BACKDROP, RATTAN CHAIR | CREATIVA CO
A splurge-worthy rental! Erika of Creative Company, based in North County San Diego, spent a few hours in our backyard that morning creating this masterpiece. I loved the arched wood backdrop, and the ‘Not Her First Rodeo’ decal! She actually brought an extra one that I was able to repurpose as part of our beverage bar set up, this really tied in the whole theme. I was so impressed with Erika’s styled and skilled eyes to bring this look together. She made the rental process so easy, as it was a one-stop-shop for the items in this look. Could not recommend Erika of Creativa Co more. And click here to contact her.
SHOP | COWHIDE RUG
CAKE | CUTE CAKES BAKERY
Another local favorite. When Tay and I bought our home in North County San Diego four years ago, I quickly wanted to find a local go-to bakery. A place to have in my back pocket for impromptu birthdays, events, or just a coffee date. We’ve fallen in love with their gourmet cupcakes, and we’ve used them for my first baby shower cake as well as Stella’s first birthday cake. They truly never disappoint. I emailed my Pinterest cake inspo to the decorators at Cute Cakes, and they helped me create exactly that! MOUTH WATERING. If you are local to the San Diego area, check out Cute Cakes for your next event!
RELATED POST | STELLA’S FIRST TRIP AROUND THE SUN
COOKIES | THE SWEET CHICKADEE COOKIE CO.
I will forever be impressed by the talent that is The Sweet Chickadee Cookie Co. Another fabulous vendor local to San Diego. I’ve been so happy to work with her for several events now. Each time, the cookies are a centerpiece and a themed parting gift. I loved the attention to detail in these cookie designs, and the personalization with Graham’s name on the jean pocket! Individually wrapped, Sweet Chickadee’s cookies were the perfect favor for our guests to take home.
STATIONARY + PRINTABLES | ETSY
I purchased an editable printable download package through Etsy, which included invitations, games, menus, and other documents that I could personalize. The instructions were easy to follow; editing through Corji was a breeze, and the service from Prints of Love was fabulous. My favorite piece was our outdoor welcome sign!
SHOP | ETSY WESTERN BABY SHOWER PRINTABLE SUITE
CATERING | MIKE’S BBQ
Voted San Diego’s Best BBQ – what could be better for our western meal! Pulled Pork and Chopped Chicken with their signature sauce, and sides galore – Caesar salad, coleslaw, mac’n cheese, baked beans, and potato salad. We had more than enough food! Check out their site here to cater for your next event. Plates, napkins, and gold flatware from Amazon, linked below.
SHOP | COW PRINT PLATES + NAPKINS | COW PRINT BALLOONS
BEVERAGE BAR + SIGNATURE COCKTAILS
Even though I’m not the one drinking the dang cocktails, I wanted to create a fresh, themed beverage bar that included both my babies – Stella and Graham! We created two signature cocktails, that could easily be served as mocktails. Stella’s Big Sister Smash and Graham’s Giddy Up pictured above. When creating your beverage bar, opt for disposable cups (I linked my amazon ones below), and make sure to have an ice tub to chill your mixers, clear glass carafes to serve your additives, and an ice bucket with tongs to have for serving.
SHOP | GOLD RIMMED COCKTAIL CUPS | GOLD FLATWARE
See something you like, but its not linked here? Send me a DM on instagram, and I’ll try to help!
PHOTOGRAPHY | MEAGAN ROUNTREE
LET THIS BE YOUR SIGN TO HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT! Meagan, girl you killed it. Our family has had the pleasure of working with Meagan twice now; and each time, we have been granted stunning photos that will be memories forever! Meagan’s son is the same age as Stella, which I LOVE, she just gets it when photographing our family 🙂 Thank you!
SHOP | STELLA’S NOT IN THE MOOD OUTFIT
An overwhelming thank you to all my close ladies that attending my baby sprinkle. Taylor, Stella and I are beyond excited to welcome Graham in just a few short weeks! Its surreal that we’ll be a family of four next month. Thank the Lord its not my first rodeo, and we have SORT OF an idea of what to expect; but man, our lives are bout to change quite a bit having two under two!
Thank you to all our rentals and vendor companies for helping our dream sprinkle vision come to life! Immense gratitude to my husband, Taylor, and my sister, Stephanie, for doing so much heavy lifting and clean up! Forever grateful to my sweet mama, who has funded now both my baby showers. It is truly the best gift getting to celebrate all together!
Photography by Meagan Rountree. This blog post contains affiliate links via RewardStyle. By shopping these links, you are supporting New Cotton Blend at no additional cost to you . Please note that I only recommend products that I personally use; and I always have my readers’ best interest at heart.