Maternity Swishing Guide by celebrity mumpreneur Jenni Falconer

Mums Tips

Baby & Toddlers

Published on Tuesday, 24 July 2012 09:15

Last Updated on 20 July 2012

Monica Costa

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If you are thinking of holding your very own Maternity Swishing Party, check these tips. It is so simple to do and a great excuse to get together with your friends and family before your little one arrives, or simply when your wardrobes are bursting to the seams with unused baby clothes & maternity wear!

Here is a message from Jenni Falconer, who recently invited us to her first Swishing party:

“Having recently become a first time mum myself, I know all too well how quickly a bump grows and how hard it can be to dress stylishly when pregnant, which is why I’m encouraging mums and mums to be to hold their very own Maternity Swishing parties. I’m a firm believer in swishing to not only save money, but ensure the gorgeous outfits that are bought for both mums and babies find a good home. The icing on the cake is that everyone who attends can make a donation to the baby charity, to help raise money for an extremely worthy cause.

Happy Swishing!

Jenni x”

Watch this space for an exclusive interview with Jenni Falconer in the winter 2012/2013 issue of the London Mums magazine!

What is Maternity Swishing?

Swishing means exchanging previously owned (worn or unworn but certainly washed!) clothes with
others, without the exchange of money. It is clothes swapping for mums at its best!

Why hold a Maternity Swishing Party?

Maternity clothes can be expensive and are only worn for a short period of time. Once mums have outgrown them, they may never be worn again. On the other side, many mums receive hundreds of baby clothes for their new arrival, which may never even see the light of day as they grow so quickly. We’re encouraging mums to wash and pass on these unused outfits to friends and family. By holding a Maternity Swishing Party everyone gets to swap their way to an item they really want!

How to host the perfect Maternity Swishing party

Who to invite

Any friends and family who have either recently had a baby or are pregnant will hugely benefit from the party.

What guests should bring

At a Maternity Swishing party, anything that’s suitable for mums and mums-to-be can be swapped, whether that’s maternity clothes or outfits from baby’s first year. Everyone has clothes that sit in the back of the wardrobe, so this is the perfect opportunity to pass them on to someone who needs them and hopefully receive something special in return!

Guest numbers

If you want to keep the event intimate, invite around ten close friends and family. However, if you’d like to hold a larger event, thereby having more clothing choice and raising some serious funds for Tommy’s, invite up to 30 people. You could even look into getting together with other mums or mums-to-be and holding the event at a local hall or pre-school.

Timings/set-up

Ensure that you have rails or tables for people to display their clothes. As people arrive, serve up coffee, tea and nibbles to help them settle in whilst you hang up or layout the clothes. When the room is
ready, the swish begins! Any latecomers can simply add their items to the rails as they arrive.

Where

The party is perfect held at home or, for a larger event, why not try a local hall, school, nursery or café?

What you will need

1. Invitations (included in this pack)

2. A few rails/tables for people to display their clothing items

3. Hangers

4. Mirrors

5. Clothing vouchers (for bigger parties, included in your pack)

6. Food serving platters, glasses/plastic cups, serviettes

7. Music

8. Charity boxes for donations

Rules of the rail

Pre event

• When attending the party, encourage guests to bring along at least one item of quality clothing (suitable for mums-to-be or a baby up to one year old)

• All items should be cleaned and washed with a kind and gentle detergent and fabric softener such as Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure to ensure they are suitable for the most delicate of skins

• Feel free to also include baby accessories e.g. blankets or booties, as well as clothes – as long as they are machine washable!

At the event

• The more items they bring, the more items they could receive in exchange!

• No item may be claimed before the Maternity Swishing Party starts

• As soon as the Swishing Party is declared open, everyone may try on or take what they want

• Guests should try to only take the same number of items that they have brought along, for example if they bring one maternity top they should take home one item of clothing

• For larger parties, it may be useful to print off vouchers. Guests receive one voucher per item they donate, and on departure can swap their voucher for another clothing item

• Ask that those attending make a small donation to Tommy’s, the baby charity, in return for the goodies they will receive!