Defending Baby Sprinkles is pro-life and Anne of Green Gables proves it. One of my favorite scenes in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series is when Anne Blythe and Miss Cornelia Bryant are getting acquainted in her house of dreams. Miss Cornelia is hard at work sewing dainty stitches on a gown for the coming eighth baby of the Proctor family, who, according to Miss Cornelia, is devastatingly unwanted. 

“So I put some extra fuss on its little things just on that account,” she confides in Anne, who feels certain she will be friends with Miss Cornelia as she watches her sew meticulous frills and tucks to celebrate this new life.

Miss Cornelia’s love for this baby who “isn’t to blame for being the eighth” is a testament to the truth that God knits each “fearfully and wonderfully made” human being into existence and made us in His image and likeness. We are an unrepeatable creation made purposefully by our loving God, and that is worthy of praise, celebration, and exquisite handmade baby gowns.

Welcoming a new baby… no matter how many

In this same spirit of celebrating each and every new life, our community prioritizes gathering for a moment of joy, refreshment, and prayer each time a family is about to welcome a new baby into their fold. From more elaborate high teas to simple candlelit appetizers in the evening, we are committed to ensuring each mom and baby (even an eighth baby!) have a special moment to gather among friends and thank God together for this new, precious life. 

The term “baby sprinkle” has been used to describe this very type of event. It’s often more low-key than a baby shower and might have less of the thrills and frills than the traditional baby shower one might expect for a first baby. As our community continues to have these sprinkles – for a fourth and even a fifth baby – my dear friend’s husband fondly calls them our “baby dewdrops.” 

Whatever it may be – a full blown shower, softer sprinkle, or misty dewdrop – the purpose is the same. It’s an intentional time to gather, celebrate, and cover the mother and child in prayer. It takes work to coordinate schedules and sacrifice to plan and clean, but it is always worth the effort. Attendees leave feeling refreshed from the time they were able to eat delicious food and converse with friends and the guest of honor leaves bolstered with prayers, encouragement, and the reaffirmation that she and her baby are greatly cherished.

It’s not about more stuff

Some naysayers may ask, “But why?” The fact of the matter is that often the mother already has a stroller, clothes, and everything her baby could need. I would respond that the baby sprinkle is less about gifts, and more about taking a moment to pause and marvel at God’s kindness that a new eternal being was co-created and will forever change a family, a community, and ultimately, the world. 

No matter how small and hidden, each new soul leaves an indelible mark on the whole of humanity. We are eternal beings and because of God’s power and that mother’s yes to bring forth life, a new soul will, hopefully, one day make it to the heavenly gates and sing their own inimitable and beautiful praises to God for all eternity. 

Also, the mother to be celebrated is not the same mother she was when she was pregnant with her first baby. Each subsequent pregnancy creates a mother anew with different joys, challenges, perspectives, anxieties, questions, and insights. It is a gift to honor the mother, who is being transformed through this new, unique pregnancy. And, on the receiving end, it’s a treasure as a mother to take the time to reflect on how far motherhood has pushed me and how gently God has transformed me through my vocation. 

A baby sprinkle is an ideal avenue for this type of reflection, prayer, and celebration. And every mother and baby deserves to be shown this care and support. 

As a host, recipient, and attendee of many, many baby sprinkles, here are some tips and tricks my friends and I have learned along the way for how to make the event delightful, easy to plan, and honoring of God’s marvelous design in motherhood and childbirth.  

Rotate hosting and share duties

One of the strongest concerns for hosting baby sprinkles is the amount of work it will take to celebrate every new life. Our community likes to take turns hosting the event, so the responsibility isn’t shouldered by just one person. 

Or, if you find yourself always being the host, don’t feel shy to ask for help. When each attendee contributes a dish or a drink, all the host needs to be responsible for is making sure there is a clean and comfortable place to gather. 

Additionally, a few friends can pair up as joint hosts. One of us will choose to host, and the other will coordinate the invitation (Paperless Post or simple email invite!), food menu, and a group gift. 

A note about gifts: Absolutely unnecessary! We have found it helpful to make an optional contribution fund before the sprinkle, where each attendee contributes what they’re able to supply, like some diapers, wipes, or money toward a deep clean. 

Other communities may delight in bringing a small bag of gently used hand-me-downs for a new baby or go all out on a shopping spree for sweet baby onesies. However you choose to do gifts, remember that what matters most is gathering around the mother and child in celebration. And, of course, eating delicious food! 

Find a liturgy or rhythm that suits your community

Taking away the mental energy of planning the rhythm of the event will be incredibly helpful. Our baby sprinkles pretty much always follow the same format so that the host isn’t burdened with figuring out how to best time the event. 

We begin with blessing the food and spending an hour or so eating and socializing. During that hour, each attendee takes time writing a prayer for the mother on a note card. About an hour in, the host asks the women to gather, and we ask the mother if she has any specific prayer intentions she would like us to bring to the Lord on her behalf. 

Then we pray a short liturgy together for the mother and child, spend some time asking the mother questions about her experience this pregnancy and hopes for her labor and postpartum recovery time, and conclude the event by collecting the notecards for the mother to have during her labor. 

The liturgy my community uses is adapted from the Book of Blessings and is from the chapter entitled Blessing of a Mother Before Childbirth. There are many beautiful ways you can plan the time of intentional gathering and prayer. A few additional ideas include having one different person pray out loud for each prayer intention the mother brought forth, reading Psalm 139 or Luke’s recounting of the Annunciation and Visitation, or praying a decade of the rosary for the mother and baby. 

Schedule outside of the box 

As delicious as the food is, a baby sprinkle doesn’t have to be over weekend brunch! One of my friends recently hosted a baby sprinkle on a weekday evening. It was candlelit on her back patio, and every attendee brought their favorite appetizer to share. It was a special evening of laughter, prayer, and delicious food. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative, even if you need to bring children! Perhaps a group of friends could meet at a park on a weekday morning so that older children can have playtime on the playground and the mothers can gather with a thermos of coffee, baked goods, and spend time praying a rosary for an upcoming birth. A baby sprinkle doesn’t have to be fancy; it just has to be a time to honor and encourage a mother and celebrate a precious new baby. 

So go forth in celebration of second, fifth, and eighth babies! You’re in good company with Miss Cornelia Bryant, who would surely bring a new hand-stitched gown and bonnet for the blessed occasion.