Baby Prom 2019

It's prom season, so I thought I'd share the best (and only) prom themed program I've ever done at my library. It is the adorableness known as Baby Prom! I originally saw this idea posted on the ALSC Blog, and thought it sounded like so much fun that I had to try it. It was a pretty successful program with about 12 babies attending. Here's a peek at what we did!

  Kiddie pool

 

For this station I took out our library's kiddie pool and filled it with scarves and baby toys for a fun little sensory activity. It was a great way to incorporate items I had already available and seemed to be enjoyed by the babies.

Photo backdrop

 

 

This was the hardest part of planning the program. I originally wanted to do a balloon arch, but didn't think that would end up working due to time constraints. What I ended up doing was using the stand for our new green screen and hanging fabric on it. I used two types of silver fabric draped over each other and our maroon curtains we originally bought to use to block out light during movie programs. The silver fabric was the most expensive purchase for this program but can definitely be used again.

Sensory bags

 

I filled baggies with jello, chocolate pudding and hair gel with glitter. They were then taped to a flat table for the babies to explore. One of the moms commented on what an easy simple way this was the keep the little ones occupied.

Snacks

 

For snacks I had juice, doughnuts, mini cupcakes and goldfish crackers. I tried to pick foods that would be as toddler friendly as possible but still could be enjoyed by the parents and caregivers.

Painting stars

 

Our loose theme for the prom was stars. We had stars on the silver portion of the photo backdrop, stars on the tables and star sprinkles on the cupcakes. To go with this theme I put out a simple craft for the older end of the baby/toddler spectrum. I made copies of this star template and put out glittery paint to paint them.

Bubble wrap dance floor

 

This was the hit of the party! I bought a roll of bubble wrap at Staples and taped it to the floor. The babies brought balloons from our photo backdrop out onto the "dance floor" and had a ball. About halfway through the program I also started blowing some bubbles. It was definitely the perfect way to reengage them.

All in all I would say the Prom was a blast! I may even make it an annual event. I would love to try to do it as a Saturday program and see how attendance changes. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.