Is a Nesting Party the New Baby Shower Trend in Australia?
Baby showers have been a beloved tradition for decades, celebrating mums-to-be with games, gifts, and a pastel-filled afternoon. But as the needs of modern mothers shift, a new trend is emerging across Australia – nesting parties. These gatherings aren’t just about celebrating a new baby; they’re about supporting a new mama. Focused on helping mums prepare emotionally, practically, and physically for postpartum life, nesting parties are becoming the baby shower alternative more Australian families are embracing.
So what exactly is a nesting party and why is it gaining popularity among expecting parents?
What Is a Nesting Party?
A nesting party is a gathering focused on helping a pregnant mum get her home, body, and mind ready for the arrival of her baby. It’s less about gifts and games and more about showing up for real-life support. Think:
• Stocking the freezer with nourishing postpartum meals
• Practical help such as setting up a nursery, areas of the home or getting small tasks done that are on her to-do list
• Cleaning, folding laundry, or organizing baby clothes
• Providing emotional support and connection
• Creating a space where the the mama feels seen, heard, and cared for
It’s a powerful way to reduce the overwhelm many Australian mums experience in the weeks before birth.
Why Are Nesting Parties Becoming Popular in Australia?
In Australia, the focus on mental health, postpartum support, and building a village around new mothers is growing. Nesting parties tap into this shift by:
• Providing practical support during the often exhausting final weeks of pregnancy
• Building community and fostering deeper connections with loved ones
• Normalising the need for help, rather than putting pressure on the mum to be the host
• Reducing postpartum anxiety by helping prepare meals, spaces, and emotional support systems in advance
More Aussie mums are recognising that while baby showers are lovely, they don’t always offer the kind of support that’s truly needed in the lead-up to birth.
How Is a Nesting Party Different From a Traditional Baby Shower?
Common Nesting Party Activities
Nesting parties can look different depending on the mum’s needs and her support network. Here are some common elements:
- Freezer meal prepping for postpartum
- Light housework or tidying to ease the mental load
- Assembling baby items like the cot, pram, or car seat
- Preparing areas of the home to support the early weeks
- Creating a feeding/postpartum trolley with all Mama’s essential items.
- Journaling or intention setting for birth and motherhood
- Bringing nourishing snacks or drinks to share
- Sharing stories or offering emotional support
It’s all about creating a vibe of care, warmth, and genuine help.
Who Is Hosting Nesting Parties?
Nesting parties are typically hosted by:
• A close friend, sister, or birth partner
• A doula or postpartum support person
• The mum-to-be herself (but planned with others)
The key is that it feels easy, not like another event she has to plan or perform for.
How to Plan a Nesting Party in Australia
Planning a nesting party is simple and can be tailored to each mum. Here’s how:
1. Ask the mum what would actually help. Does she need help setting up baby things? Prepping meals? A calm afternoon with close friends?
2. Create a loose plan. This could be two hours of meal prep followed by herbal tea and a chat.
3. Keep it intimate. Unlike baby showers, nesting parties work best with a smaller more intimate group.
4. Bring useful items. Instead of baby gifts, bring groceries, nourishing snacks, or something small for the mum.
5. Focus on presence over presents. The real gift is care and connection.
Why Nesting Parties Are the Baby Shower Alternative More Aussie Mums Are Choosing
As the narrative around motherhood evolves, Australian mums are becoming more vocal about what they really need. Nesting parties offer something baby showers often don’t, support that actually lightens the load.
From reducing mental stress to helping prepare the home and freezer, they empower mothers to feel more ready, more connected, and more cared for.
Final Thoughts
So, is a nesting party the new baby shower trend in Australia? We believe so and we are all for it!
As more expecting parents seek meaningful support over tradition, the nesting party is emerging as a powerful, practical, and heartfelt way to gather around the mother, not just the baby. Whether you’re pregnant, a friend, or a doula looking to support a client, consider ditching the diaper games and showing up in a way that truly makes a difference.
Let’s Gather Your Village
We have created a free Not Another Onesie eBook to help you gather the support you need to thrive once your baby comes along…
Meet our carefully curated mother focused care professionals.
Let's find your support crew to help you recover, restore and thrive in motherhood.
You may also be interested in...
Head Heart Home by Laura
As a nurse, midwife, certified Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner and mum, Laura is passionate about women feeling empowered, safe and seen on their birthing day and knows that education is key.
The ‘Positive Birth Program’ is offered both in private and group settings and provides the confidence and knowledge to make informed choices to ensure that your birth is calm, positive and transformative.
Laura is located on the Northern Beaches and but is available to you wherever you are, and would be honoured to support and hold you on this powerful, life changing and heart exploding journey.
Nomad Chiropractic
Nomad Chiropractic is a small Family Wellness clinic in Mosman that is run by 3 women with 5 children between them. Lucy, Kristin & Sandy have a holistic approach to health and a focus in practice on Pregnancy, Postpartum and Paediatrics.
Families often seek us out for things like:
- Pregnancy optimisation – Webster Technique, Birth preparation including pelvic alignment and Nervous system balance, Stress relief, Pelvic floor imbalance, Postpartum care;
- Pregnancy associated body aches: Pubic symphysis dysfunction; Pains in the hip, back, neck, ribs, round ligament, jaw; headaches and sciatica;
- Newborn / Paediatric checks: Unsettled babies, Feeding complications including breast preference, tongue tie bodywork and imbalanced sucking/rooting reflexes (co-managed with IBCLCs), torticollis, birth trauma: interventions like forceps, vacuum, short/long labor effects; breech and multiples birth checks, cranial work, head-shape asymmetry; help with milestones/neurodevelopment, sleep, constipation, and general health and wellbeing;
- Family Care – the usual holistic chiropractor toolkit – Sympathetic dominance work, stress relief, back pain, neck pain, headaches, and health optimisation!
We are here to help you and your family adapt to the ever changing effect of the perinatal period. Our team has additional postgraduate education in pregnancy and paediatrics and a toolkit of gentle, age appropriate and specific adjustments tailored to your unique needs. Holistic chiropractic addresses the physical, chemical and emotional stressors to your nervous system. Where appropriate we love to collaborate with the other practitioners in your health journey – a multidisciplinary approach has amazing health outcomes!
We aim to help you and your family thrive. It takes a village and we’d love to be a part of yours.
Learn about the support you didn't know you needed.
We have cherry picked the most useful resources for your fourth trimester so that you don't have to waste precious hours searching.
Interview - Louise Barton + Elisha Wildblood (Not Another Onesie)
In Conversation With Vicky O’Rourke from Connect Baby
Who's doing what at home? The truth about domestic load & how to lighten it together.
Article - Elisha Wildblood and Louise Barton (Not Another Onesie)
Discover the life changing benefits of planning for your postpartum
Discover how proactive postpartum planning can transform your journey into motherhood. This post outlines the critical benefits of preparing ahead—from organizing nutritious meals and setting up recovery systems to establishing clear boundaries with visitors and building a trusted support network. With practical tips and insights, you'll learn how a well-crafted plan can help you recover, bond with your new-born, and navigate the early days of motherhood with confidence.
Article - Kendra Greig (The Homecoming Concierge)
Inside the Postpartum Home Preparation Service Transforming New Parents’ First Days
Bringing a newborn home is one of the most transformative moments in a family’s life, but it often arrives with overwhelm, exhaustion, and a steep learning curve. While many expectant parents spend months preparing for birth, far fewer have the time, support, or energy to prepare their home for the postpartum period. That’s where the NEST postpartum home preparation service steps in. Designed to create a soft landing for new parents and parents travelling with young children, this offering blends practical support, newborn home organisation, nourishing postpartum food, thoughtful touches, and a deep understanding of what new mothers and families truly need in those early days. We interviewed Kendra Greig the founder of NEST, to explore what inspired this unique service, what families can expect, and how a beautifully prepared home can ease the transition into newborn life.
Article - Lucy Carroll (Birth & Beyond Education)
Empowered Birth: How Birth Education Helps Parents and Partners Thrive
Midwife-led workshops and positive birth classes not only prepare mothers for labour but also give partners confidence, practical tools, and emotional support for one of life’s biggest transitions. We sat down with Lucy Carroll, a practising midwife, educator and co-founder of Birth & Beyond Education, to explore how empowered birth education helps families thrive.
Article - Jackie Gorman (Nurture By Touch)
Jamu Postnatal Massage: The Nurturing Tradition Every New Mother Should Experience For Deep Recovery
This is truly special to witness; it's a real privilege. As I’m within the sanctuary of the family's home for up to 4 weeks, you subtly and gratefully become part of the furniture, quietly and respectfully. So as the days pass through this ancient lineage of care, you see things shift physically, which is pure biology to me, but also her smile changes as you walk through the door, her eyes are more vibrant and her skin colour changes