Baby showers are a great opportunity to honor your friend, family member, or colleague who is an expectant mother! At a typical baby shower there will be food, games, and activities. There are a lot of decisions to be made and things to keep track of when planning baby showers! The good thing is that you don’t have to go at this alone because I am going to give you lots of ideas for planning your baby shower!
Your Ultimate Guide to Planning Baby Showers
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1. When Should You Plan Your Shower?
When planning your baby shower, the first thing you need to do is to decide when the shower will take place. Typically, you’ll want to aim for a few weeks before your baby arrives. However, some showers take place after the mother has given birth to the infant. This has the advantage of allowing the guests to know the gender of the baby and can buy gifts accordingly.
2. Guest List
After you figure out when you are going to have your shower, you now need to decide who you are going to invite. A baby shower is a chance to invite family, friends and colleagues to share in the celebration of your upcoming baby. If you have family traveling from out of town, or just want to include your spouse, consider having a “Jack and Jill” co-ed shower.
3. Location
So, where do you want your baby shower to be held? Personally, I like to have a baby shower in my own home. I just think that this is a comfortable and intimate option. However, there are an array of other venue ideas, including the home of a family member or friend, church hall, community center, hotel suite, outdoor area, restaurant, or even a spa or yoga studio.
4. Gift Registry
Gift registries are designed for you to receive gifts for not only your new baby, but for yourself, too! Hey, you deserve a little extra pampering! Your guests can be informed on the invitations if you have set up a baby registry in advance, or if there are any suggested gifts.
Clueless about what to put in your registry, read this ► 7 Things You’re Forgetting to Put on Your Target Baby Registry
You have a few choices available when it comes to choosing a baby gift registry. Here are a few of the more popular ones: Amazon, Babies R Us, Target and Walmart. After you have chosen a gift registry, the items you choose to add to the registry will be completely up to you. However, if you need a bit of help, The Bump features an article titled- The Ultimate Checklist of Baby Essentials.
Thinking of setting up multiple registries? Here’s why that’s a bad idea!
5. Invitations
Invitations should be sent four to six weeks before your baby shower. This timeline will provide any out-of-town guests with ample time to make travel arrangements. Greetings Island features a Special Delivery Baby Shower Invitation, which you can customize and download, print or send online. Pear Tree features The Story Begins Baby Shower Invitation, which can be personalized and comes with white envelopes. Paper Source features a Baby on Board Baby Shower Invitation.
Shutterfly features an Arrival for Two Baby Shower Invitation, which is perfect if you are expecting twins. If you need help with addressing your baby shower invitations, Shutterfly has an article titled- How to Address Baby Shower Invitations. Yes, there really is a thing called baby shower etiquette!
6. Decorations
Decoration are a beautiful way to make your baby shower area come to life. Party City has an array of baby shower decorations available, including hanging and wall decorations, banners, signs and balloons.
- If you know your baby’s gender, Amazon has specific themes like Pink Baby Elephant Decorations
and Blue Baby Whale Decorations
. If you don’t know your baby’s gender, it’s not a problem because Party City has gender neutral themes, like Fisher-Price Jungle Decorations and Bubble Bath Duckie Decorations.
- Okay, so let me say that I am not crafty at all! However, for those of you that are crafty, Love to Know features an article titled- Homemade Baby Shower Decorations. The last thing we need to talk about as far as decorations for your baby shower is tableware.
- Amazon has a ton of baby shower decor kits, like Unicorn themed decorations
and the cute woodland creatures
.
7. Food & Drink
One of the central parts of planning baby showers is the food and drinks. You should have enough food for not only the invited guests but also any possible unexpected guests. You want to keep your food ideas simple, like finger foods.
- Delish has a recipe for Oven-Baked Fried Pickles. Well, pickles are the cliché pregnancy craving, aren’t they?
- Key Ingredient has a recipe for Hatching Chicks Deviled Eggs. While these make a great Easter idea, they will also be a hit at your baby shower.
- I Heart Nap Time has a recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Dessert Kabobs. Brownies, hot fudge sauce and strawberries- need I say more?
- Betty Crocker has a recipe for Baby Rattle Cupcakes. These cupcakes are easy to make and super cute!
- As for beverages, we have the ultimate Gold Mint Mocktail that is sure to impress your guests!
8. Activities & Games
While the main purpose of a baby shower is to celebrate your upcoming birth, there are some activities and games that will keep your guests entertained. Check out 5 of our favorite baby shower games for ideas!
My personal favorite: the baby food tasting contest! It’s a hilarious game! To play, just buy a bunch of different baby foods ahead of time and take the labels off. Number the jars, then set them out on a table. Give your guests a sheet of paper with the numbers on it and have them write down their guesses for each food. The guest who correctly guesses the most flavors wins!
9. Favors
To thank your guests for attending your baby shower, send them home with a cute party favor! Amazon has a ton of adorable favors, from scented rubber ducky candles to darling little handmade soaps.
You can also fill little plastic baby bottles with candies. For those with a crafty side, Creating Really Awesome Fun Things features an article titled- 29 DIY Baby Shower Favor Ideas.
My rule of thumb for choosing favors: give them something that won’t clutter up their house. Candles, soaps, cookies, and candies are great because once you’re done with them, there’s nothing to store or throw away.
So, what are some of your favorite tips for planning a baby shower? Also, let us know if you do use any of these baby shower ideas and tips!
