Baby showers are personal events designed to celebrate new life with family and friends in a fun, meaningful way. No matter the budget, anyone can host a memorable baby shower.
Planning Tips
Planning a baby shower can be fun and overwhelming. There is a lot of pressure to make the event special, successful and fun for the mom-to-be. Start by getting organized.
- Interview the person you are hosting for. Find out their expectations, must-haves and guest list first so you know what to expect.
- Create a timeline or calendar of deadlines and important dates like when to mail invites and order the cake.
- Use a sharing platform like Google Calendar Sharing to make it easy for multiple hosts to collaborate.
- Keep ideas organized by putting them in a binder or saving them in one place online like Pinterest.
Creative Shower Themes
In-person and online baby showers usually incorporate a theme that either stems from the parent's interests or the planned nursery theme.
Classics
Baby animals, religious inspiration and childhood toys often reign supreme in the world of baby décor. It is easy to find inspiration and ideas for popular themes.
- Embrace blue with boy baby shower decorations like a blue and white baby sock clothesline garland.
- Girl baby shower decorations exploit pinks in floral arrangements and ceiling décor like tissue poms.
- Incorporate crosses and Noah's ark elements with religious baby shower decorations.
- Fun animal elements like monkey baby shower decorations fit into rainforest, jungle or zoo themes.
- A classic storybook baby shower makes guests feel nostalgic by incorporating beloved books like The Cat in the Hat or classic fairy tales.
Original
Creative baby boy shower ideas feature masculine characters like cows, superheroes and military personnel. Unique baby shower themes like a tea party, baby-q or stock the freezer event add the element of surprise by embracing the unexpected. For a unique and personalized theme consider centering the décor and food around:
- A beloved children's game like Pat-a-Cake
- The parent's profession such as police officer or teacher
- An inside joke or nickname for baby or parents
- A play on words of the family's last name, like a Stuart Little theme for the last name Little
- Get creative and try out something new like a baby ninja theme. Add a fun catchphrase like, "Say Hi-Ya to my little ninja!" to the cake and invitations. Serve Asian cuisine, and decorate with Asian flare incorporating blue or pink into the décor.
Invitations Ideas
Baby shower invitations are often the first chance for friends and family to learn more about the new baby's nursery or the parent's desires for clothing and toys. Invitations should include all the important information for the event, but should also reflect its tone and theme. You can buy pre-made invitations in stores or online.
Personalizing Your Invitations
Everything from the images to the text can be personalized. Baby shower invitation wording can be serious, funny, sentimental, traditional or wacky and geared specifically toward a boy, girl, surprise gender or multiples. Before purchasing or printing invitations, consider including:
- Traditional or original baby shower poems to capture the emotion and excitement of welcoming a new baby
- Catchy phrases or baby shower sayings, like "When you hold a baby for the first time, your heart opens like the bud of a flower."
- Religious quotes, blessings or baby shower prayers embracing the role of faith in the family
Homemade Invites
If you plan to make invitations by hand, there are many fun ways to personalize them:
- Use your all-in-one printer/copier at home to make copies of sonogram pictures printed on card stock. Similar to a postcard, write party info and addresses on the back.
- Use fabric markers to write invite details on a baby washcloth or cloth diaper. Hand deliver invites or fit them into envelopes before mailing.
- Find old paperback children's books at library sales or yard sales. Look for books about the size of a postcard. Tear the front cover off, write party information on the front and address them on the back, blank side.
- Write or print an invitation on standard copy paper. Roll it up so it fits inside a small baby bottle, like a message in a bottle. Hand deliver invitations or package them in small boxes to mail.
- Make iced cookies in the shape of baby items like bottles and diapers. Use gel icing to write party details on the cookies.
You can also create invitations on the computer.
- Download printable invitations and customize them by adding party details and include cute images like footprints, monkeys and angels.
- Create a unique diaper-shaped invitation using boy, girl or gender neutral themed printable templates for diaper invitations.
- Use a design program like Adobe Photoshop to add text or image elements to a photograph or create fun new images such as putting the parent's heads on baby bodies. Once printed the picture can be mailed as a postcard or shared on social media.
- Update standard invitation templates found on word processing programs with baby shower clip art featuring adorable baby rattles, onesies and storks.
Fun Games
A typical baby shower incorporates food, games and presents, making the event as much about friends and family as the baby. Traditional baby shower games, like Guess the Girth where guests use lengths of toilet paper to show how big around they think mom-to-be's belly is, are easy to plan and nostalgic. Look for ways to incorporate one or two classic games mixed in with some modern ideas or personalization. When planning games, take into account the ages and abilities of guests along with the venue and expected attire of guests. Don't forget to reward participants with great game prizes like spa kits, candles or gift certificates.
Original Games
If you are searching for one-of-a-kind games guest will not be familiar with, these ideas could do the trick.
- Guess the Gender: Gather sonogram pictures from friends and family and make sure to note the baby's gender and cover it up if indicated on the sonogram. Number the pictures and hang them on a bulletin board. Have guests look at all the sonograms and try to guess whether the baby pictured is a boy or girl.
- Baby Relay Race: Team guests up into pairs. Make three to five stations, spaced out evenly, each with an item babies need (bottle, diaper, wipes, toys, onesie). Teams must race to grab each item and bring it back to their starting point by moving like a baby. For the first station, one teammate must carry the other like a baby to the item. In the next section, both team members should roll over and over to the item. In the last section, both team members should crawl to the item. For five stations you could include a scooching movement and an army crawl.
Modern Games
Other new, exciting games to add to your shower include:
- Free, printable games such as Baby Trivia that challenge guests' knowledge of babies in general or the specific family
- Baby shower mad libs that encourage creativity and humor by dropping baby-related words into shower-themed stories
- Bottles Up! where guests race to drink out of a baby bottle and other active games to get guests up and moving
- Challenging or messy diaper games, like Name the Poopie, that may gross out even the most experienced moms
- Quiz games like the Candy Bar Game where guests match classic candies with baby items
Great Food
Baby shower menu ideas can take inspiration from the time of your event, the location or the theme and include appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks. There is no right time of day to host a shower, so take care to include options that make sense for yours.
Satisfy a Crowd
The most important things to include are options that cover a wide variety of tastes. Showers that fall between normal meal times should still include fun recipes like Hatching Chick Deviled Eggs for finger foods. If the event takes place between breakfast and lunch, serve a brunch menu full of items like fruits, bread and meats that can be assembled as a breakfast or a lunch depending on individual preference.
The easiest and most inclusive way to serve a crowd is with a baby shower buffet featuring a variety of foods including finger sandwiches and casseroles guests can serve up for themselves. No baby shower is complete without nostalgic group drinks like refreshing and fruity punch that can be made with many combinations of fruits, sodas and sorbets.
Spotlight on Dessert
The highlight of every baby shower meal is the dessert. This is your chance to get creative in ordering or making the cutest dessert possible. No matter your budget, time frame or available resources there is a baby shower cake idea that's right for you.
- Homemade, simple baby shower cupcakes incorporate vibrant colored frostings and fun sprinkles.
- Experienced hands can make unique and complex baby shower cupcakes that feature adorable edible embellishments like candy ladybugs.
- Find inspirational designs by looking at pictures of Wilton baby shower cakes, which are known for being extravagant.
Simple, modern homemade desserts include:
- Baby rattle cake pops: Make cake pops using the hand-rolled method or a specialty mold. Decorate the iced cake part with piped dots, then wrap the stick in themed ribbon by gluing the ends to the stick.
- Stacked block cookies: Use a square cookie cutter to make sugar cookies. Frost the squares with a solid coloring icing, then pipe a single letter or number onto each one using a primary color to make them look like baby blocks. Stack them on a serving tray or in favor bags.
- Monogram cupcake display: Bake cupcakes in liners of one color, like green. Frost cupcakes to match the liners creating a monochromatic look. Arrange frosted cupcakes in the shape of baby's initials on the dessert table
Decorating Your Shower
Include decorations outside the venue, such as pennant or easel signs, along with those inside. This helps create a festive atmosphere and gives guests directions if the location is unfamiliar to them.
When it comes to baby shower decoration ideas like clothesline signs and burp cloth placemats, start with the basics and add personality or theme elements where you can. Specific themes warrant matching wall, ceiling and table decorations including balloons, banners and table linens. Unique decorations can be challenging to find and make. However, homemade decorations add personal touches and allow customization to any theme.
Baby shower centerpiece ideas and table decorations range from simple to complex. When decorating the table, be sure centerpieces don't inhibit guests' ability to converse or participate in games and activities. To save money and cleanup time, use table centerpieces that can double as game prizes.
- The diaper napkin fold is adorable and surprising to guests.
- Fresh flower arrangements featuring Baby's Breath or monochromatic colors to match the theme feel lively and elegant.
- Diaper cakes featuring stacked diapers with ribbons are visually appealing to guests and functional for the new baby.
- Baby blocks personalize the event when spelling out baby's name down the center of each table.
- Baby pictures of the parents-to-be displayed in photo cubes are unique and personal.
- A small clothesline of baby apparel hanging from two baby bottles creates a cute, functional table divider. Fill the bottles with formula to weigh them down.
- Stacked baby board books stand alone or serve as a base for other items on the buffet or individual tables.
Cute Shower Favors
Baby shower favors are a cute, easy way to say "thank you" to guests and give them a memento from the special event. Favors can be anything small and portable like:
- Cookies wrapped in a favor bag tied with ribbon
- Candy in a favor box with a "Thank You" sticker
- Personalized magnets made online by uploading a sonogram picture with the caption "Can't wait to meet you!"
- Candles featuring scents matching the shower theme or the season
- Jams and jellies packaged in jars topped with a fabric square tied on with ribbon, both matching the shower theme
Store-bought or homemade baby shower favors, such as Chick Magnets, will be well-received by guests. Look at pictures of baby shower favors like cut flowers and cookie pops for inspiration, then choose a gift that fits your guest of honor and the shower theme.
Creating Memories
Celebrate the upcoming birth of a new baby with new memories that will be cherished forever. Baby showers are the perfect time to help friends and family start making memories related to baby's birth. Whatever your creativity level or style, you can plan an unforgettable baby shower using a few simple tips and ideas.
