How to Throw a Memorable Baby Shower

If there is someone special in your life who is about to bring their own little bundle of joy into the world, you might be considering throwing them a baby shower. Whether it is a friend, sister, wife or girlfriend, you will want the occasion to be memorable for them. If you have never been to a baby shower, however, you may not know the first thing about how to organize one. We have put together a short guide that should help you along the way.

Pick a Date

This may sound like obvious advice, but with an expectant mum, you will have limited dates to choose from. Typically, a baby shower is thrown at around the five-month mark, as this ensures the baby won’t make an unexpected appearance! Also, with all the hospital appointments the expectant mother will already have in her diary, you will need to double check that she can make it!

You can make it a surprise if you wish, but it might be an idea to do some digging to find out what the mom-to-be’s schedule is like. You may need to enlist the help of a friend/partner/relative. Make sure you invite family members from all generations to make it a true family affair but keep the numbers to around a maximum of 15.

Consider a Theme

If you already know whether the baby will be a boy or a girl (or twins!), you can choose the traditional route and throw a pink or blue themed shower. You can find ‘new baby’ themed party decorations in most party stores, including balloons, cake stands, confetti, and table coverings. However, if you want to make the baby shower truly unique and one to remember, it would definitely be worth your time researching alternative themes that fit with the interests of the new parents-to-be. For example, think about whether sports, nature, travel or the ocean could play a role. Or perhaps they would appreciate gender neutral colors, or something less typical for a boy or a girl such as animals and rainbows. Whatever theme you choose, make sure you can find the décor to match.

Bring a Gift

It is inevitable that everyone invited will want to bring a gift of some sort, and so it may be a good idea to write a list of everything the mom-to-be needs. You can then let the guests have a browse for some ideas or use it to make sure that not everyone buys the same thing. There are plenty of gifts for pregnant women online if you don’t have time peruse the baby aisle in your local store; because their other gift boxes for women are so beautiful, look out for these maternity gifts on Jean and Jade if you want to a truly unique and luxury gift that any new mom would appreciate.

A few ideas to add to the list would be photo albums, baby blankets, a nursing pillow, a baby hand print kit or some pamper goodies for mom to relax with before the baby is born.

Plan Some Games

No baby shower is complete without a couple of baby-themed games, but don’t just choose the obvious games that the guests may have already played numerous times before. Rather than the

traditional ‘dirty diaper’ game that is enough to turn anyone’s stomach, why not choose something that will keep all the guests occupied at the same time? You could purchase a few plain baby onesies, some fabric paint, and some stencils and have them all design their own baby onesie. You could also have a cupcake decorating contest and let the mom-to-be choose the winner.

If you have a few guests that won’t have met before the baby shower, you will need to throw in a few ice-breaker games such as ‘Don’t Say Baby’. In this game, you give all the guests a certain amount of diaper pins to attach to their shirt and every time they say the word ‘baby’, anybody can steal a pin. The winner is the guest with the most pins at the end.

Don’t Forget the Food

Rather than planning a full three-course meal, baby showers should be all about the finger food. With the games you have planned, and all the baby talk that will keep the day/evening flowing, you won’t want to be running in and out of the kitchen making sure everything is timed perfectly. Instead, have a buffet table to the side of the room and lay on sandwiches, cupcakes, chips, chicken skewers and perhaps a fruit platter that the guests can pick at as and when. You can choose to carry the theme through the food simply by using colored disposable plates and a decorative tablecloth.

Planning a baby shower is something that should be enjoyable. Use the points outlined above as a guide but remember to have fun and hopefully we can answer it.

Thanks to Zoe Price