The arrival of a baby is one of the most exciting events in a woman’s life, so planning a beautiful baby shower for the mother-to-be is a pretty big deal. As host, you want the shower to be an occasion to remember.
Here are some tips to help you through the most important elements:
Setting the Date
Most baby showers occur in the third trimester of pregnancy, but some choose to have their parties sooner. Before you decide on a date, check with the important family members and friends you know she’ll want there with her. It would be a shame to set a date, send out invitations, and find out the most important attendees are unable to make it. Some mothers even prefer to have the shower after the baby has been delivered as family members and friends can meet the baby (this is great for loved ones who live far away and may only be able to make one trip). Once you’ve settled on a date that works for her and her most important attendees, send out the invitations. You can go old school with paper invites, or use email invites from Evites.com for ease.
The Food
When it comes to food, baby showers are graze-happy affairs, which will alow for a variety of fare. And since the guest of honor happens to be pregnant, be sure to check with her first when it comes to preferences and/or aversions. Serve finger foods that are easy to eat while milling about and visiting. Mini sandwiches, deviled eggs, tiny cupcakes, and chopped up veggies and fruits are just a few ideas.
Here’s an easy cheat if you don’t want to bake or buy cupcakes. Arrange Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups on a platter, put a dollop of whipped cream on top and garnish with pretty sprinkles.
Think beyond punch, soda and wine when it comes to beverages. Hot herbal tea is a relaxing and delicious change of pace; offer coffee and flavored creamers if your shower is in the morning.
A lovely cake can double as a decoration. A basic frosted cake can be smashing with the addition of fresh fruit or flowers on top. If the baby’s sex has been revealed, use those colors on top; if it’s still a mystery, white is always classic and elegant.
Here’s a simple frosted white cake garnished with white roses and leaves, on top of doilies from the dollar store.
The Decorations
Decorations don’t have to break the bank, and there are so many do it yourself craft ideas that can make creating décor for the baby shower a piece of cake. Once again, keep the mother-to-be in mind. Does she have a theme picked out for the nursery? Does she love natural beauty, or is her style modern/contemporary?
One easy way to add flair to the party is to pick up some vibrant blooms and place them in vases of different shapes and color all around the room. Wildflowers or daisies in mason jars are whimsical and sweet; large flowers like pink peonies deliver a lot of color with no arranging skills required.
For decorations that are beautiful and edible, grab a variety of clear jars, vases or glasses and fill with pastel candies (make it easy on yourself by having them delivered to you from Dylan’s Candy Bar). They can be arranged on the main table or placed throughout the room.
The Games
What would a baby shower be without some fun games? You can stick with old favorites or try some of my outside-the-box ideas. Tried and true antics include identifying melted candy bars in a diaper, “pin the baby on the mommy” and guess the baby food.
The Presents
If you’re racking your brain in an attempt to come up with the perfect present for the mother-to-be and her baby, make thoughtfulness your aim and you can’t go wrong. She’ll probably receive lots of necessities at the shower and registry items, you can make your hostess gift more memorable in several ways. Consider personalized baby gifts like a blanket, cup or toy. Or give her the gift of pampering with a gift certificate for a massage, a store gift card or even a homemade coupon for a meal from you after the baby arrives.
And don’t forget to remind the mother-to be that she can indicate in her registry a preference for cloth diapers, if the family has chosen to go that route. Some online cloth diaper shops (like Diaper Junction and Kelly’s Closet) allow you to set up registries on their sites as well.
Have you ever hosted a baby shower? Please share your ideas and experience in a comment below!
This post was sponsored by Purple Camel Media. All opinions are my own.
Anne,
I love your blog and admire you so much. I know how hard it is to blog with 5 kids including a special needs son and two adopted kids. I cannot imagine 7 kids. You must be extremely organized which I love. I also homeschooled most of my children and least part of their schooling. Last year, I had kids in public school, homeschool, private school, college and medical school.
I will definitely pass along all these great baby shower ideas. They sound like so much fun.
Diane, thank you for your words of encouragement! Always love meeting a fellow homeschooling mother, and just like you we believe that school is not always a one-size-fits-all approach. This fall, we may put our 2 oldest in a private school. My load increases each year so it would be nice to focus just on the elementary grades for a while, instead of having to teach a th and 8th grader, too!
Thanks for stopping by to comment and for sharing the shower ideas. ~Anne
I recently attended the most beautiful baby shower. They sent everyone home with a wrapped large chocolate chip cookie.Your tips are great, especially about checking with family in advance.
I love hosting baby showers for friends! Choosing the cake might actually be my favorite part. My wedding colors (10 years ago) were black, white and green, and I keep coming back to this classic theme!!