Baby Shower Tips and Ideas
Hosting a Baby Shower
If you are hosting a baby shower, you have no doubt learned the fact that it is a LOT of work. While it may seem like a simple task to do, the reality of it can really smack you in the face. There are so many things that need to be planned and taken care of, the list can kind of seem daunting. Not to worry though. With the tips and ideas we'll cover in this lens, you'll be well on your way to hosting a very successful and fun baby shower!
First Things First...
The Venue and the Invitations
Before you can start planning anything else, the first thing you must decide on is where the baby shower will be held. In addition to decided where, you must decide when it will be. It's important not to schedule the shower during a prime time that people may not be able to attend - such as a major sporting event. You want the most amount of people to be able to come. The second thing to remember when scheduling the shower is not to do it during a prime meal time, such as dinner. Unless you plan on serving a full meal of course.
When choosing the invitations, there is no right or wrong way to do it. You can make the invitations yourself, or you can buy them. The biggest thing to remember when picking out invitations is you want them to reflect the theme of the shower. You want the invitees to know it's a baby shower, and if there is a specific theme you are going for, include that in the invitations. For example, if you are doing a pink theme, make sure the invitations are pink themed.
You want to make sure you get the invitations out in a timely manner. Two weeks is a good time frame. It's not too far in advance that guests forget about it, but it also gives them plenty of time for planning on attending. It's also a good idea to ask for an R.S.V.P on the invitations. It helps to plan for the menu, drinks and favors.
Baby Stuff
Food and Drinks
You Have to Feed Your Guests!
When it comes to food at a baby shower, the general consensus is more variety is better. You don't have to serve a full meal, but having a variety of things for the guests to choose from is perfect. Finger foods and appetizers are great things to serve at a baby shower because they give guests the opportunity to graze while they also mingle.
You want to make sure you have plenty of food for the guests as well. You can accomplish this by taking in account the R.S.V.P's you received. You should always plan on more people attending, that way you'll be sure to have enough food.
Drinks can be simple and don't have to be anything fancy. You can serve wine, iced tea, water, coffee, lemonade...anything that the guests can easily serve themselves.
Don't shop for the food until a few days before the shower. You don't want the food to go bad because it has been sitting in your refrigerator for too long. If you are planning on ordering pre-made food, make sure you call with enough time in advance for them to prepare it. It's a good idea to call a few weeks in advance to see how much time they will need to get your order ready.
Some Easy Food Ideas
Meat Tray
Veggie Tray
Fruit Tray
Sub Sandwiches
Cookies or Brownies
Chips and Dip
Games and Prizes
A baby shower just wouldn't be a baby shower without games and prizes. The games don't have to be anything fancy, and you don't need to spend hours planning this portion of the shower. Think smarter, not harder. Having games at a baby shower is not only traditional, it's a good idea so that the guests can interact with each other (remember, some of them will be complete strangers!) and it helps the baby shower to keep moving. Games or activities add a little more fun to the event and actually, if we're being honest with each other, it kind of just adds fun - most people don't really look forward to going to these types of gatherings. Having some simple activities for the guests to participate in should really be a must.
Below are some easy game ideas you could include:
The Dirty Diaper Game
Baby Shower Bingo
Baby Shower Word Scramble
The String Game
The Rice Game
Tip: For instructions on how to play any of the games listed above, visit http://www.getfreebabyshowergames.com/. There are a ton of other great game ideas there also.
Just as important as the games are to the baby shower, prizes are to the games. You can't have games without winners, and winners should always get a prize. It's what makes the games so fun. :) Prizes don't have to be fancy either, nor expensive. Something little that the winner can enjoy - think candles, little plants, coffee mugs...anything can be used a prize.
Something to consider when choosing the prizes is trying to match them to the game. For example, if you are playing a guess the candy in the bottle door prize game, the winner could simply get the bottle full of candy. If you are playing the dirty diaper game with candy bars, the prize could be the candy bar.
You can get 14 printable baby shower games here : http://www.getfreebabyshowergames.com/printable-baby-shower-games/
Baby Shower Favors
A Little Goes a Long Way
Favors are a great way to say thank you to your guests for coming. They have given up their free time, and spent money on a gift, the least you could do is give them something in return.
When it comes to baby shower favors, they don't have to be big or expensive. In fact, sometimes little is better. You can leave the favors on the tables of the shower for the guests to take. One of the most traditional favor ideas is little candy wrapped bags. You can personalize them with cute little ribbons and labels - Baby girl Sarah, 2013 - for example.
You can find cute plastic decorations, such as pacifiers or bottles to lay on the table which serve as decorations and favors - just spruce them up a bit and add your own special touch.
If money is not necessarily an issue, you could spring for more expensive favors, such as centerpieces or personalized coffee mugs.
The Cake
The baby shower cake is one of the traditions that must not be forgotten. It can be homemade or purchased from a bakery, but it should definitely be decorated to fit the shower theme. There are elaborate cakes which have extensive designs, and there are sheet cakes which can also be decorated beautifully.
Pull apart cupcakes have become more and more popular because they can be easily served, and they can be arranged to look like pretty much anything you want.
Or, how about just cupcakes? They don't have to be pull apart - just take a look at the picture.
The most important tip about baby shower cakes is making sure you have enough for all of the guests to enjoy. Take a picture of the cake/cupcakes so that the mom-to-be can put it in her baby book. She'll thank you for it.
It's Go Time!
After all the preparations have been made and you've planned and organized to the point that you can't plan and organize any more, the next step is launch! The baby shower has arrived, and all you can do is let it happen. The most important part about this stage of the shower is letting it play out the way it will. The mom to be will enjoy herself and go home with tons of loot, and you will have successfully hosted a baby shower.
Make sure to enjoy yourself too. You put in a lot of time and work into this event, you should get to reap the benefits as well.
Happy Baby Showering!
