Things To Know Before You Plan A Baby Shower To Save You Time
by Jenny Pundit
Planning A Baby Shower Are We?
Are you getting ready to throw a baby shower for your best friend,
daughter, sister or even brother? We've got everything right here to help
you get organized. When my cousin was planning hers we spent hours on the
internet planning a baby shower and I learned a lot of things that saved
money.
I have created checklists and guest lists ready to print out for you,
even a free gift track to help with those post party thank you notes!
The best advice I can give is to set aside four weeks for planning,
sending invitations, and buying supplies. It can be done quicker of course
though.
What's Expected at a Baby Shower?
Back in the old days, baby showers were hosted by only friends, no relatives
and men were never invited to join in the festivities! Thank God times have
changed, and many parents-to-be, family members and friends are throwing
baby showers, and everyone's invited!
Baby showers are a celebration of life and family, and in fact, these
days it's not uncommon to have more than one baby shower, especially if the
parents-to-be have a large family or several close friends.
So, to help you make sure you throw the best baby shower ever, we've put
together this four-week baby shower planning guide. The next few sections
will cover the following:
- Week 1: Organizing the Shower
- Weeks 2 & 3: Invitations and Entertainment
- Week 4: Final Details
- Day Of: Time to Celebrate!
Want a portable version of this guide? Print out our quick-and-easy
Baby Shower Checklist!
Week 1: Organizing A Baby Shower
You're throwing a baby shower! How exciting. There are several
decisions you'll need to make in the early stages of planning, so we'll walk
you through each one and provide a ton of tips and hints to help out. To get
started, here is a sample schedule you can use for your baby shower:
- Welcome the guests
- Ice-breaker game or activity
- Serve food
- Another game or activity
- Open gifts
Of course you can throw in some more games, mix things up, leave things
out, it's all up to you!
Putting Together the Guest List
Traditionally you would invite only women to a baby shower, from both
sides of the family, the mother to be girlfriends, and of course, the
mom-to-be. Times have changed however, and potential invitees could be the
dad-to-be, grandpa-to-be, and anyone else! The real question is, what kind
of baby shower do you want to throw? Is it women only? Will the
parents-to-be have another baby shower for family only? If so, you might
consider hosting a friends-only baby shower. Another popular trend is to
host a co-ed couples baby shower.
Whether or not to invite children is another matter for consideration. If
the baby-to-be already has a brother or sister, then inviting other kids
might be a great way to get them involved in celebrating their new sibling.
Depending on how old the older siblings are, they might be able to lead the
other kids in activities. Seven is about the right age. This way, they'll
feel as though they are included in hosting responsibilities. Or, you might
even consider hiring a babysitter for the event.
Picking a Location
Once you have a general idea of the number of guests, start compiling venue
options. Traditionally, baby showers have taken place in the home of the
hostess. However, it's also good to broaden your scope. Consider a
restaurant, a park picnic, a reception hall, or even a day at the spa with a
catered lunch!
Week 2 & 3: Invitations & Entertainment
Now that the guest list is in place and you know where you're going
to host the baby shower, it's time to pick a theme and get the invitations
out!
Themes
Themes serve as inspiration for decorations and games, invitations,
favors and even the food.
Click here to see one of our favorite resources for Baby Shower Themes.
There are about 50 different baby shower theme ideas to help get you
started. Themes can be as simple as a color scheme like blue and white if
you know the parents-to-be are having a boy, or pink and white for a girl. A
theme also makes shopping for supplies a breeze! For example, if you are
using a Rubber Duckies theme, you'll pick the invitations with the ducks,
duck decorations, a baby bath centerpiece filled with water and floating
rubber ducks, small rubber duck favors, and yellow foods. Fun right?
Games for the Party
Baby Shower games are typically done with groups of people who may not
know each other very well, so they serve to break-the-ice and set the mood
for your shower. If you are throwing a theme baby shower, games can revolve
around the theme. Pick about 3 games for a 2-hour shower. Here are some of
our favorites. For more ideas, be sure to check out
BabyShowerGamesAtoZ.com.
Invitations
How's that guest list looking? Now is the time to finalize the guest
list to allow enough time to mail the invitations, and to allow the guests
time to clear their schedules and find that perfect gift. Invitations to any
baby shower are the guests' first clue as to the style and/or theme of the
baby shower.
You can even design and print your own invitations, using the Invitation
Generator that comes with this
Deluxe Planning and Games Kit. Using that tool, you simply pick the
front cover and enter the details, print it out on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, fold
into quarters and send! The benefit of making your own invitations is that
you have unlimited printouts! Make a mistake on one, no problem, just print
out another!
Let's Go Shopping!
There are two rounds of shopping. First we'll pick up invitations, party
favors and decorations. In our second round, closer to the actual baby
shower, we'll pick up food and beverages. Need ideas for baby shower favors?
One of our favorites are tea lights personalized with the date of the baby
shower. These cute, brushed aluminum 24-hour tea lights can be personalized
in black, gold or silver ink. Another fun idea is to give out personalized
bud vases. Both of these items make great keepsakes without breaking the
bank. You should also pick up some items to use as prizes for the winners of
your Baby Shower games. Gifts such as frames, compact mirrors, or small
jewelry boxes work well as prizes.
Menu and Beverages
Start thinking about what you are going to serve. You don't need to
finalize everything, but you do want to have an idea. Need suggestions?
Finger foods set around the room work great and will encourage guests to
mingle. Use food to carry on the theme. If your guest of honor has a
favorite color, or if the shower theme revolves around a color, choose foods
with the same color.
The time of day can also help you decide on what to serve. For a
mid-morning baby shower, you could serve coffee and tea with pastries. Or
for the afternoon, you can grill up some lunch with cake and punch for
dessert, or go lighter with finger foods such as mini-sandwiches. Later
afternoon could include chips and dip or vegetables and hummus. Want more
ideas? There are over 100 baby shower recipes included with the
Deluxe Planning and Games Kit.
Week 4: Final Details
It's almost time! You've organized, planned, shopped, and now there
are just a few days left to the big event!
Finalize Menu and Go Shopping
Now is the time to finalize what you are going to serve at the baby
shower. Write down all the ingredients, beverages, and place setting needs
that you might have and let's hit the grocery store. Now's also the time to
take inventory on what you might be missing. Need any extra film or
decorations that may have been left out on the first round of shopping?
Confirm Reservations
If you have reservations for a baby shower venue, call and re-confirm.
Ensure that the venue has enough chairs, tables and dishes, and that you'll
be let in early enough to set up any decorations.
Extras
Here are some other ideas that you might want to take care of in this
last week before the baby shower:
- Designate a photographer and/or videographer to capture the event for
the parents-to-be
- Set out disposable cameras at the baby shower so guests can snap
impromptu shots
- Take a photo of each guest with the parents-to-be as they leave the
baby shower, and include the photo with each thank you note
- Create a gift tracker and designate a gift recorder so you know who to
send a thank you card to (one is included free in the
Deluxe Planning and Games Kit)
- Have a small back pillow and footstool for the mother-to-be so she can
be comfortable
Day Of: Time to Celebrate!
There are always a few loose ends to tie up on the day of. Best
thing to do is make a list. And don't forget to put picking up any balloons
or last minute decorations to that list. A tip for food, set the food around
the room in different spots. Put the chips on one side of the room and the
beverages on another. This will encourage your guests to mingle.
For more information, be sure to get our FREE e-book,
Baby Shower Basics.
About The Author:
Jenny Pundit is from New York City. She is a former NYU student that writes
for us and other online publications. She loves social media and finding
coupons to help people save money. She has 2 cats and loves gardening and
photography.
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