Planning a baby shower can be a big responsibility, as there are a lot of details to attend to, and you want to make sure that the mom-to-be has a memorable and relaxing experience – and hosting it is even more responsibility. It is important to plan ahead and have a strategy for putting everything together to pull off the perfect event.
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Come up with a Budget
The first thing to do when you plan to host a baby shower is to have a clear idea of how much money you are going to spend, and what to spend it on. The budget dictates the number of guests you can invite to the party or how much you can allocate for food, decorations, and so on.
Price out the different elements of the shower, from the venue to catering.
Remember that it is inappropriate to ask for financial help from the parents, because the baby shower is supposed to be a gift to them from you as friends. However, there are many ways to save when you are planning a shower, including planning well in advance, buying supplies in bulk, delegating tasks to others (such as providing the favors), having guests contribute food, and so on.
Choose a Venue
Choose a venue that is appropriate for the number of guests you are expecting and that fits within your budget. This may mean holding the baby shower at your house, but only do so if it is not too far from the parents-to-be and their friends, and that your home can accomodate all of the guests attending.
Come up with a Menu
Plan a menu that includes food and beverages that the mom-to-be likes, and also consider any dietary restrictions of the guests. Be sure to provide plenty of non-alcoholic drinks if you plan on serving alcohol.
Choose a date & send invites (including baby registry information)
Decide on a date for the baby shower that is convenient for the mom-to-be and her guests. Create a guest list based on the mom-to-be’s preferences, and send baby shower invitations to guests in a timely manner.
A baby registry is a list of items that parents-to-be would like to receive as gifts. This ensures that future moms and dads get everything they need to welcome home their new addition. Baby clothes and crib linens are popular shower presents, as are plush toys, mobiles, and baby care items. Be sure that the parents have generated a decent size registry or registries for guests to purchase from. While the shower is supposed to be a surprise, friends and relatives can help to give the parents a nudge to add items to the registry. It is also natural for guests to shop on their own, such as precious animals from My Babys Heartbeat Bear or personalized baby gifts.
Choose a Theme & Decor
You have probably attended other baby showers in the past. With this in mind, you can make the baby shower stand out from the others by choosing a theme. Once a theme is chosen, it makes it easier to move ahead with things like decorating or making favors.
The theme can range from something as simple as choosing baby girl themed baby shower decorations to something elaborate as setting up the venue in different colours, music and other items. You may also want to consider pulling off creating a baby shower balloon arch, which is a cost-effective way of decorating that gets you a big bang for your buck.
The theme also depends on the gender of the upcoming baby. If you don’t know the sex of the baby, then a gender neutral baby shower theme can do the trick, but if you do, you can work that into your theme.
Photo credit: Amazon balloon arch
Plan Activities
Plan some activities to incorporate into the baby shower, so that guests are not bored. It is a good idea to opt for a few baby shower games to add a fun element to the shower, especially since some guests will not know one another.
Prepare Favors
Prepare baby shower favors for the guests to take home as a reminder of the special day, such as small bags of candy, personalized candles, or customized baby-themed bookmarks.
Remember, the most important thing is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the mom-to-be and her guests, and to celebrate the new life that is about to come into the world.
Take photos
Be sure to capture the special day with photographs! Share with the parents-to-be and attendees afterwards.
These are great tips! I’m expecting a baby shower sometime in the near future for a relative. I’ll have to bookmark this to reread!
I love that you includef being conservative with water. I know I greatly appreciated the baby showers that were given for me. It is a great goift.
I don’t know anyone who’s getting ready to have a baby; but I’ll definitely be holding onto this for later reference! There too good not to! Thanks for sharing!
These are some fabulous tips. I don’t think I could ever host one as I am not a fan of people in my home, but I don’t mind going to one.
Great tips!! I always love having a theme – it makes it so much easier.
These are all such wonderful ideas. I love hosting baby showers. They are so much fun!
A baby shower does take planning. These are good tips to remember.
Baby showers are a ton of fun. I like the games the most so don’t forget those.
Aw this would’ve came in handle earlier in the year. This looked fabulous!
What a really great and very wonderful tips and ideas you have here! I’m gonna share this with my friend
This is all great advice. We might be doing one for my sister and as it’s been a while, your tips have been helpful. Need to look into party favours.
I think that the most important part of the baby shower party are activities. They need to be fun and to involve everyone!
Great tips here for anyone looking to throw a baby shower. I hope someone I know has a baby soon…. I am missing the little ones and I would be honored to host for anyone that I know that is having a new baby! These are fabulous tips!
I’m loving the decoration selections for the baby shower, especially the garland of balloons.
These are all great advice, In my opinion, the activities at a baby shower party are the key component. It’s crucial that they’re engaging, enjoyable, and inclusive for everyone involved!
I have hosted before. They are so fun but they can get the best of you if you don’t manage the planning, for sure.
Thanks for sharing these tips with us, I will keep them in mind, Which I have never host a baby shower before.