Congrats mom-to-be! You’ve got a baby on the way!
It’s time to get all your family and friends together and celebrate the beautiful baby girl or boy who’s about to join the family! A baby shower is one of the most exciting things while you’re waiting for your baby to arrive.
But wait -- while trying to handle all your excitement, you’ve probably realized that you actually don’t know how exactly to plan a baby shower! But don’t worry, we’ve got your back with all the basics and go-to tips that’ll make for a perfect baby shower.
Choose a Date, Place, and Theme
First thing’s first, you need to plan the little important details of the big day. Remember that anyone can host the event and be the designated party planner. You’re the guest of honor, so don’t hesitate to ask your closest friends to help plan out the logistics of the party.
Date: Planning out the exact day you want to host the party is completely up to you, but baby showers are typically held about 7 weeks before your due date.
Place: Where you have this gathering also depends on who decides to host the event. Most of the time, it’s held at the mom-to-be’s house. However, it can also be at an external venue if you’ve got a longer guest list.
Theme: Lastly, you’ll get to put your imagination to the test! Choosing the theme of the baby shower is the most exciting part because the world is your oyster. Many factors will play a role in this decision, including your party budget, the time of the year, the baby’s gender, and just personal preferences.
Once you’ve got these details out of the way, you’ll be able to get into the aspects of the party that’ll really bring the party to life!
Make a Checklist
The last thing you want is to forget one of the magical elements of the party you’ve planned! To avoid this happening, it's a good idea to make a checklist of all the things you need before and during the party.
Here are some go-to things that you’ll need to do before your baby shower:
- Make a budget
- Create a guest list
- Decide on date, place, and theme
- Send out invitations
- Buy some decorations
- Pre-order your cake and other catered food
- Book entertainment or plan out some activities
Get the word out
Now it’s time to create a list of the friends and family that you wish to share this amazing moment with you. This is something that’ll be different for every mom-to-be, depending on how large you want your party to be.
Be sure to get some help with making the guest list or get someone to look it over to make sure you aren’t forgetting an important family member or friend.
Another thing to consider is whether you want children or men at the baby shower. Traditional mothers-to-be prefer their baby showers to be a women-only event. Make sure you make the right decision for you and create a list that’ll make your baby shower the best celebration you could ask for.
You can either reach out to your guests with a simple phone call or you can go the traditional route by creating written invitations instead. Create invitations that perfectly match your baby shower theme so they’re beautifully presented to the guests on your list -- That way, you make it nearly impossible for anyone to not RSVP.
What’s on the Menu?
A good menu makes for a good event! Pick your favorite finger foods and display them beautifully on a plate for everyone to enjoy -- Finger foods are always a crowd pleaser.
Be strategic about the foods you decide to put out for your guests. Your guests are gonna be busy spending most of their time chatting with one another and taking photos in front of your baby shower decorations! Which means you probably want to consider easy-to-eat finger foods that will last in room temperature.
You can either cater the food if you want to ease your responsibilities, or make the refreshments yourself. To spice things up even more, you can consider turning the baby shower into a potluck. Guests love to feel like they’ve played a part in the party and bring food as a party favor.
Create Fun activities
Your baby shower is a huge milestone during pregnancy. This is the time when you make memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life.
Start planning some activities or baby shower games that you want to play throughout the day. Gift opening is usually a main event in which you can show your gratitude towards each one of your guests. You can also play games that match the theme of your baby shower. Keep in mind that if you have baby shower games, you need baby shower prizes too!
A fun game to consider is getting each one of your guests to write down baby names and picking out of a hat for you to consider!
Your baby shower is a long-time anticipated event during pregnancy. Remember not to get too carried away in the small details of the party and focus on the big picture.
As long as you’re surrounded by your loved ones, it’ll be a moment that you’ll cherish forever.