How to Plan a Baby Shower

Like most parties, the intricacies of planning a baby shower depend on how big it’ll be. Do you want to go all out and invite a ton of guests? Or have a small intimate party with close friends? Whatever you decide, you need to take a good amount of things into consideration as the party planner to ensure it’s absolutely perfect and stress-free for the expectant mom. Of course, this can quickly get overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive baby shower planning guide for you to make preparations easy and the event memorable.

Planning a Baby Shower In 7 Steps

1. Start With the Basics

A baby shower cannot occur in thin air. It has to happen in a location, at a particular time, on a specific day. This is an excellent place to start. If the shower is not meant as a surprise, you can find out from the parents-to-be where they would love their shower to be held. If it is, you can choose a location you know the parents love and plan it there. If the baby shower will have a theme, this can also guide your choice of location. Also, start to think about the best time and day the event should occur. Ensure it doesn’t clash with any important pre- or post-birth activities the mom has planned out so that there are no hitches.

2. Invite the Guests & Make a Budget 

Ask the mother-to-be or her spouse for a list of guests they would like to attend and their email addresses so you can contact them. Send out invitations up to six weeks before the shower. This gives a good amount of time for guests to RSVP, shop for gifts, and make adequate plans to attend. Knowing who will attend the baby shower will give you a good idea of how much you’re likely to spend for the event. Sure, you can have an estimated budget beforehand, but a complete guest list will guide your spending and planning better. A good budget should cover necessities like food or catering, venue, seating, games, decorations, and party favours. On average, in-person baby showers costs between $100 - $1000.

3. Select the Baby Shower’s Theme

Many baby showers are patterned after specific themes. If you want to add an extra “oomph” to your party, going for a theme gives you that effect. It also gives you a head start on the type of food or décor to go for. Themes help bring the party together, giving it a defined outlook. Common baby shower themes include jungle theme, “it’s a boy/girl” theme, fall theme, dinosaur theme, cowboy theme, etc.  

4. Decide on the Food and Decorations

Once the baby shower theme is settled, you can use it to influence your idea for the type of meals to serve. Other ideas of food that can be on the menu include the expectant parents' favorite meals or a popular meal of choice for the party guests. 

Popular baby-shower-themed foods include mini rainbow or cloud cupcakes, Mexican cuisine, sweet buffets or mocktails, ice cream and sandwich bars, charcuterie boards that are safe for the mom-to-be, and other types of comfort food.

Decor ideas for baby showers include blue or pink balloons, other colored balloons, flowers and plants, letter balloons, etc. Usually, your theme decides the decor.

5. Plan Fun Baby Shower Games

Many baby showers often include some type of game, whether it is a formal or casual event. The party should not only be about eating and sharing gifts. Also, make it a fun event for the guests with some cute games. 

Here are 3 interesting game ideas to start with:

- Baby bingo
- Find the guest
- Don’t say “baby”

6. Don’t Forget Party Favours

Since guests will be bringing in gifts, it’s only courteous to also give them party favours in return. Your party favours don’t have to be anything super glamorous. Many baby shower party favours are usually edible gifts like candy, cookies, coloured popcorn, small bottles of liquor, etc.

Sugar scrubs, bath salts, and bombs, small self-care packages, customized wine glasses, and other themed favours can also be included in your package.

7. Sharing and Opening of Gifts

This is one of the most important aspects of the baby shower for the expectant mom, so remember to include it on the day of the event. 

If the expectant mom has a gift registry, you can assign a guest to help tick off items from the list as she opens her gifts. If not, they can write down the gifts she’s received in a book to help her keep track of what baby items she’s received and what’s left.

Anybody the expectant mom relates well with can plan her a baby shower. However, it’s important to evaluate your relationship with her and how she would respond to you hosting her baby shower before you go ahead to do so.

Usually, close friends, relatives, or even the expecting mother’s spouse can host the baby shower. Other times, the expectant mom can decide to plan her baby’s shower by herself. 

There’s no specific timeline for a baby shower to happen, but many people usually have their baby showers before or after the baby is born.

Typically, if the expectant mom prefers to have a baby shower before the baby comes, a month or two before the delivery date is fine. This allows the parents ample time to sort through shower gifts before the birth so they can identify what still needs to be bought on their gift registry.

Some cultures and traditions prefer a baby shower is held after the baby’s birth— about one to eight weeks after birth, to allow the new parents to settle into their new lifestyle. 

It’s essential to find out what the expectant mom would prefer, so you can plan the shower according to her wishes. 

You too can plan the perfect baby shower with the help of this detailed baby-shower-planning checklist. You can enlist the help of a close relative or friend of the expectant mom or parents to help with the planning so it doesn’t get too much.

As long as it’s not a surprise party, the mom-to-be can also chip in with pointers on how she would like her baby’s shower to look. 

We hope you find this guide helpful. Now, go get started and make it a baby shower to remember!