Updated December 2019
Just about any party is fun to prepare for, and even more fun to attend. A Baby Shower has its own sweetness attached to it that no other party or shower compares to. And there are so many aspects to a baby shower to consider! Not the least of which is to make sure the mother-to-be doesn’t go into labor too soon. Just kidding, those little pumpkins will come on their own timetable. Here is a comprehensive list of 5 key tips for hosting a successful, fun baby shower.
A Checklist
If you start with a checklist, it will enable you to complete the tasks needed for a successful shower in a more concise method. You will be less likely to spin your wheels or miss something if you have a thorough checklist to refer to or delegate from. The cute checklist from Dinky Cow will do the trick quite nicely. It’s categorized according to most important, then fun, and tidbits to remember.
A Theme
One of the fun parts of planning a baby shower is deciding on a theme. I’ve provided a link to a few that I ran across that I found particularly intriguing. My first pick, being the book lover that I am is the book themed baby shower at View From The Fridge, clever! Secondly, in honor of Fall, I liked both the Fall In Love With Baby {Shower} at Eclectic Mom Sense and Little Pumpkin Shower at Savy Sassy Moms.
An Invitation
An invitation of some sort is a must, of course, how else will people know to attend, right. The invitation can come either before or after a theme is picked. In fact, an invitation can provide inspiration for the theme much the way a painting can inspire the color or decor of a room.
I’ve designed a few different baby shower invites to share with you here. You’ll have an opportunity at the end of this post to download and print a free invite of your choice! You can choose between gender-specific cards, gender-neutral cards, standard square cards, or portrait sized. There are also card options for expecting twins, co-showers, and gender surprise.
Once you’ve chosen a design for your invitation, you’ll want an elegant, organized way to send them to your guests. That’s where Paperless Post comes in handy! You can upload one of the designs from here and send it out via email – for free! Paperless Post also has pages of their own baby shower invitation designs to send regular mail or email, and now you can even create a flyer to send as a text link or an email invite! How cool is that?
Sample Custom Invitations
A Game Or No Game
Let’s move on to the shower itself. There is a wide range of opinions as to whether shower games should be played or not. That largely depends on the guest of honor. If she has a strong aversion to games, it might be best to steer clear of them. There are some nice ideas listed as alternatives to traditional baby shower games at Mother’s Niche. If you are into the games, there is a virtual smorgasbord of ideas on Pinterest! And there is a list of 8 preferred games here.
A Gift
Last but not least, the gift. There is no point in attending a baby shower without bringing a gift for either mom or baby. That is the whole point of a baby shower, after all. Most likely you’ll have a registry to choose a gift from. Sometimes though, you may want to do something more unique than JUST a package of onesies or a month’s supply of diapers.
A good friend of mine started a library for each of my children’s libraries. She hand-picked a selection of several books from board books to early readers to juvenile fiction then inscribed and signed each book. That is a gift to treasure for years to come.
Want more ideas for meaningful gifts? Check out this awesome list of 17 Meaningful Gifts To Give At Baby Showers found on BuzzFeed Life; numbers 7, 9, 12, and 14 were especially touching.
If you’re interested in customization of a designed invitation or a personalized invitation, feel free to email me for more information.
