How to Plan the Perfect Baby Shower: Tips and Ideas for an Unforgettable Celebration

Planning a baby shower for baby girl?! Let’s chat!

This blog post is about baby shower themes for a co-ed shower including decorations, food ideas, game ideas, drink ideas and party planning.

Planning a baby shower is an exciting and joyous occasion that celebrates the impending arrival of a new bundle of joy. From selecting the perfect theme to arranging delightful games and creating a warm and fun atmosphere, every detail contributes to making this event memorable for the parents-to-be. In this blog post, I’ll be exploring the essential elements of throwing a baby shower that will leave guests smiling and the expectant parents feeling cherished and supported.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• Theme
• Co-ed or ladies only
• Where to have the party/Venue
• When/ Time of year
• How many people
• Games
• Food
• Party favors
• Decor
• Seating/Tables
• Drinks
• Kids corner/activities
• Gift opening with guests

THEME:

Picking a theme is a personal choice and can be very exciting! Especially as a new mom! Some people want to let others handle their baby shower while some people want to be in charge of more, or at least helping to pick the theme! If you are throwing a shower for a loved one, you should think about the mother to be and her interests. First, ask her! If she already has a theme in mind then you are good to go! If not, choose a theme that reflects her style, hobbies and/or is personal. Think about your surroundings and the season! Do you live somewhere tropical or wish you were i a tropical oasis? Do you want to make it a winter wonderland?! Or what about a Fall or Pumpkin theme? There are so many seasonal options! The other options is to just go with colors and what I like to call “vibes” for the baby shower. You can go with whatever is your mama to be’s style, whether it is vibrant colors, elegant pastels, or creamy neutrals.

Make it special whether it is just a color theme/vibe, seasonal theme or you go all out with an animal or hobby theme. I chose to have a baby pink theme with boho vibes! I wanted shades of light pink, taupe pink, and beige. Another thing to decide on with your partner is whether or not you want to make it gals only or co-ed! I wanted to have a huge shindig at our house with all of our family and friends so we decided on a co-ed party. I knew I wanted to have the arched backdrop with balloons for pictures and the marquee letters out front. We got many items from amazon from table decor to party favor accessories.

Remember to be practical and while it is important to choose a theme and location that suits the mama to be’s taste, it is also important to remember that you want to make it easy for you to execute! Avoid ideas that are too elaborate or expensive unless you have the time and budget to spare! The main goal is to celebrate the parents and the exciting time of the impending arrival of the little bundle of joy!

WHERE/VENUE:

Having a party at your house can be stressful but it’s free! You don’t have to pay for a location and can spend more on food and decor that way. Just remember not to stress yourself out last minute about cleaning! Think ahead and get the house ready slowly so you can focus on setting up for the party the day before and the day of! We had around 50 people or so at our house and it ended up raining most of the day so an indoor/outdoor party turned into a mostly indoor party which meant more people inside the house! It is definitely something to consider when planning! The weather and time of year is important when planning a party. We did have tables outside but luckily they were under a covered porch so they did not get wet. The theme of your party may also influence where you choose to have your party. For example, if you have an animal theme, you could host a party at the zoo! If you’re having a small, ladies only gathering, you could have the party at a local tea spot or backyard garden. Another idea is a local garden/nursery! Our local plant shop also doubles as a venue and is a great spot for parties! It passes the vibe check for sure. Tailoring the theme to suit the setting or vice versa will make everything look and feel harmonious and well-coordinated.

WHEN:

Many people ask “when is the best time to have a baby shower during pregnancy?” Honestly, it is completely up to you! Whatever you are most comfortable with during your pregnancy is the best option. Some people choose to have it early/middle of their pregnancy and some choose to be further along. The second trimester seems to be a popular choice. This may be because you are out of the nausea phase and not too far along to where you are physically uncomfortable. Some things to consider are: What time of year do you want it to be? Are you to be going to be physically comfortable? (you want to enjoy the party, participate in the festivities and enjoy your guests!), Are you counting on registry gifts to get your nursery set up? Do you want certain family members or friends to come in from out of town? I had my shower when I was 7 months pregnant and thought it was great! I probably could have done it one month earlier and been happy with that too. I wanted to have a significant baby bump for pictures but I was definitely tired at the end of the day from standing a lot.

GAME IDEAS:

I am not one for being put on the spot so I did not want to do this to my guests either! I am a fan of games that are going on at the party without stopping everything to play them. Some games we had included:

1. Guess how many jelly beans (can do any candy) are in the jar?
2. Diaper Raffle (don’t forget to let guests know ahead of time)
3. Any “this or that” games that guests can write their answers on a piece of paper
4. A baby bottle drinking contest (we did do this one but let only the men participate in this)
5. “Don’t say baby”: Give each guest a pink (or blue) clip to wear and any time someone says the word “baby”, you can steal that persons clip. Whoever has the most clips at the end, wins!

Some other fun ideas are:

1. Guess the baby bump size: Everyone cuts a piece of string at the length they think the baby bump is, whoever is closest, wins!
2. Guess the baby picture: Everyone gets to guess which pictures are of the expecting parents on a chart
3. Baby Trivia
4. Best baby drawing (from each guest) of the expected baby
5. Guess the due date
6. Diaper changing (on a baby doll)-blindfolded!
7. Decorate a onesie or write on a diaper!
8. Create nursery art
9. Baby charades or baby taboo: Where you either act out a baby word or describe a baby word. This game needs teams and whichever team gets the most correct during a set time, wins!
10. Find the pacifier: Hide plastic pacifiers (or any baby item) around the venue- make them look similar- tell the guests about it when they arrive- and whoever finds the most pacifiers, wins!
11. Diaper pong: If you have an empty wall or backdrop, you can hang diapers on it and use ping pong balls for throwing.

GAME PRIZE IDEAS:

When it comes to game prize ideas, you can go big or small. Here is a list of some fun ideas!

1. Wine/Champagne/Beer
2. Gift cards
3. Cute mug with coffee gift card
4. Tumbler with candy in it
5. Candle
6. Flowers/Plants
7. Photo frames: stick a cute picture in it for them
8. Stationary sets! You can get cute items from homegoods for this idea!
9. Pick something from your theme and give a gift with that theme in mind!
10. Use your location to pick a gift idea- I live near the ocean so a cute beach themed gift like a beach bag, beach towel, and sunscreen would be great!

PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

Party favors are fun but not necessary! I wanted to have some just for fun but because we had so many people, we could not do anything fancy like, champagne bottles or tote bags. We decided on bags of popcorn with stickers on them that said “thanks for poppin’ by” (double meaning for being “ready to pop” and “popping popcorn”!). We got the bags and stickers from amazon as well as the cute pink bows and made them ourselves. The popcorn was from Costco!

Some other cute party favor ideas are:

1. Mini champagne bottles, mini alcohol bottles
2. Bag of candy/ cookies
3. Bottle opener – themed to match party theme
4. Succulent or plant
5. Candle
6. Chapstick, personalized
7. Soap
8. Honey (if you are doing a bee theme or a Winnie the Pooh theme)
9. Popcorn (this is what we did!)

FOOD /DRINK IDEAS:

Depending on the size of the guest list, the food could be home made or catered. It also just depends on your style, and how much you want on your plate on the big day (pun intended!) Catering makes it so easy and allows you to focus on setting up decor but nothing beats home made meals. I think the theme and setting as well as time of day all play the biggest role. If you are doing it around 10:30/11:00 am, you may have some brunch foods vs having a party at lunch time, afternoon time, or dinner time. Sometimes people choose to have parties in the afternoon around 2:00-3:00 pm because they assume everyone has eaten lunch, that way they can serve lighter options and/or snacks instead of a full meal. You definitely want to include sweet and savory options no matter the time of day! Finger foods like mini sandwiches, fruit skewers, and veggie trays are easy and allow for mingling. A full lunch or dinner or menu calls for a different setting with tables and seating for everyone. Another thing to keep in mind is if any guests have dietary restrictions such as non dairy, gluten free, or vegan needs.

Lastly, the fun part is incorporating sweets! If you are doing brunch, this is easy to do with so many pastries and donuts that can be part of the feast! But if you are doing lunch, dinner or snacks, you can incorporate sweets in so many ways. Having a cake is traditional for a party but sometimes, cupcakes are easier for a crowd! Consider cookies and cupcakes as they are easier to grab and continue to be a part of the party. I loved the idea of having a candy table and giving guests little bags to create their own candy bags! My mother in law is a great baker, so she made the cake and cupcakes (we had both) and then my sister in law was in charge of adding a variety of candies! We put all the candies in glass jars all around the dessert and it was a beautiful display! One other item on my must have list for my baby shower was personalized cookies! I had a local baker make baby shower themed cookies, they were beautiful but also delicious! These also acted as a party favor to take home!

Anything you choose will be amazing, just remember the time of day and how many guests will be attending.

DECOR:

Once you have selected your theme and color scheme, you can start to bring everything together with floral arrangements, balloon arches and charming centerpieces! The fun part! Every detail should spark joy and create a welcoming atmosphere celebrating the impending arrival of the little one! Don’t forget to add personalized touches such as pictures and monogrammed accents or even personalized cookies!

Here is a list of some decor ideas:

1. Marquee light up letters- These were fun to have! We rented large letters to spell “baby”. It was great for taking pictures and they lit up at night!
2. Balloons- I love adding balloons to backdrops, entrances and around certain decor items such as the marquee letters. Balloons are a great way to add decor, color and fun!
3. Flowers- Add flowers anywhere and you will instantly have a touch of elegance in every corner.
4. Color arch backdrop- These are great for photo ops!
5. Greenery backdrop- Use this for pictures with props or change it up and use it for a party game or for a champagne wall!
6. Candy table or dessert table- This can be a show stopper! Not only is it going to be pretty, but everyone is going to be coming back for more!
7. Baby boxes- Fill the white boxes that look like baby blocks with balloons and stack them for another decor piece
8. Centerpieces for table – This can be flowers, bears, balloons, or anything that follows your theme
9. Pictures – Adding pictures of mom and dad is a cute way to decorate some tables and adds personalization to the party.
10. Cookies: The decorated “baby” themed cookies acted as a treat and also decor, because they were so beautiful!

KIDS CORNER:

This idea is a new one for me but so many of our friends now have children of their own. Our house is not particularly kid friendly yet so I was trying to think of what could keep the kiddos, who would be at the party, busy and distracted! There are so many fun party rentals out there including jump houses, inflatables, slides and even soft play areas for smaller children. We did have a small inflatable and a ball pit set up in a corner of the patio and it was a hit! I highly recommend doing something like this if there are going to be children at your event!

Planning the perfect baby shower is a journey filled with creativity and thoughtfulness. By focusing on elements that reflect the parents’ style, incorporating personalized touches, and creating a welcoming atmosphere, you can ensure a memorable celebration for the mom-to-be and family! Remember, it’s not just about the decorations, it’s about creating memories and moments of joy to make the shower a beautiful and unforgettable occasion!

What are your tips and tricks for party planning? Let me know in the comments below.

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