Baby Shower Ideas

From LoveToKnow Baby

Need some baby shower ideas? Every baby, and every new mom, deserves a good baby shower. Not just about the presents, baby showers are a great way for the community to rally around a new mom and show her support during this time of change that is so often difficult. Here are some ideas for giving your mom-to-be a shower to remember.

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Baby Shower Ideas and Planning

There are all sorts of rules about how and where and why to throw a baby shower. In the past, members of the mother’s immediate family weren’t allowed to plan a party, they were almost always given at the home of the hostess and men were never invited.

Today, a shower is thrown like any other party, with as many variations from tradition as the new mom and her friends want. Still, there are a few rules. Give people at least a month’s warning before the shower. Schedule it at least a month before the baby is due so you won’t have any surprises. Include as much information as possible on the invitation in terms of how to get to the party, what the theme is and what guests are expected to do or bring to the party.

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Get The Guests Involved

A baby shower is always going to be memorable to the new mother, or the new parents if the daddy is invited, too. To make the day more memorable for guests who might not be interested in an afternoon of labor stories, get them involved in a project or activity.

There are tons of websites devoted to traditional baby shower games (like Baby Showers Central) but it might take a little creativity to come up with activities all your friends will enjoy.

Consider having a crafts corner at the shower when friend can decorate picture frames, scrapbook pages, baby clothes or dishes for the new arrival. Each guest can decorate his or her own personalized item for the baby, or a couple of group projects can be devised.

Another great way to get guests involved is to have them tell stories or share advice. Even those who aren’t parents were kids once, and we all had favorite things to do or play with when we were little. Asks guests to bring a gift that represents something they loved as a child to give to the new baby. Then the guest can tell the story of that thing as his or her present is opened.

You could also have each guest write down a piece of advice in a book (like a wedding guest book) and then read the advice to the group. Or each person could write a piece of advice on an index card and the rest of the guests could try to guess who wrote each one.

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Playing with Theme

Baby showers don’t have to be all pink balloons and blue streamers. A shower is a party, just like any other kind of party, and it can have any kind of theme you want. Consider a Hawaiian luau theme to encourage mom to think of far-away place while in labor or a “hot Mama” party decorated with chilies peppers and sombreros.

A couples shower can be as simple as a backyard barbecue or as complex as a “what do you want to be when you grow up?” costume party, where guests dress like the profession they wanted to be when they were five.

The time of the year can offer great themes for showers, from a spring garden party to a summer pool party, a fall harvest festival or a winter wonderland party complete with hot chocolate and a roaring fire.

The couple’s interests can also guide you to a theme. If daddy’s a big sports fan and the baby to come is a boy, a sports themed shower could be a lot of fun (don’t forget to buy some of those huge plastic baseball bats, hula hoops, flying disks and other fun props if you have an outdoor space to play in). If mom loves to cook have a recipe party, decorating with cool kitchenware (ask each guest to bring a recipe for a quick-cooking meal).

When it comes to baby shower ideas, you're only limited by your imagination. Given time to plan, consideration of the couple’s interests and who will be invited and a little creativity, you can host a shower that everyone will remember for a long time to come.

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