Baby showers are thrown to celebrate the impending birth of a new baby and are a time for friends and family to come together and spend time with the expectant parents, “showering” them with love before the birth as well as gifts such as baby clothes, organic stuffed animals, feeding stuffs, blankets, pillows, etc,.. With so much choice when it comes to throwing a baby shower, we teamed up with baby and nursery retailer Kiddies Kingdom and their team spoke to a party planning expert to create an ultimate guide to throwing the perfect baby shower.
Date
There’s no rule for when to throw a baby shower, but typically they are held one or two months before the baby’s due date, making sure the expecting mum will have enough energy to enjoy it. Alternatively, you can choose to wait until after the baby is born and have a ‘welcome baby shower’ instead.
Location
There are many factors to keep in mind when it comes to choosing a location for the baby shower, which can result in deciding to host the party at home or a venue. Jess Martin, party planning expert at Ginger Ray believes it comes down to what the mum-to-be would prefer, as there are pros and cons to both.
Martin comments: “For those opting for something a bit more personal with close friends and family, it probably makes more sense to transform your home and host your baby shower there. For those with bigger guestlists and budgets, it’s the perfect opportunity to go all out and host a show-stopping baby shower at a venue.”
Themes
Choosing a theme for the baby shower can help to coordinate everything – from invites to decorations. With so many fun themes to choose from, Martin suggests if a certain theme is calling your name to go for it, as getting your friends and family involved adds an extra bit of fun. Looking for maternity photographer Vancouver? Call VA VA Zoom Studio.
If you’re wanting a theme that isn’t as full on, Martin advises incorporating subtle nods to something you love or that’s special to you. You can even just choose a colour palette instead, adding that “monochrome looks are big at the moment, so layering different shades together can create a really simple, classy look.”
Decorations
With plenty of beautiful decoration ideas to consider, from balloon displays to floral arrangements – there are many Pinterest boards full of inspiring and elaborate set ups, in which the food table is usually the centre of attention.
If you’re on a tight budget, Martin suggests “purchasing items that you’ll be able to store away and bring out again for future celebrations and also spend some time finding cheaper alternatives to party classics. This could be opting for artificial foliage over fresh flowers, or choosing a cake stand to display home-bakes over an extravagant custom-made cake.”
Food & Drink
Most baby showers offer some food, with no set rules for what must be served, meaning you can be as creative as you like with the food ideas. Afternoon tea is a baby shower classic, with Martin saying “it’s the perfect light bite to enjoy and doesn’t require an awful lot of preparation. A sandwich selection, scones and cakes will be enough to satisfy guests and can be picked at as and when, which eliminates a fair few kitchen and catering stresses for mum to be.”
And, whilst party planning experts confirm alcohol is generally off the menu, there is no reason you can’t serve some delicious mocktails, as mocktail making is a fun activity to do with guests.
Games
With 21,000 monthly Google searches in the UK for ‘baby shower games’, organised fun is a big part of baby shower celebrations. Some of Martin’s favourite baby shower games include:
- Who am I? – Guests pick the mum-to-be’s baby photo out of a line-up of anonymous pics. Or have all guests submit pictures and match the infant photos to the real-life versions.
- We’re having a baby – Two teams race to blow up a balloon and place it under their top like they are pregnant, the teams must then use their ‘bellies’ to pop the balloons. The winning team is the one who has blown up and popped their balloons the fastest.
- Mum to Be Quiz! With the spotlight on the mum to be, hosting a quiz will have guests trying to prove they know her best.
Party Favours/Bags
It’s up to the host if they want to give each guest a gift to thank them for coming, as Martin mentions “just giving your guests some cake or sweet treats to take home can be a lovely gesture and there are lots of party bags and boxes on the market which can be personalised.” Mentioning an original idea she saw recently; Martin added that a polaroid photo from the baby shower in a mini frame is a lovely way for guests to remember the event.
Jumaimah Hussain, Parenting Expert at Kiddies Kingdom commented:
“When it comes to throwing a baby shower, the most important thing is that the mum (and dad too if it’s a co-ed baby shower) enjoys the day and receives lots of love, gifts, and best wishes. After all, the new baby will arrive in no time, and it’s a wonderful way to spend some time surrounded by loved ones.”
