As the expecting mother’s due date comes nearer, everyone around brims with excitement. The grandparents, friends, cousins, uncles, aunts, and all the loved ones plan for a baby shower and are ready to welcome the baby in their unique way.
A baby shower is a celebration and so is the planning for a baby shower. It is a ceremony for the mother and the upcoming baby by their loved ones to spread good luck and joy.
Although the baby shower we see today is a very new invention, new babies have been a joy for everyone; a gathering or a ritual for an expecting mother and the upcoming baby has been there since forever.
If you plan on throwing a baby shower, this is the ultimate baby shower guide you need. From its importance to everything you need to take care of, here’s how you plan the perfect baby shower.
Why is it essential for the mom?
A baby shower is the whole family’s very first opportunity to gather and bless the mother and a child. It is a toast to the new mother and the baby for celebrating their transformation and the beginning of their new lives.
Traditionally, the mother is showered with gifts that’ll help her baby or help her ease her life after delivery. Nowadays, the primary baby shower gifts are cute baby clothes and comfortable accessories for mothers.
Now that you know what a baby shower is and why it is necessary, let’s jump on to the planning.
How to plan for the perfect baby shower?
Before you power through with your plans for the baby shower, let’s understand one thing. The celebration intends to comfort the mother, and it’s for her enjoyment. So the focus should be on not creating much work for the mother.
- Who hosts the baby shower?
Traditionally, the one who hosts and plans for baby showers is a close friend or a distant relative. An immediate family member isn’t usually the one who is in charge.
But these days this traditionally followed custom can be changed. A mother’s sister and even her mother can throw the shower. Although the actual expecting mother rarely hosts the shower.
- What to ask the parents?
You don’t want to create much work for the mother but involving her is essential. Do let her be the person making significant decisions and keep her in the loop.
Please don’t make the decision making a corporate affair; make it fun. Go to the parlor, have a small get together, and discuss the main details and go with that information.
What should the date be?
Mostly, baby showers are thrown 4 to 6 weeks before the due date. But there’s no fixed rule on when to have a baby shower. Ask the mother if there is a date in her mind for the baby shower.
Tip: Steer clear of the holidays. Many of your friends and relatives would be away.
Who should be a part of your guest list?
The baby shower is an intimate occasion. Therefore the guest list should also include the closest people first. It is important to discuss this list with the mother, so all the important people are involved.
If you don’t want to burden a mother with the guest list, you can always take a little help from the father.
Many baby showers invite-only women, but that’s up to the mother who she wants to invite. After the list is ready, confirm the addresses on your own from friends and relatives. Or you can always get the person’s number for e-invites.
When you need to plan for a baby shower’s food menu, it’s mostly refreshments and cold drinks. You can have some alcohol but keep in mind the to-be mother can’t drink, and it won’t be a great baby shower idea to have a lot of alcohol.
Then make a list of necessities, a sit-down meal, and good wines and champagne.
Is it essential to have a theme for a baby shower?
Although going for a baby shower theme has been a trend over the years, it isn’t necessary. The most important thing is that you please the mother-to-be.
If she specifically asks for a theme or a color palette, then you should definitely go for it. Otherwise, it’s up to you on what baby shower ideas to follow.
At what venue should you have a baby shower?
The venue should be decided keeping in mind all the above things, the guest list, food, and the decor. If the baby showers is going to be small, you can probably host it at your home.
Tip: If you’re hosting the baby shower at the mother’s home, be there to prepare early and stay back for the cleanup.
If the guestlist is longer, you can look up places and halls near you that will allow you to plan a baby shower. I’m sure there will be halls, restaurants, and community places that’d be appropriate. The only thing you have to take care of is that the parents feel comfortable.
- How to nail the invitations?
After the above step is cleared, you have a good guest list. With that, you have the address and contacts of the people who are to be invited. Let’s get to the next step of this baby shower guide on how to invite the right people, the right way.
Send good invites
Paper invites are the most popular way to invite people to weddings, birthdays, or baby showers. You get them designed or design them on your own and you can either print them on your own or hire a company. Then you mail them.
But these days e-invites are also becoming popular. You can customize them, avoid the printing cost, and send them in a second.
The type of invite you want to send depends on your choice, budget, personality, and the time you’re sending them.
Send the baby shower invites early
Baby showers take time to plan, and it takes longer to get a confirmation from all the guests. So it is essential to send the baby shower invites at least a month early.
But keep in mind you don’t send the invites earlier than that because the guests will either forget about it or won’t be able to make a confirmation so far ahead in the future.
Collect RSVP
Make your RSVP collection easy for yourself. Popularly people send a confirmation text on their own, but you can always add the preferred medium of receiving the RSVP. Once you do receive it, add the guests to the final list to keep everything organized.
- How to arrange the baby shower?
You have a basic plan in place, and the invites are sent; it’s time to pull off the event now. There are a lot of things you need to take care of. My advice is to make a checklist in the beginning so that you don’t miss a thing.
It’s okay to take help
No matter how big or small the baby shower is, it’s not necessary to do it all alone. It’s always a good idea to take a little help when you’re planning for a baby shower with multiple things to handle.
You can ask your friends or the guest who live nearby to help you out. Make different committees for different activities. For instance, form a food and beverage group that’ll be in charge of the menu, orders, and deliveries.
You can create a decoration group to ensure all the deliverables have arrived, and they can help with the decoration.
How should the food arrangement be?
It’s your choice if you want to have a buffet or a spread. Don’t forget to take the mother’s opinion on this; after all, she needs to be comfortable. Assuming that you’ve decided on the menu through the steps above, you have to decide how to arrange them.
If you have a small budget assigned for food or have the baby shower at home, you can ask everyone to bring a specialty dish. Or if you have the baby shower at a restaurant or another venue, you can always go for a god reviewed and trusted catering service.
How should you plan a baby shower decor?
A good decor arrangement adds a lively touch to any occasion. Sure it won’t make or break a baby shower, but it will make the arrangement cohesive, celebratory, and elegant.
- Even if there isn’t a theme while planning a baby shower, you have to ensure the decorations complement each other.
- Get the decorations beforehand, so you’re not fumbling on the big day.
- If you’re planning a baby shower with gifts, assign a specific place for everyone to keep their gifts. The gifts shouldn’t be the center of the occasion or hidden away; they should be a part of the background. Make it a part of the decor!
How to have a good baby shower schedule?
Most of the millennials remember Monica from FRIENDS planning her wedding. She had everyone’s whole day scheduled to every second, and that was a mess. And you don’t want to do that.
A schedule helps you to have an idea of how your day looks like. It isn’t necessary that you stick to the schedule, but you should have time slots for eating, socializing, or any games you want to play.
It should be a day event
For the event to be a success in all terms, there one ultimate piece of advice, throw the baby shower during the daytime or early evening. There are a couple of reasons for this.
- Expecting mothers are supposed to get tired more than usual. Because expecting mothers need care before and after birth, she would need a good night’s sleep after the event is over.
- If any delay happens, the event won’t be dragged till late at night. It’ll help with cleaning up the house venue, and the mother will be able to get rest.
5. What to take care of on the big day?
After all the preparation and planning, it’s time for all that to roll out. This baby shower guide will help you navigate through the “D day” too.
Arrive early to double-check on arrangements
The first thing you want to do is to arrive at the venue early. Being early ensures that always the decoration is on point, every deliverable has reached, and everything is where it should be.
Tip: In case you’re not sure of reaching the venue early, keep in contact with the restaurant/venue staff to be updated. And if you’re organizing the shower at home, you can always get pictures from the house’s residents.
Make arrangements for the mother’s arrival
The expecting mother is the showstopper of the baby shower. So you have to make sure she arrives precisely on time when you want her to come. She shouldn’t be the first one to reach, that’s not grand.
As the host of the party, you need to be there to greet the mother. And get here the most comfortable chair at the place. Ensure everything is at the right place and most of the guests have come before she arrives.
For this, make a plan with the father and request him to come with her at an agreed time. Or you can always get a car for her; she’ll feel special. And if it’s her home the shower is being thrown at, let her come into the room blindfolded. Surprise!
Create a system for gift collection
Baby showers come with a lot of gifts for the coming baby and the to-be-mother. These days people are also opting out of taking any gifts but many guests consider gifts as blessings, so they insist on it anyway, which is a kind thing to do.
This means you’d want to stay prepared for gifts no matter what. As suggested above, you don’t want to plan a baby shower around the gifts but the mother. So set a not in focus place for the gifts.
If you’re thinking of getting a gift for a baby shower but don’t know what, here’s an idea. You can get a cute baby bodysuit, quirky baby t-shirts, bibs for babies, or a thoughtful gift for the mother.
Be prepared for everything
No, this doesn’t mean you need to be always on your feet, and you should always keep an eye on everything that can potentially go wrong. You have to be prepared with a plan and backup supplies.
For instance, if your guests don’t reach the venue on time, you need to have their numbers on your phone just to get an update. Or if you run out of alcohol or food, you need to know where to order from so that it arrives fast.
FAQs about planning a great baby shower:
Here are a few more tips for your baby shower guide through these answers to the most asked questions.
- What can I do to make the baby shower fun?
Apart from spending time with all your favorite people, you can do one more thing to make the baby shower more fun and play games!
Guess the baby food and decorating a piece of clothing for the baby are some of the most popular games you can play during the baby shower. Also, everyone can write little notes for the mom to read after the event’s over.
- What drinks should I serve during a themed baby shower?
If you are going for a theme, you can serve cocktails and mocktails named after the theme. For example, if the theme you’re going for is a nursery-rhyme theme, you can name the drinks itsy-bitsy spider, or red riding hood. Add some colors or new flavors, and you have your special cocktails!
- Can I not go for the traditional baby shower?
These days many people have been doing their baby shower. Many people go for a girls’ night out or a fancy house party, and that’s perfectly fine if everyone wants that.
Hope this article provided you all the information you will need to throw an awesome baby shower. You need to take care of the mother’s needs and preferences first and then add your own dazzle to it.
Being the host of the shower, you need to take care of the arrangements and stay up-to-date, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. After the preparation ends, have a great toast and fill the day with smiles.
From sending the invitations on time to choosing the perfect baby gifts, use this article as your checklist to keep everything organized.
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