Baby showers are not only happy events, they're fantastic opportunities to develop that perfect, personalized theme for the mother-to-be. This is a time to get creative, have a little fun, and really go all out!
If the millions of possible themes seem overwhelming, try a delightful garden themed baby shower. These floral showers work for most women, have supplies easily found in most towns, can be held inside or out, and are easy to customize. Make the theme sound cute and clever, with a catchy name such as "The Blooming Belly Bash!" baby shower.
Include floral printed and/or shaped invitations for the event. An Anne Geddes print of a baby in a flower works perfectly. Make sure to invite people to "The Blooming Belly Bash For (Jane Doe)." Include the time, date, and location of the party. Always add a phone number for people to call to confirm or ask questions.
The cost of the party can range wildly, depending on the decorations and food desired. Cost can also change depending on the amount of guests, which is one of the reasons asking for confirmation is a good idea. For a very low-budget party, figure on spending at least $3.00 per person for food and extras.
Use dried, fake, or tissue-paper flowers for low-cost decoration. If money is no worry, order fresh bouquets of flowers to decorate with. There should be leaf garland around the walls or fences, displaying some smaller flower bouquets. Soft ribbons in matching hues can also be used as garland or around the edge of tables, doors, and windows.
The area should be decorated with pretty flower bouquets sitting on the tables. The food table should have the largest bouquet. Add some novelty baby items, like pins or bottles around and in the center bouquet. Add two smaller side bouquets to food table if possible.
One table, or general level surface, should contain a bouquet of flower balloons for guests to place the gifts on. Use floral patterned or soft-hued tablecloths in matching colors on all the tables in the party zone.
The food for the party should remain garden and flower focused. The cake should be decorated with some sort of floral theme. Try triple-decker chocolate rose cake, diaper stack shaped cake with flower buds, or cake decorated with actual flower blossoms. Fruit salad, salad with fancy dressing, fruits/veggies with dip, and light cookies all work well and taste great.
Delicate pastries, general cold dishes, and cheese/meat platters all provide extra dishes that always get gobbled up. Finger sandwiches, of course, are a natural choice too. Fruity drinks can be used with a more fun theme, or tea and lemonade can be used for a more formal garden feel.
Guests will need a little activity besides eating, so have games planned out for the party. Use little trinket gifts to reward the guest who wins the game. Mini lotion, bath salt, bath fizz, bubble-bath, bath oil, bath scrub, soap, candy, or cute barrettes make great prizes.
Typical "toilet-paper diapering competitions", "guessing the stomach size of mother-to-be", and "pinning the pacifier in the baby's mouth" games can be used if needed. For more theme-specific games, try pin the flower on the stem, a version of pin the tail on the donkey. Frog Flip uses plastic frogs and bowls of water the guests have to try to "flip" the frogs into. Fruit-bobbing can use traditional apples, or any other comical fruit.
Baby Boom is only a fun game if everyone has a sense of humor. Set some empty plastic baby bottles on a table or fence outside. Use a slingshot with plastic balls in it to knock the bottles down. Make sure the ball is at least 1 and 1/2 inches big, and somewhat heavy. Then just let guests try their eye at knocking down all of the bottles for a prize.
Make Thank You notes a breeze for the busy mother-to-be by handing out the thank-you note envelope, with pasted stamp, to each guest as he/she arrives. Ask them to fill in their name and address, then give the envelope to the pregnant lady for later! This way the envelopes are already filled out, the notes are purchased, and all the mother-to-be has to do is write a little message.
If any great gift ideas are needed for the mama-to-be, remember that the traditional gifts are used for a good reason. No matter what gender they turn out to be, new babies always need a supply of wonderful blankets, booties, hats, gloves, onesies, twosies, and sleepers.
For a more unique gift, think about a personalized baby book, hand-made baby quilt, quality floral picture frame, or heirloom children's story book. A spa treatment gift certificate is another fantastic present, just make sure the certificate will stay valid for awhile. Soon-to-be and new mothers are busy, so it could be months after you give the gift before the new momma has time to use it!