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in these costs as well.

Shower location will affect cost. If you choose to hold your shower at a person's house in lieu of a restaurant, decide if the shower will be externally catered or if guests will bring food. Many showers take place on weekends and over lunch hour, so buffet and brunch style finger-foods, catered or home-cooked, tend to work well. Zesty dips, stuffed mushrooms, mini pita finger sandwiches, colorful vegetable and fruit platters, strawberry flavored punches and lemon cupcakes using pretty, pastel-colored ingredients and stuffings are great baby shower foods.

Don't forget to serve some of the mother's favorite foods.

ROOM AND TABLE DECOR

Create an ambiance of expectatant anticipation for the new mom, and try and match shower decor to the selected theme. Balloons, streamers, banners, pacifiers and flowers in soft pastels and white are soft, yet beckoning. Glittery stars, scented votives, rubber ducks and baby umbrellas are also excellent room decoration ideas.

Paper tablecloths and matching baby napkins and cups can be inexpensively purchased and match the shower's theme. Putting together a pink and blue floral arrangement also adds elegance to any table, especially when placed in a baby bottle shaped vase.

As an alternative to flowers, try a toy-filled mini carriage, a teddy bear, or a two tiered mini diaper cake, for an attention-grabbing centerpiece.

GAMES

No shower is complete without games and there are lots of different types. Races, trivias and guessing games tend to be the most engaging.

HOW BIG IS THE BELLY?-Guests can guess the age of the mother in a specific baby picture, or the circumferance of the mother's belly.

THE POOPY DIAPER-Lay a diaper on each guest's chair. At the end of the shower, the guest at each table with the poop-filled diaper (chocolate smeared in the diaper's inside), takes home the centerpiece.

WHAT WAS IN THE DIAPER BAG?-Test everyone's memory by briefly showing items in a diaper bag, and have guests name the items they just saw. You can divide your guests into teams and challenge them to dress a plastic doll in baby clothes, beginning with the diaper, and ending with the blanket.

DRESS THE BABY-Divide your guests into teams and have one member of each table dress a large, baby size doll, beginning with the diaper and ending with the blanket. The fastest dresser wins.

Whatever games you choose, remember to award the winners with baby prizes. Cute and clever prizes that double as shower favors include baby-themed candles, baby gingerbread cookies or platters, pink and blue piggy banks and small, or chick shaped salt and pepper shakers.

GIFT IDEAS

Gifts are always the discretion of the giver, but if there are any specific gift ideas, the host can list suggestions in the shower invite.

When all else fails, functional necessities, like receiving blankets, feeding utensils, layettes, sleepers or bibs are always welcomed. Baby albums, keepsakes, hand-knit quilts, or newborn brush and comb sets can be unique and classy gift ideas.

If you are unsure about a gift ideas, consider purchasing something that benefits the mother, like bath products, pre and post natal yoga kits, or post-pregnancy journals. After all, the mother has a complicated job ahead of her, and could use some nice pampering along with Pampers.

Learn more about this author, Paola Fanutti.
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