Babies are definitely cause for celebration, and what better way to celebrate and help the parents-to-be at the same time than to shower them with gifts for their coming precious gift? Although hosting a baby shower can be a lot of fun, it can also be a little stressful. From picking a theme, to deciding on what foods to have and which games to play, here are a few baby shower ideas to help make your next baby shower hosting experience a little easier and perhaps add a little something extra.
THEME
Some common themes are: Little Princess (or Prince), the Stork, Winnie the Pooh (and others that go along with nursery themes), pink or blue (or various color schemes), Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales and or fairies. Getting a little more creative, I've seen a sweet pea theme, day at the spa, Little Pumpkin, or a naming party.
FUN DECORATION IDEAS
When I host a baby shower, one of my favorite things to do as a center piece is a diaper cake. I usually do a three tier cake with the first tier being size one diapers and the top two tiers being newborn sized. In keeping with the theme or color scheme, the ribbons around each tier are chosen to match. To top it off, you can use a baby toy, booties, or decorative item such as a silver baby buggy or inscribed music box; it all depends on whether the shower is elegant or whimsical or traditional. Choose a cake topper that fits the feel of the shower and the mommy's personality. Another fun idea is to put ice in a baby bathtub and put sodas or snacks inside. Stringing a clothes line across a wall or open area, you can hang little baby clothes and bibs from it and make a sweet little decoration with items the mommy would already be receiving. There are small versions of this decoration in stores, but I think the real thing is much cuter.
FOOD & CAKE
Finger foods are easiest to do for a baby shower, rather than a meal of some sort. Of course, there are a number of usual finger foods to choose from; fruit and veggie platters with dips to go along; tiny sandwiches; chips and salsa. Some fun ideas for a little something extra are: in the summer, hollow out a watermelon in the shape of a bowl and, using an ice cream scoop, make melon balls, filling the watermelon with the melon balls. I also really like the idea of doing a bread bowl with some kind of fondue inside, or having a chocolate fountain and fruit for dipping. And, of course, no baby shower is complete without after dinner/pastel mints; those are a must. I've also seen strawberries in a small glass of champagne to add a touch of elegance.
To save a little on the cake, it's easy to get one made and have it written on, but don't get the little extra decorations from the bakery. Shop for small baby decorations at The Dollar Tree and arrange them on the cake yourself. Or, you can make your own cake and cut it into the shape of a pregnant woman's silhouette (or simply have one made in that shape). Shaped cakes are always a fun idea.
GAMES
At every baby shower, there are some games that are always played. There is the don't say baby game, in which each person gets a clothes pin (or necklace w/ a baby rattle on it or something similar) and if you hear someone say the word baby (or cute, or sweet, you can pick from any number of baby related words), then you get their clothes pin. Whoever has the most pins at the end of the shower wins a prize. Another game is the measuring string game. In this game, each person looks at the mommy-to-be and cuts a piece of string or ribbon to the length that they feel will go around the mommy's belly and meet at the tips with as little extra as possible. A few more unique games I've found are the Bible Baby Match game (matching offspring with parents of the Bible), and the cotton ball game (where you place a bunch of cotton balls on the ground, blind fold a person, and they scoop cotton balls into a cup with a ladle and dump the cup into a bowl). Baby item word scrambles and word searches are always interesting, as well.
THANK YOU
One thing that I have found extremely helpful for Mommy-to-be is handing out the envelopes of the thank you cards to each guest at the beginning, and having them write their own address in the to area so that there is one less step when the thank you cards are being prepared for sending.
No matter how many guests, how simple or extravagant, how much money you spend, there is one thing you must know for certain; as long as the mommy-to-be is relaxed and enjoys herself, all is well. It's easy to get stressed out about planning a baby shower, but people don't come to make sure you have the right games or say the right things. They come to celebrate a new life in the making, and the wonderful woman carrying that life. So, just relax and have fun with it. Don't be afraid to step out of the box and be creative.