Ultimate Guide for Planning a Perfect Baby Shower 2024

First things first - congratulations! You are about to bring a baby into this world, we couldn't be happier for you! One of the most exciting times leading up to the birth of the newest addition to your family is getting friends and family together to celebrate with a baby shower. To aid you in the process of planning the party, we have created this simple guide filled with tips and ideas on how to make your party memorable and fun!

 

1. PLAN AHEAD ON HOW TO DECORATE YOUR PARTY – GETTING THE RIGHT PARTY KIT IS KEY!

As you may already know, the theme of a baby shower usually involves only two signature colors: pink or blue. For your party to look amazing and complete, you may need to prepare not only the decorations, but also some cute photo props, a cake topper and, most importantly, a banner or sign indicating the gender of the baby!

2. SET THE DATE AND SEND OUT INVITATIONS

If you have already picked a date - amazing, if not - keep on reading. Setting a date well in advance is essential since it is best to send out invitations as soon as possible so your guests mark their calendars off.

Typically, baby showers are held when the expectant mom is about seven months pregnant—she's well into her pregnancy by then, but she's probably still pretty comfortable. This time frame will also give her plenty of time to organize gifts after the shower and decide what she’ll still need to purchase before the little one arrives.

The sophistication of your invites depends on the size of the party you are hosting and your personal preference. If it is a small get together, you can simply choose to send a quick text or call your guests as an invitation. Should you decide on a bigger party, there are plenty of amazing free tools online to aid you in creating a beautiful invitation. Regardless of the size of the party, each invitation should include the date, location, time and RSVP details.

The following are a few examples of invitations available online:

Also, here are some of our favorite online platforms for easy creation of electronic invitations such as

Greetings Island
Evite
Punchbowl
Canva
Paperless Post

3. CHOOSE A VENUE

 

Consider the number of guests, your budget, and time of the year when you will be planning the event. Hosting a baby shower in your house or backyard is intimate, personal, and you won’t have to pay to reserve space at another event venue. This can be great for saving money but usually requires a bit more effort. If the guest list is large, or you have a bigger budget, consider a nearby hotel or restaurant. This can be very helpful and allow more time to enjoy the shower as the setup, catering, and cleanup will be managed for you.

4. MAKE YOUR GUESTS MOUTHS WATER

 

Planning the menu is essential to hosting a memorable baby shower. Serve up some pregnant mom’s favorites, or choose a menu that sticks with the theme or color of your shower. Some great touches you can incorporate are: a color matched fruit display, a candy bar, cake/cupcakes, and DIY cocktails and drinks. Remember, food can always be decor!

Some food ideas include:

5. REGISTERING FOR GIFTS

 

Creating baby registry is fun, exciting and totally overwhelming. It feels like there are a million baby items to choose from (in fact, there very well might be), narrowing down which store (or stores) to send your friends and family to can be daunting. After all, you want your picks to be convenient and fall into everyone’s budgets while still including everything you want and need for your new baby.

Here are some of our favorites store registries:

Amazon baby registry
Target baby registry
Ikea gift registry
Pottery Barn registry
Walmart registry

To take things one step further and make your gift registry a breeze try these all-in-one solutions:

Babylist.com
Myregistry.com
Buybuybaby.com

6. DECIDE ON HOW TO DOCUMENT THE EVENT

 

Before the event starts, make sure you have a way to document it, especially the moment when the gifts are being open revealing the reaction of the mommy to be! Whether you choose to simply take photos and videos with your cell phone or hire a photographer/ videographer make sure you have a designated person who is aware and prepared for their duty well in advance. The event will come to an end but let's ensure the memories last forever!

FINISHING TOUCHES

 

There are no rules on baby shower etiquette, it certainly would be a thoughtful gesture to give your guests a baby shower favor as they leave. It could be something home-made like cookies or popcorn with a cute note thanking your guests for celebrating with you. Or it could be something simple like the hand soap below.

BABY SHOWER PLANNING LIST

 

THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE:
Create a guest list
Decide on how to decorate the party
Confirm a date
Set a budget (consider: Food, drinks, any rentals, games and gifts)
Pick a location or venue. Is it at someone’s house? A private room at a restaurant? A park? Make sure to confirm availability
Confirm the baby gender - it might sound silly, but we’ve seen early ultrasounds get this wrong

 

TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE:
Design the invitations, if you are planning a baby registry include any necessary information
Print and send out invitations to guests
Make sure your gift registry is set up, you’ll want the registry ready before the invitations arrive to guests. That way, guests can start their baby shower gift shopping as soon as they would like
Choose games you’ll like to play and make a list of supplies you’ll need

 

ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE:
Verify your RSVP list and contact those guess who haven’t responded
Plan the menu. Are you serving a full meal or just some yummy snacks? Remember to consider any allergies of your guess
Prepare your party favors. It may seem early, but shipping times can vary greatly if they’re being ordered online
Have all decorations and other items for the event ordered
Reserve party rental supplies if needed.
Assign someone to be the official photographer for the day

 

TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE:
Make final touches on your menu
Order the baby shower cake or cupcakes
Make sure you have enough seating and tableware for the guests
Prepare any party favors you’ll be handing out
Organize a day-of agenda and make sure you have extra hands to help you out

 

ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE:
Verify the guest list, and offer help to anyone making travel arrangements
Clean and iron any table cloths or linens you’ll be using
Gather supplies for games you’ll be playing
Print out any menus, name tags, thank you notes or other materials you may need

 

3-5 DAYS BEFORE:
Prep and/or freeze any food you can make in advance
Choose a place for gifts and games, somewhere to put coats and bags, etc.
Buy or pickup any flowers and balloons
If you have extra room in your freezer, buy some extra ice for drinks
If the event is taking place in the house of the future mommy to be, take some time to do some deep cleaning, especially in high-traffic areas and the bathrooms
Reach out one last time to anyone who hasn’t given you their RSVP
Buy any fresh fruits and vegetables and other last ingredients you’ll need
Call and verify arrangements with any vendors, bakeries, who will be helping out at the festivities

 

THE DAY BEFORE
Do any last-minute shopping and pick up any party needs you forgot
Prepare the food
Pick up the cake
Set up and decorate the area the party will take place
Think of a “hashtag” guests can use to collect photos on social media

 

PARTY TIME!
Designate a space for gift opening. Make sure to leave a good vantage point for the person in charge of documenting the event
Gather filled-out game or cards to give to the mommy-to-be to
Most importantly, have fun!

most appreciated gifts for baby shower

 

DIAPERING
Diapers
Wipes
Diaper cream or petroleum jelly
Diaper bag
Diaper changing pad
Folding changing pad for the diaper bag (if not part of bag)
Diaper pail/other storage containers

 

NURSERY AND BEDDING
Crib or bassinet, and appropriate mattress
Mattress cover
Tight-fitted bottom sheets
Changing table
Rocking chair or glider
Mobile
Nightlight
Something to play music or white noise

 

FEEDING
Nursing pads
Breast pump
Bags or bottles for storing expressed breast milk
Bags for transporting breast milk
Burp cloths
Nursing pillow
4-oz. bottles
6- or 8-oz. bottles
Nipples
Bottle and nipple brushes
Bottle warmer
Small unbreakable bowls
Small spoons
Bibs
Sippy cups

 

SAFETY
Baby gates
Baby monitor
Drawer/cabinet locks
Outlet covers/outlet plugs
Corner protectors for furniture

 

BABY GEAR & FURNITURE
Car seat
High chair
Infant seat or baby swing
Stroller
Baby carrier: front pack, backpack, baby wearer, or sling
Play-yard or portable crib

 

CLOTHING
Receiving blankets
Onesies/undershirts
Rompers/bodysuits
Tights or leggings
Pants
Dressy outfits
Sweater or jacket
Pajamas/sleepers
Wearable blankets/baby gowns
Socks
Booties
Hats
Mittens
Fleece outfit or snowsuit

 

BATHING, HEALTH & SKIN CARE
Baby bathtub
Bathwater thermometer
Baby size towels/hooded towels
Small washcloths
Soap or baby wash/cleanser
Shampoo
Lotion, cream, or moisturizer
Sunscreen
Baby nail clippers or scissors
Petroleum jelly
Baby toothbrush
Thermometer
Pacifier

 

BOOKS, TOYS & MEMORIES SAFE
Books
Toys
Music
Photo frames/digital photo frames
Baby quilt (for decoration – for safe keep out of the crib)