Ultimate Guide for Planning A Perfect Baby Shower 2021

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 when to start planning baby shower, we have created this simple guide filled with tips and ideas on decorating baby shower at home and 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! Complete with an eye-catching balloon garland, our baby shower decoration package will absolutely save you precious time in this department.

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 creative ideas on how to make baby shower invitations that are 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 the 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 a baby registry is fun, exciting, and totally overwhelming. It feels like there are a million baby items to choose from (in fact, they’re 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 homemade 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 guests 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 pick up 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 & SKINCARE

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)