Helpful Advice for Planning a Baby Shower

The birth of a baby is one of the most important events that anyone will ever experience. If a friend, loved one, or coworker is expecting a baby soon, these tips will help you to plan the most enjobable baby shower they'll ever have. You'll even be able to work on a budget! Here's how.

First of all, you'll want to come up with a theme for the baby shower. It doesn't have to be anything too extravagent, but a celebration with a color scheme or fluid designs shows that you are taking pride in planning the event, and want the presentation to be nice for the mommy to be. Simple themes can include fresh flowers and pastel colors if the baby shower is to welcome a girl, or toy planes, blue and brown colors, and racing stripes if the shower is for a boy. Simple things like choosing a different napkin color and paper place settings other than white can make the party decorations more appealing, and if you're especially crafty, you can make some of the decorations yourself without having to buy them.

Getting other people involved should also be part of planning the baby shower. Even though you may be in charge of facilitating the event, talk to mutual friends and family members to get their input on what the shower should include. Plan games that everyone will acutally enjoy, and plan a menu as far in advance as you can so that everyone can contribute to it. If you are planning the shower for a crowd that may not be that into games, you can ask some people to compose poems for the baby and expectant mother, and arrange for each attendant to give some motherly advice and wisdom to the guest of honor. You may also want to have a theme for the menu, such as finger or 'baby' foods, like mini sandwiches and desserts, or you could prepare the guest of honor's favorite fare-baby style. For instance, if the mommy-to-be like Mexican food, you can use mini tortillas to create small quesadillas, or you can use small dishes to prepare a baby portion of nachos as appetizers. If you're going to have a cake for the baby shower, you should choose one that is special and memorable. For instance, you can create a cake in the shape of baby blocs by using a square pan, cutting the cake into small squares, and decorating the blocks with white, blue, or pink icing. The more people you have to help you, the more successful the shower can be.

The location of the party is also a big part of the planning; ask your team for ideas on great places in the city to have the shower, or whether or not it would be best to hold the event in someone's home. You can also make sure that the expectant mother gets as many gifts as possible by finding out where she's registered and asking guests to purchase at least one item from the registry list until all the gifts are purchased. With the right planning and the right amount of creativity, you can plan a baby shower that is sure to be remembered for years to come.