Hosting the Perfect Baby Shower

Hosting the perfect baby shower can be loads of fun! There are literally thousands of ideas that you can use to develop the perfect party. From the invitations to final goodbyes, the event should be notably memorable for the mommy-to-be as well as the guests. Though the planning will take some work and some effort, there is no reason not to enjoy the task of being a memorable host.

Theme Ideas

In coming up with a baby shower theme, it is a good idea to involve the mommy-to-be. Since the theme will set the tone for the entire party, people will often purchase gifts that coincide with the theme. Some ideas that may point you in the right direction include:

Basket Baby Shower (Have the guests each design a basket filled with gifts for the baby.)
A Diaper Baby Shower (Everyone knows how easy it is to go through a ton of diapers. You can never go wrong giving diapers as a baby shower gift. Encourage guests to use their imagination and make their baby gift out of diapers.)

A Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower (Use your favorite nursery rhymes to decorate for the shower. Let the guests incorporate nursery rhymes with their gifts.)
A Baby Scrapbooking Baby Shower (As the popularity of scrapbooking increases, have a baby scrapbooking shower is becoming more and more common. This idea gives guests a chance to give a unique gift that will last forever. Let each guest design a page to be put in the scrapbook at the end of the shower.)
Blue or Pink Baby Shower (You can always go traditional by using blue and pink themes for boys and girls respectively.)

These are just a few common ideas to put your noggin thinking in the right direction. Use any of these or choose one of your own.

Invitations

Once you have your baby shower theme, the next think you need to decide on is the invitations. Since the invitations will set the precedence for shower gifts and decorations, it is important to be creative and fun. Be certain to include all of the relevant information on the invitations such as:

Mommy-to-be's name and the name of the hostess(es)
Location of the party as well as directions
Date and Time of the Baby Shower
Theme of the party
Indicate if and where the mommy-to-be is registered or a list of gifts that may be used as present ideas
Include a RSVP phone number

This is a general list of information that should be on the baby shower invitations. You can include other information as you see fit.

You can use a variety of shapes and designs when choosing the perfect baby shower invitation. Common designs are bibs, booties, baby bottles, storks, animals and bassinets. You can get as creative as you like when designing the baby shower invitations.

Food and Supplies

Determining the budget for the baby shower is an important step in the planning process. Setting a budget will be helpful in deciding where the party will take place and if you need to ask assistance from anyone else. For example, a baby shower at a restaurant will require a higher budget than a baby shower in your home. There are ways to make you baby shower great without spending an arm and a leg.

As a host, supplying food is part of your job description. You will need a cake, drinks, and a few other finger food dishes such as chips and dip, nuts and mints. You can even include the baby shower theme in your food ideas. An example would be baby bottle mints or baby bootie cake decorations.

Decorations

There are a wide number of decoration ideas you can use for your baby shower. Some of the best decoration ideas can also be part of the baby shower gifts. You can use baby bottles in a variety of different ways as centerpiece ideas for the tables. When the party is over, the mommy-to-be will get to keep the baby bottles as a gift. An example would be to put flowers in the baby bottles. The flowers can be real or fake as you can always clean the bottles.

Diapers also make awesome decorations ideas. A diaper cake makes a great decoration for the gift table and the diapers can also be used as a gift. You can also use pacifiers and baby rattles to decorate the tables. This is yet another idea where the decorations become gifts.

Baby Shower Games

What is a baby shower without party games? Some of the best baby shower games include:

Bottle Races Fill baby bottles with a liquid of choice and pass one to each guest. Set a timer for thirty seconds and see which guest can drink the most liquid in the allotted time. That guest then wins a prize.
Guess the jelly beans Fill a baby bottle with jellybeans or item of your choice. Safety pins are another popular item. Have each guest guess how many are in the bottle. The guest that comes closest wins a prize.
Baby Bingo This is a fun game that can be played a variety of ways. You can go on-line and find bingo cards that you print out for each guest. You also print out a list of words that are on the bingo cards. Give each guest a pen to mark a word when it is called. The first guest to get bingo wins a prize.
Guess the Word Choose around twenty or more common baby items and scramble the letters up on pre-printed sheets. Give each guest a sheet and the first to unscramble all the words correctly wins a prize.

There are hundreds of more baby shower games you can choose from. These are just a few to point you in the right direction.

Thank You Notes

Thanking guests for the wonderful gifts you received at your baby shower can be done one of two ways. You can give out pre-printed thank-you notes at the baby shower or you can send personalized thank you notes immediately following the shower. Since guests put a lot of time in choosing the perfect gift, a thank-you note of some type is a must. Personalized thank-you notes tell your guests how much you appreciated their gift. You should also mention the specific gift your guest gave you on the thank-you note.