How to Throw a Baby Shower: Tips on Games, Decorating and Finger-food

Baby showers are so much fun and very exciting for the mommy-to-be. When you host a shower for a baby boy or girl, you want to start planning ahead of time. Have everything planned out as far as the games you will play, food you will serve, and decorations you will use. It's not very difficult to host these showers and you can get really creative with it.

First, you will want to know roughly how many people will be attending the party, so have your mommy-to-be get you a list of names to invite. From there, you can decide where you want to have the party and how much of everything you will need. Many baby showers are held in the home of the host, but they can be other places like a park or place with a conference room. Wherever you decide to host the shower, make sure you have it decorated!

If you are hosting a shower for a new baby boy, then do the typical boy colors, blue, red, white, yellow, and green. Maybe the new mommy will have a theme that she would like to do, like Winnie the Pooh, Thomas the Train, or Precious Moments. Having a theme can sometimes work out better and it makes a great presentation. If the party is for a baby girl, you can use pink, white, yellow, purple, and green. Some great themes for a girl could be princesses, Dora the Explorer, or Care Bears. Use party favors made especially for baby showers to help add to the decor. There are things such as small baby bottles, baby bubbles, or anything related to a baby. Hang streamers and banners, have balloons, and a nice cake to make it all more pleasant. One great idea for decorating, that is very creative, is to make a "diaper cake". To do this, you will need to have about 50 newborn diapers, maybe more, depending on how big you want your cake to be. You will begin by wrapping a diaper around a paper towel, carboard roll, then wrap a rubber band around it to hold tight. Then, you will take another diaper and wrap it around that on, secure with a rubber band, and keep going in this order until the bottom tier of the cake is as big around as you would like it. You will make all three tiers of the cake this way, making each tier a little bit smaller than the first. Decorate with robbons around the final outer layer instead of rubber bands, it looks much nicer. Then, when you have finished, add some small baby items to the cake like a pacifier, baby socks, teething rings, or any other small items that may fit well. This is such a beatiful display when it is finished and mommy can have a lot of diapers to use from it!

Most of the time, the food at the shower can be kept pretty simple. Finger-foods are great to use, such as pretzels, a cheese tray, fruit display, chips and dip, or cucumber sandwiches. Whatever you like, keep it simple and just provide a nice presentation for your food table. You could decorate the table with a table cloth that goes with your theme or colors. Also, add some confetti to the table around the food bowls and trays. There are several different types of confetti made for baby showers, some in blue, some in pink, and some are nuetral for those who don't know the sex of the baby. Along with the diaper cake, it's probably a good idea to have a real cake as well. Some people go all out on the cake, while others may keep it simple along with the food. You could maybe have the new mommy-to-be's name on the cake or even the new baby's name if it is already decided.

The best part about baby showers is playing games. Baby shower games are fun and the provide a lot of entertainment instead of just watching everyone eat while mommy opens her gifts. Keep the time occupied with some of these great game suggestions.

Baby Tray Memory Game
The object of this game is to see who can remember the most. You will make a tray that consists of about twenty small baby items. You could use a pacifier, bottle, teething ring, baby shampoo, baby lotion, or anything else small enough to fit on the tray. Have all of your guests seated in a circle, if possible, and place the tray in front for everyone to see for about forty-five seconds. Then, remove the tray and have the guests write down as much as they can remember that was on the tray. The person with the most correct answers wins a small prize. Mommy gets to keep the tray full of goodies. It's a great game to play!

The Price is Right Game
Just like the television game show, you will have items that you know the exact price of. Have your guests guess what the price of the item really is, if they get it correct, they win a small prize. Use items such as a pack of baby bottles, a bib, an outfit, and baby shoes to keep your guests guessing. Once again, mommy gets all of the items!

Baby Food Tasting Game
This is a great game for the new mom and dad to play. You simply blindfold and spoon feed them different types of baby food, they have to guess what it is that they're tasting. It's a fun little game and it provides a lot of laughs to everyone. If mom is not up to the challenge, as some pregnant women may not wish to participate in that, make dad do it!

Guess Mom's Tummy Size
Take a string and wrap it around the new mom's back to the front of her tummy and cut the string to the exact length. Then, walk around with a roll of string or yarn and have each gues pull and cut where they think the string will fit around mom's tummy. When everyone has finished, take the string you used around her tummy and measure it to everyone else's to see who was the closest. The winner will recieve a small prize.

These are just a few game ideas and you may be able to come up with your own creative ideas! Use your imagination and see where it takes you. The idea of the baby shower is to celebrate a new life and new beginning. Have fun at your party and keep your guests entertained. Don't forget to send out your invitaions ahead of time to give your guests plenty of notice. If mom is registered anywhere, include that in the invitation as well. Be sure to provide specific directions for all of your guests to find you and have them RSVP to help you with a head count. Have a blast at the baby shower and good luck to you, as well as the special people with a new angel coming into their lives!