Baby Shower Themes and Ideas – Finding great baby shower ideas doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Great baby shower ideas can usually be found by deciding on a theme for your shower and then simply organizing all the necessary elements under your theme. Below is a simple outline of what you will need to host the perfect baby shower.

Baby Shower Theme Ideas

You can narrow down your list of baby shower theme ideas by knowing if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl (though this can be difficult since many moms-to-be prefer not to know their child’s gender until birth). The next step is to pick your theme. Your options are wide open here and you can be as creative as you like. Some sample themes: Diapers, Noah’s Ark, Nursery Rhymes, Zoo (Baby Animals), Sports, Cars, Wizard of Oz, Baby Needs, Rubber Ducks, Smart Baby, Retro (Vintage) Baby, Holidays, Locations and many others make great baby shower ideas. You of course always want to let your guests know what your theme is as early as possible (in your invitation) so that they can plan accordingly.

Baby Shower Ideas: Games

Once a theme has been chosen your focus is instantly narrowed and be easier to determine. Traditional decorations might include, streamers, appropriately colored floral arrangements, themed candles, themed table cloths and napkins, baby themed items such as bottles, pacifiers and balloons. Many of these items won’t break your budget and can be found at many retailers in your area that focus on party supplies.

Baby Shower Party Favor Ideas

Party favors for your baby shower are a great way to instantly add a personal touch and show your extra attention to detail and creativity. Since many people will be taking these home as a keepsake, providing something memorable can go a long way in making a lasting impression with your baby shower. Personalized Candle Tins, Crystal or Ceramic Keepsakes, Personalized Soap, Photo Coasters, Personalized Tea Bags, Themed Vases, Personalized Seeds for Planting, Mini Topiaries all make great baby shower ideas. Personalized Candy Wrappers are one of our favorites and can be a creative way to make a great impression.

Baby Shower Ideas: Invitations

Baby shower invitations are your opportunity to let your guests know about your baby shower theme as well as other important information. There are many choices when it comes to finding the perfect baby shower invitations and depending on the impression you would like to make, many different levels of quality. Like party favors, baby shower invitations are often saved by your guests so paying close attention to quality here is well worth the effort and expense. High quality paper and materials are a must when designing and putting together a great baby shower invitation.

Hopefully these simple guidelines and tips can help you in planning your own shower for someone special. As mentioned above, deciding on a theme is an excellent way to organize yourself and narrow down your choices when getting all of your baby shower ideas together.

Baby Shower Decorations – Planning a baby shower for your best friend’s first born is both rewarding and exciting, even though you are still a bit clueless about it. Throwing a baby shower is one way to welcome the upcoming baby and to provide all the things the parents will need for their newborn child. Baby showers are fun but sometimes can be a bit emotional. It need not be lavish or too formal. It’s all about getting all the people the parents-to-be love most so that they get all the support and encouragements they need.

Any close person of the parents-to-be can be a host or hostess of the party. So if you are into planning of throwing a baby shower for a friend, you would want it to be as perfect as possible. If you will be the host or hostess of the said event, and you want the party to be remembered, you have to deal with several things that a typical baby shower need. On the list are, baby shower invitations, baby shower theme, baby shower decorations, menu, baby shower favors, baby shower games and baby shower gifts.

Baby shower gifts, in particular, are the things that are most awaited during baby showers. Again, these gifts are what the new parents need while raising their child. It is always a great idea to choose the right baby shower gift that not only for the baby, but also for the parents who will be looking after the newborn child as he or she grow. There are so many baby shower gifts you may consider, thousands of them are available online. Include are the most basic baby essentials such as diapers, baby feeding bottles, sterilizer for baby bottles, baby clothing, baby blankets, socks, hats etc.

Today, most baby showers let moms enlist their desired shower gifts in online baby gift registry. Online baby gift registry is the most easiest and fastest way to look for an ideal baby shower gift that no other guest has bought yet. This really work best for savvy online consumers.

Baby showers are not only about giving gifts to the new parents and the child. As the hostess, you should also consider the guests who shared their time to welcome the upcoming little bundle of joy. Baby shower favors are given as a thank you gift to each involved person at the party. Giving favors is one way to show appreciation and gratitude to those who give support and encouragement to the parents-to-be. Baby shower favors are of different variety to choose from. Favors can be anything from baby pacifier, baby socks to sweet adorable treats.

Aside from baby shower gifts, as the hostess, you also have to plan baby shower games. To keep the party lively, throw games that can give a big laugh to all the people at the party. You can create your own games if you want, or you can purchase some ideas at the nearest party shops. Just make sure that when planning a baby shower party, if you have a shower theme on mind, plan the other details according to desired shower theme. There are so many baby shower themes to choose from, choose the one that both you and the parents-to-be preferred most.

Are you in charge of planning a baby shower? Do you need a baby shower theme? Decorations? Favors? This guide will give you baby shower ideas, whether you are a sister, friend or coworker.

Baby Shower Themes: The first and most difficult thing to do when planning a baby shower is to decide on a theme. After this has been finalized, much of the rest of the shower will plan itself.

There are several ways to pick a theme. A baby shower theme can relate to the mother-to-be and what she needs. It can be a color, a nursery theme, or a specific type of item. For instance, if the nursery is decorated in flowers, the theme could be “A Baby’s Garden.” If it is decorated in a sports motif, the theme could be the parents’ favorite sports team. All the gifts would then coordinate with the room. If the nursery is painted with frogs, the theme could be “Green.” This way, the guests can be a little more creative in their giving. Or the theme could be “Bedtime,” prompting guests to bring pajamas, blankets, and crib items.

For a second (or third, or fourth) time mother, the theme can be really creative. For someone who already has almost everything they need, a theme such as “Reading,” in which everyone brings books for the baby (and maybe for the older children as well) would be a nice change of pace.

Some people do not like to attend showers for second time mothers, because they feel that they have already received what they needed for their first child and are just being greedy. If you feel this may be the case for your guests (such as a group of coworkers), throw a baby shower in which the invitation clearly states not to bring a present. Or spend some money on a nice gift (for instance, a gift certificate to a restaurant, spa, or hotel), and ask that guests bring a specific item (diapers, specific baby food) in exchange for a raffle ticket. They can even bring as many items as they would like in exchange for several tickets. That way, people who wish to be generous can still give the mother-to-be a useful gift, and no one feels obligated to bring anything. At the end of the night, raffle off the prize.

Some other theme ideas include: 1) Look What the Stork is Bringing, 2) Noah’s Ark (good for a shower where the guys are invited too!), 3) Alphabet Soup,
4) Blue is for Boy.

Baby Shower Decorations: The decorations should flow from the theme. A color theme is the most flexible and inexpensive, although a specific theme such as “Teddy Bears” will be easy, as you can buy coordinating tablecloths, plates, and napkins.

Keep the decorations simple. Put a nice tablecloth under the cake and spread some confetti rattles around it. Tie some balloons to the buffet or appetizer table. Add some pastel streamers across the living room, and you’re done. After all, the focus should be on the mother-to-be.

If you are having the shower at work, the decorations can be even easier. Simply put the cake under a white tablecloth and add a bouquet of balloons. A lunchtime event is perfect for the office. Many of the baby shower ideas will work for any location, indoors or out.

Baby Shower Favors: After the shower, give your guests something to remember it by. Candle holders in the shape of a baby item, such as a rattle or booties, are popular and easy to find online or in a party supply store. Other favor ideas include magnets or candies in a pretty gift box. Of course, let the favors flow from the theme. At a “Tea Party” themed baby shower, guests might receive tea cups and saucers. At a “Pamper Party,” an idea increasingly popular for mothers who already have several children and therefore most of the stuff they actually need, they might take home spa accessories such as a loofah or bubble bath.

Baby Shower Schedule: Typically, a baby shower will last approximately two hours. If a full meal will be served, be sure to indicate this on the invitation so guests can plan accordingly. Usually, however, some light appetizers, punch, and cake are all that is needed.

The following is a general idea of a schedule. As your guests arrive, serve them some appetizers, and let them sign a guest book. One idea is to make this an advice book, allowing each guest to write down one piece of advice they would give the new mother. Serve simple appetizers. Two to three dishes are best, along with some cheese, crackers, chips, dip, and fruit. Some ideas for munchies that are easy and can be made ahead of time include: Deviled Eggs (Add salsa and cheddar for a Mexican twist) or Stuffed Mushrooms.
After all your guests have arrived, begin with everyone introducing themselves. This is especially important if this is a mixed shower, with coworkers, friends, and family. Make sure everyone mentions how they know the mother-to-be.

Next, play one or two games. These will serve as icebreakers. Some ideas include: 1) Baby Boggle – See how many baby related words guests can make in three minutes from a sentence such as “I can’t believe [Mother-To-Be's Name] is going to have a baby!” or something else silly and fun. Everyone reads their list, crossing off duplicates, and the person with the most words remaining wins or 2) Baby Box – Place some common baby items (rattle, diaper) in a box. Cut a small hand-sized hole in the side. Give each guest 20 seconds to touch as many items as they can (no peeking!), then have them write down what they felt. The person with the most correct words wins. Remember, short is okay, and have fun!

If there is going to be a full meal, now is the time. Generally, a buffet is best, as the guests can eat while the mother-to-be opens her gifts. If there is not going to be a full meal, give everyone some time to get another round of appetizers, then have the guest of honor open her presents.

After the gifts are opened, serve the cake. At this point, the shower is over. Everyone will socialize for as long as they’d like, and the guests will begin to leave. If the time is important (i.e. the host has somewhere she needs to be), be sure to put an end time of the invitations.

Hopefully this gave you enough baby shower ideas to begin brainstorming. Remember to have fun and be relaxed and you’ll throw a successful baby shower.