A Guide To Planning The Perfect Baby Shower

Planning a baby shower is very fun and involves a celebration for the arrival of a new life into the world. A baby shower consists of inviting women that are friends and family to enjoy great food, open fun gifts and play exciting games. However, if you are planning a baby shower for the mother to be you need to be involved, dedicated and ready with checklist in hand. Follow this guide to planning the perfect baby shower to learn about what you need to do and have ready for her surprise special day.

Choose The Date And Time

Choosing the date and time of the baby shower is very important. You need to make sure you choose a time that is convenient for everyone you plan inviting and for the mother. Try choosing a day that will have nice weather and during the weekend when most people don’t have to work. If you have trouble selecting a date and time, consider making it a vote amongst the planned guests.

Write Down The Guest List And Set Budget

Write down some of the mother-to-be’s closest family and friends that you would like to invite to the baby shower. Since the cost of the shower is going to be based on the amount of guests that you invite, try to keep your list small if you don’t have a large budget to spend. Once you have chosen, you need to set a budget that you can stick with. If possible, try to set the budget a little higher to cover the cost of any extras that you might need last minute. This will save you the stress of trying to come up with money when the unexpected happens.

Choose Where You Would Like To Host The Baby Shower

When you are choosing where to have the baby shower, you should think about what time of year it is, how many people will be attending, and how much money you have to spend. If you plan to have the baby shower in your own home or backyard you won’t have to pay to rent the space, but you will have to think about how much space is available. If you have a large budget or greater amount of guests, you should think about hosting it somewhere that you can rent space. Planning the baby shower venue at the park will provide you with more than enough space; however, you need to talk with your city land department about whether or not you will need to have a permit and also have other plans in case the weather changes.

Send Out The Invitations

You need to make sure that your guests are receiving their invites at least a month before the baby shower. This will give them enough time to make sure they are available, inform you that they will be coming, find baby shower gifts, and schedule a babysitter if they have children of their own. If you are going with a casual baby shower, you can send out an invitation through email or text messaging; however, if the baby shower is formal, a nice paper invitation will work best.

Plan Out The Decorations And Menu

You, as the hostess, should be choosing the menu and decorations for the baby shower at least three weeks prior to the scheduled party date. Make sure that the decorations are not perishable, and you can either choose to make cards or purchase them. Make sure that the menu you choose is something the guests and guest of honor would like, and pay special attention to any food allergies that the guests might have. Consider serving mini foods, therefore they are easier to hold and can be snacked on throughout the shower.

Plan Out Your Agenda

A lot of baby showers consist of food and drinks, opening gifts and games. The point is to make an agenda that you can follow, therefore each part of the shower runs smoothly and doesn’t turn into chaos. As soon as everyone invited is at the party, start the shower off with a simple activity to capture their attention. If you are on a timed limit, consider passing out food while the gifts are being opened and serving dessert while playing games.

Pick Up Favors For The Party Guests

Favors are a formal way of saying thank you to each one of the guests that arrived at the shower. One of the best ways to choose favors would be to stick with the theme of the shower. If the shower you are hosting is based on a beach theme, consider picture frames decorated with seashells and stones. You could also buy miscellaneous items that everyone enjoys such as candles or lotions. If you are on a tight budget, consider making your own gifts like thank you cards or small gift bags with cheap items that the guests will enjoy.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to planning a baby shower for a friend or family member. The best advice is to follow this guide to ensure that everything will run smoothly. If you are planning this baby shower as a surprise, consider a day where she will be gone and you have enough time to set up the decorations. Having a close friend invite the guest of honor out for a day of shopping could be the perfect time to make the baby shower set up happen.