Planning The Perfect Baby Shower

The excitement of a party! We expect a good time with our friends. We expect lots of good food. Depending on the party we may take a present for the guest of honor. But there’s a little surprise we don’t expect, and that’s party favors, a little memento to take home. Kids in particular love a kitschy little something. But so do the guests at a baby shower. Baby showers can be as much fun as a kid’s birthday party, and baby shower favors can be just as memorable. Let’s talk about baby showers.

The first rule of baby showers is that they are given by a friend. Everyone knows you never give a shower for yourself. The first thing to plan is the guest list. Don’t pad the list just to get more gifts. Just choose among the mom’s closest circle of friends. Real paper invitations are a nice touch. I know we rely on the phone and email for the bulk of our interpersonal communications, but a party invitation is one thing that should be stamped and sent by mail. The guests will be pleased to get something in the mailbox that isn’t a bill or junk mail. The paper invitation also gives the recipient a concrete piece of paper to hang on the refrigerator as a reminder of the date and time.

Next is the theme for the decorations. In the old days, the mom didn’t know the sex of the baby at the time of the shower, so shower colors had to either be a neutral yellow or green or a combination of pink and blue. Most showers are put on near the end of the gestation period, so these days it’s common for the hostess to know whether to decorate with pink or blue. Crepe paper streamers are kind of corny, but a few streamers around the ceiling give a festive look to the party room. Another decoration can be a banner announcing that it’s a baby shower. Storks are a good addition. See whether you can come up with ways to incorporate baby items into the decorations. You could make bouquets of baby rattles or rolled up bibs and undershirts. Hang baby toys from the chandelier like a mobile. Temporarily hang decorations for the nursery wall on the wall above the food or gift table.

As for the party food, you need to accommodate both the people who watch what they eat and those who enjoy a party for the forbidden food. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good snacks for everyone, but you also want a pretty, decorated cake, various fatty munchies, and a pretty punch.

The best party activity is to buy enough baby shirts and a selection of fabric paints and paint brushes. Then each guest can custom decorate a little undershirt for the baby. These will become treasured mementos for the mom and her baby. The other best game is for the guests to drop a piece of string or yarn on the floor to estimate the size of the mom’s expanding waist. (I always win this game by pulling out one yard of string and laying it on the floor. Works every time.)

Connor R. Sullivan and his wife have recently attended several baby showers and have noticed that the party favors are becoming more elaborate. His wife purchased online baby shower favors for a baby shower she is hosting.