Planning a Baby Shower

When planning a baby shower, the first thing we must know is whether or not the shower will be a surprise or not. If the mother to be knows about the shower, then we can start planning a guest list with her. If it is to be a surprise, we must then go to the father to be or a close family friend.

Determine what the budget is going to be so you know in advance how much you still have left to spend and be sure to keep track of it.  After our guest list has been put together, we want to send out invitations with all the essentials; date, time, place, directions. Be sure to find out if who will be attending and who will not so you can budget and plan accordingly. Try and do this at least two weeks before the event, with three to four weeks allowing a much better time frame to for your guests to plan their time as well.
When sending out the invitations it is also a good idea to include a gift registry. This is a list of gifts that the parents-to-be have written down, much like a child’s wish list to Santa Claus. It includes what items, how many, and where to obtain them. This will also make things much smoother for guests who may be completely clueless as to what to get. Keep in touch with the guests who will be attending who will be bringing what gifts so there are no duplicate items. Another way to alter this a little while still giving flexibility to the guest is to assign each guest a room of the house. Such as one person buying a gift for the kitchen, another for the bathroom, outside patio, baby’s room, baby’s toy and so on. This narrows the focus of gifts and allows for a variety to keep it interesting.
 
Now decide on a theme. Is it a general theme, a bunch of family and friends getting together for a good time and bringing general gifts? Or is it a Winnie the Pooh, Disney, or even “Mommy” theme, where guests concentrate their gifts on the mother? Most are general which allow for easier planning. Even have each of the guests to bring their favorite dish to make it exciting for everyone attending, like a pot luck.

Are there games you are going to be playing, like “Baby Scrabble” where all the words have to be related to your theme? Or pin the diaper on the baby? Never forget, some of the most fun is always with a piñata’ filled with baby items like diapers, or plastic bottles. The important thing here is to know your audience. And if you need to get to know what might make it fun for them, email your guests and ask them for ideas and suggestions. Ask them if they would like to play a murder mystery role playing(which you can get at any game store), Twister, or any other ideas you or your guests can come up with. Just remember that your guests may also like to play games they are accustomed too, which is why you ask.

If you are looking for a more complete resource and want to make the event an outstanding experience for everyone, be sure to check out the resources below.