Congratulations on the new bundle of joy that you’re about to welcome! Being an expectant mother is always going to be an exciting time in your life. With everything that you’ll be going to prepare, it’s no surprise that you may be under a lot of stress and pressure. You’ll want to get everything right and perfect for the arrival of the new baby.
Between all of the hustle that a pregnant mother goes through, indeed, there’s still room to squeeze in a little bit more fun. Shopping may be fun and getting that nursery ready may also be exciting, but there’s one event that almost every expectant mother will happily want to have: the baby shower.
A baby shower isn’t always meant to be a significant and grandiose event. Generally, the size of the party will be dependent on the number of friends that the parents have and the family members that’ll also be in attendance. As its name suggests, the baby shower is an event that’s meant to shower some love to the newest member of the family. Apart from the baby itself, it’s also to show appreciation to the parents, particularly that of the mother.
At a baby shower, you’ll expect fun, and games (including something like these virtual baby shower games) with prizes and gifts to match. If you’re an expectant mom and you haven’t started yet on planning your baby shower, you’re in the right place. Here, you’ll find pointers on how to throw a baby shower. And not just any baby shower per se, but a stylish one at that. Read on below to learn more.
1. Send Out Amazing Invitations
Sending out invitations to whatever event still isn’t out of style. While many have already opted to no longer send one, this doesn’t mean that you’ve got to join in that bandwagon as well. When you intend to be stylish and classy, sending out invitations is an excellent place to start. It proves that you’re serious about this event, even if it may only be a baby shower.
Plus, with today’s enhanced modes of sending invites, all the more that you’ve got no reason not to send one. If you’d like to pinch a few pennies and not spend much on printing invitations, why not also opt for e-mail invitations. These work just as effectively as printed invitations do.
No matter how hard it may seem, there’s always a way to get through that process of creating your invitations. There are also many unique and stylish baby shower invitation designs that you can now choose from. Here are some tips that you can apply:
2. Plan The Agenda Of The Baby Shower
Generally, you wouldn’t want the baby shower to last for more than three hours. Not only will the other guests get bored, but you’re also going to exhaust all the energy of the already-tired-expectant mom. Be considerate also of how long a heavily pregnant woman can stay in a party.
As you plan the agenda, keep it simple. A good list of activities should include:
In the last bullet as to giving of gifts, don’t force the mom-to-be to open all of the gifts in front of everyone, too. Some moms prefer to do it at the quiet, comfort of their homes at their own pace. So, after guests have given their gifts, all you’ve got to do now is to designate someone in the group to carry all the gifts for her and deliver them to her home. After all that fun and games, the last that you’d also want is to exhaust the mother-to-be even more.
3. Decide Early On Who Will Be Invited
In throwing a baby shower, it’s also imperative to decide early on who’s going to be invited. Note that the expectant mom herself doesn’t host baby showers. If you’re reading this, then perhaps you’re the sister, in-law, officemate, relative or best friend of the expectant mom. So, you’ve got to be very careful about deciding who’s invited.
If the baby shower isn’t going to be a surprise, then go ahead and ask the expectant mom who they’d like to be invited. If it’s a surprise, you’re going to have to go through this process so very carefully, such that you won’t miss out on any important person in the life of the expectant mom.
Also, in deciding who will be invited, factor in the capacity of the venue. You’ll want everyone to have sufficient room to move around, have fun, and even play games.
4. Select A Date And Time
The guest of honor in a baby shower is the expectant mother. So, all other factors pushed aside, the date and time should be that which best matches the schedule of the mother. If this is a surprise party, then you can ask her husband when she’s free.
As a rule of thumb, however, most baby showers are held when the mother is around seven months pregnant. It’s during this timeframe that she’s well within her pregnancy, but she’s not in too much discomfort that she can no longer move around freely. More importantly, it’s also at this time that the expectant mom will start shopping for the baby’s needs. With her registry and the gifts that she’ll receive from the baby shower, this will give her ample time to prepare and organize the things that she already has, right before her due date.
5. Decide On The Theme
There’s just one way to go about narrowing down the options for the themes. If you already know the gender of the baby, then choose the theme that suits best with it. If you don’t know this yet at the moment, then don’t fret as you can have a gender-neutral shower too.
When deciding on the theme, you may also want to have inputs from the expectant mother. After all, this is going to be her party. Who knows, she may have a theme that she’s long been wanting to have for a baby shower. If it’s a surprise, again, the best resources that you can have are her husband or her best friends.
When all else fails, Google is there to save the day! If you search for the most stylish baby shower themes, it will give you many options. Plus, it will also give you an idea of how to go about with the décor, should you decide to put up some.
6. Determine (And Stick) To Your Budget
Throwing a baby shower in style doesn’t always equate to being expensive. Yes, you may be doing the primary planning by yourself. But this doesn’t mean that you have to be alone on this journey. There’s so much room for you to ask for the help of your other close friends and family members.
With regards to the budget, if you don’t have enough right now, then don’t be ashamed of asking for contributions from your other close friends. These contributions don’t even necessarily have to be in monetary form. Is the sister of the expectant mother a baker? Ask if she could sponsor the cake and other sweet treats. Do you have creative decorators in your group of friends? Let them do the decorating instead of hiring. That way, you can still have a stylish baby shower while on a budget.
You don’t even necessarily have to rent out an events place. The baby shower can be held almost anywhere, usually at the home of the host or of one of the guests. Then each of you may also bring a dish to share.
That way, you don’t have to spend so much on the baby shower for that special mother-to-be that you’re throwing it for. Whatever is your budget, stick to it.
7. Determine If The Guests Need To Bring Something
A gift isn’t always required but the mother-to-be will most definitely have a registry, so there’s no harm in including this in the invite. That way, should the guests decide to bring a gift, it’s something that the mother needs or wants for her baby. For example, the mother might end up receiving ten pacifiers, which we all know won’t be necessary.
In determining whether or not the guests need to bring something, seek for the advice also of the expectant mom. Perhaps she’d prefer diapers, as a more practical gift? Books for her baby’s library that she’s trying to build?
8. Plan The Décor And Menu
Decorating for a baby shower isn’t always really necessary, especially if you’re just going to host an intimate one. But, because the point is throwing a stylish baby shower, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few décors here and there. So, when planning the baby shower, decide early also on the décor as well as the menu. While you’re at it, you may want to invite a few other friends or close family members to form the core group for the baby shower planning.
First, the décor. This is dependent on the theme that you’re also going after. Then, factor in the location as well. That way, you can decide as to which areas of the event venue you’re going to have to decorate, and which you can just leave as is. Typically, this is going to be dependent also on the kind of budget that you’re working with.
To save on the décor, ask the core group also to bring in whatever decorative materials they may have at home that matches the theme. If they’ve got young kids, then surely, they’ll have a few pieces that they can share. Or rent – these days you can easily rent birthday décor like balloon backdrops.
Here, it’s also wise to decide whether or not you’re going to hire a professional decorator, or if you’ll strive to do the decorating as a group, all by yourself.
Next, the menu. If everyone is busy and the date of the baby shower will fall on a working day, then it’s better just to have a caterer take care of the food. That way, all that you and your other friends will do is to divide the expense amongst yourselves. But, if you all got the time, then it won’t also hurt to prepare a dish or two each, and bring it to the baby shower. Not only is this going to be cheaper, but it’s also an excellent way to bond and share recipes!
Here are some excellent food ideas to serve at the baby shower:
With these tips, now you’ve learned what it takes to come up with an exceptional baby shower that the mom-to-be is going to love. Follow through this guide, and you’re sure to be able to throw a fun and stylish baby shower. The whole point in the baby shower is that you, along with all the other people close to the expectant mom, shower her and the baby with all the love and support that they need as they go through childbirth. Plus, it’s an excellent breather too, from all the anxiety that the mother may be feeling. Thanks to these tips, you’re going to have the mother thanking you more than ever! You’re now one step closer towards calling yourself an expert baby shower host.
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