How to Host a Baby Shower
Congratulations! If you’re throwing a baby shower, someone special in your life is about to have a new baby—or you might be organising one for yourself. Baby showers are unique and can be entirely customisable for the parent-to-be in your life. As the host of a baby shower, you might have a few questions about how to throw a baby shower.
Baby showers provide a place to formally celebrate the pending arrival of a new baby with close members of your family and friend circle. They’re places to share advice and stories between current parents and parents-to-be. But how do you plan a baby shower?
How to throw a baby shower
We all know the classic “who, what, where, when and why” of planning a party. The why is easy enough for a baby shower, but if you’ve never thrown a shower before, you might be stuck on ways to make sure it’s a hit. This guide will answer every question you could have about baby showers, covering everything from baby shower games to gift ideas.
Who organises the baby shower?
Baby showers are traditionally thrown by a member of the expectant parent’s close circle of friends. However, it is just as common for a close family member such as a sibling or cousin to throw the shower.
Whether it’s a friend or a family member, whoever decides to take on the role of host should work with the parents-to-be. Include them in the specific details of the shower, but don’t forget that the host should take on the majority of organising. That being said, some expecting parents choose to be the hosts rather than expecting one of their guests to organise the event.
When do you have a baby shower?
A baby shower can be held at any time, from conception to post-birth. Many people choose to hold their baby shower in the final trimester of pregnancy when the baby bump can feature. You might consider an earlier baby shower for a few reasons though, such as in cases where premature birth is expected or likely, if the growing family is moving or travelling throughout the final trimester, or if the new parents are keen to see what gifts they receive so they can use the rest of the pregnancy to fill the gaps and avoid doubling up on essential products.
A post-birth baby shower (sometimes called a ‘see and sip’, because you can see the new baby while sipping a beverage) can also be very exciting. You can give people the chance to meet the new baby and help potentially overwhelmed parents avoid multiple (but well-meaning) visits in the first few weeks home. If this is the path you go down though, make sure prepping and cleaning up afterwards isn’t left to the new parents – there’s enough on their plate!
Where to have a baby shower
Baby showers can be held anywhere and can vary in size. Choose the location with practicality and preference in mind. Some people prefer them to be ‘off-site’ at a friend’s house or at a park, to ensure the parents-to-be aren’t expected to prepare, host and clean up actively throughout the event. But others prefer it to be at home where they feel comfiest and most relaxed and can avoid excess trips in the car.
Some people choose to hold the baby shower at a venue, such as a restaurant, function space or park. This option can include catering and beverage options, taking some of the refreshment responsibilities off your shoulders. For this option, make sure to consider the cost of food and a venue’s capacity to run games and activities. Extra bonus: cleaning up is taken care of for you!
Another option is to hold the baby shower at a private home. As the host, this puts complete control of the day in your hands. While it is usual to hold the shower at your house, don’t hesitate to approach other guests if another house is more practical due to size, location or preference. Whichever you choose, simply consider the needed space for spreading out, socialising, playing games and opening gifts. You will also want to consider the kitchen and ease of access to food preparation areas.
If you and the expectant parent agree on a post-birth shower at their home, gift transportation will be considerably easier since the gifts have nowhere to go but down the hall and into the baby nursery.
Who to invite to the baby shower?
Most baby showers are opportunities to bring family and friends together. Baby showers are a wonderful way to gather people who want to celebrate the pregnancy and new baby – this could be people of any and all genders who care for the growing family and want to share their love and support through this exciting time.
When sending out invitations, most hosts are tempted to simply make a Facebook group or post. While Facebook is a great forum for discussing gift ideas, timing and other logistics, physical invitations and guest cards are a nice touch of formality for the baby shower. If you choose to send physical invitations, give at least four weeks’ notice and provide all necessary details, including what to bring and the baby shower theme (if there is one).
How to entertain at a baby shower
Once you’ve figured out the logistics of the baby shower, it’s time to start planning the fun details. From baby shower food ideas to baby shower games, there are decisions to make!
Choosing a baby shower theme and favours
A theme for the baby shower is an ideal place to start when planning a party. A theme unifies and guides many of the decisions you need to make, such as baby shower decorations and baby shower props.
In deciding the theme, take inspiration from the parent-to-be’s interests and hobbies. Do they have a favourite movie, book or period of history? Would they prefer a vintage or modern aesthetic? Whether you collaborate with the parent or decide on your own, choosing a theme is an exciting aspect of the shower planning process.
Deciding on baby shower foods, cakes and drinks
Drinks and food can liven any party, and food at a baby shower is an easy way to stay on-theme. Providing your guests refreshments and meals will help them feel welcome. The amount of food and drink should be appropriate for your shower’s duration, so keep this in mind as you plan your menu.
If you decide on a shorter shower, light refreshments and drinks will be perfect. Finger foods, desserts and coffee are all acceptable refreshments to serve. These will keep your guests happy as they chat with the parent-to-be and open gifts with them.
If you are planning a long shower — a baby shower over a few hours — you will want to plan a more substantial menu. With a longer shower, you will have several more options available to you. In this case, it might be better to save yourself some work. Depending on the budget for the baby shower, you can have the food catered or you can bring in some friends to help prepare food.
Also, as you decide what colours to frost cupcakes or what finger foods to prepare, keep the baby shower theme in mind so your event stays unified.
Tip: don’t forget to ask attendees if they have any dietary requirements to keep in mind!
How to choose baby shower games and activities?
Baby shower games are a fun and exciting opportunity for guests to impart parenthood wisdom while also creating good memories at the party. Baby shower games can include arts and crafts, group games, or pin-the-tail type games. Depending on how many people you invite, there are several options for your group to have an enjoyable time together. Regardless of what activities you choose, baby shower games are meant to be silly and help the parent-to-be relax before the birth. So, what do you do at a baby shower?
1. Guess the Baby Photo
Have guests send in baby photos of themselves. Once you have the photos, put them in a slideshow or on a pinboard. Guests can then identify the babies. Whoever identifies the most wins.
2. Create a Baby Scrapbook
Invite your guests to impart wisdom to the parent-to-be through tips, hints, messages, illustrations or anecdotes of their own parenthood experiences.
3. Guess the Baby Food
Taste-test a variety of unlabelled baby foods and see if guests can correctly guess the flavour. Since baby foods can be hard to identify by taste and sight, this game is harder than your guests might think.
4. Name the Television Character
Make a slideshow with pictures of babies and children from famous television families. Test your guests’ knowledge by pulling from a variety of different eras.
5. Feed the Baby
Pair guests off and let them choose who’s going to be the Big Baby. One poor soul will be fed toddler food by the other. The winning team is whoever finishes their jar fastest with the least amount of mess.
6. Name the Baby Song
Baby, baby, baby, ooo! Though Justin Bieber won’t be performing, have guests listen to sound bytes from songs with the word baby in the title and have them guess the title.
7. Decorate the Onesie
Jumpstart the new baby’s fashionable wardrobe with a personalised onesie that’s been signed and decorated by all the guests. Buy a pure white onesie and let your guests go wild with permanent markers or acrylic paints.
8. Make a Time Capsule
Have guests bring in an item from the current time period, such as a CD, magazine clipping or concert ticket. Lock the items away until a future birthday, and the parents-to-be can surprise their little one with a time capsule from before they were born.
9. Name the Baby Animals
Create a slideshow of baby animals. Have your guests write down the name of the species’ baby, such as kitten for cat, gosling for geese, and so forth. Find some harder animals and let them figure out what a nymph will be when it grows up (hint: it’s a cockroach).
10. Chug It Down
The first one to finish a baby bottle is the winner! Fill baby bottles with drinks that align with the party's theme and have your guests race to finish the bottles.
11. The Price is Right
Gather some common baby products that the parent-to-be will need and have guests write down their prices for each item. This is a great way to give gifts while giving you the chance to channel your inner Larry Emdur.
12. Count the Lollies
Gather some Smarties, Skittles or Maltesers in baby bottles and have your guests estimate how many lollies are in each bottle.
13. Make Your Own ABC Blocks
Babies love to stack objects. You can buy blank wooden blocks and acrylic paints from a craft or hardware store. Guests can decorate their blocks with letters or pictures that would entertain a baby.
14. Guess the Baby Movie
Make a compilation of scenes from movies that focus on a baby or the birth of one. Some great examples include 3 Men and a Baby, Juno and Look Who’s Talking. How many movies would your guests recognise?
15. Pregnant Twister
Though the expectant parent might have to look on (and laugh), this activity is great for a baby shower. Have participants put cushions or balloons up their shirts and roll out the classic twister mat. Antics will ensue!
Any of these games are great for a baby shower and will provide exciting entertainment for your guests. After the games have ended, you can award prizes to the winners of the games or offer each guest a party favour to take home at the end of the day. Whichever you choose, remember to stick to the theme of the party.
Baby shower gift ideas and gift registry
Apart from food and games, opening gifts is the best part of a baby shower. All the new baby onesies and baby essentials are tiny and exciting to coo at. Guests can bring gifts for both the baby and the parent-to-be. If the expectant parent has a gift registry, guests can know exactly what they need. So, what gifts should you get for a baby shower?
If this is the first child, baby essentials are the best gifts. Items like clothing or nappy bags are a great go-to for guests to bring. If the expectant parent already has a child, they probably don’t need any more baby clothes or nursery decor. However, larger essentials such as a larger pram, new carrier, or capsule are excellent and much-needed baby shower gifts. A gift card from Baby Bunting is always a safe choice to suggest to guests.
Though baby showers tend to focus on the needs of the baby, don’t forget the parents! Pregnancy, postpartum and parenting essentials never go astray, and show you’re thinking of more than just the cute new baby that’s on the way. Giving birth is no easy task and gifts that can help postpartum recovery will be happily welcomed.
Baby showers are a lovely way to get the parent-to-be and their friends and family together before the birth of the new little one. These parties offer opportunities for expectant parents to receive gifts, helpful advice and parenthood tips. As a baby shower host, you can provide a place and time to celebrate the new baby and expectant parents. Start blowing up pink or blue balloons and enjoy the fabulous party you’re about to throw. As you plan, check out Baby Bunting to create a gift registry or get baby shower gift ideas for your guests.