Need to plan a baby shower, but don’t want the stress? With proper planning, and some help from a few friends or family, you can create a very special day for the mother-to-be.
A baby shower is a gift to the ‘mother to be’, and a wonderful way to express your feelings toward her. This event can help the new parents prepare for the changes about to occur.
There are three basic tips I would share to help you plan the perfect shower. Select a theme, create a task list, and beg, borrow, and bride help from friends and family.
Let’s start with baby shower decorations. Party supply and stationary manufactures have done a great job in coming up with a wide variety of traditional, fun, and sentimental decorating patterns to help make your decorating job easy. Themes can help both the host, and the guests, in several ways. To start with, it helps the host come up with a decorating theme to make the event festive, and to make the expecting mother feel special.
How do you select the perfect theme? Think about the guest of honor. Is she expecting a boy or girl? Maybe twins are in the future. What is her personality? Will the “dads” be attending? Select a theme that you think best captures the spirit of the mom.
Next, you need to create your checklist for the shower. Around six weeks in advance, you should be selecting a location, confirming the date (make sure the date works for the guest of honor!), and developing a guest list. A budget will be extremely helpful in determining the type of event you want to host. Wonderful showers can be held on a limited budget if you plan carefully. Think about the cost(s) for your decorations, invitations, food, games, activities, and party favors. A sample set of task and budget worksheets and a variety of other planning tools are available in the baby shower planning section of many party supply websites.
Next, you can give thought to your food menu, the guest list, and possible activities. Try to get friends and family members of the guest of honor involved - you’ll find everyone wants to help “shower some love” on the expectant mother. As the host, you can develop a set of small tasks for friends to select from. Examples might be picking out a cake, filling out invitations, or picking up catering. To avoid confusion, try to be clear with everyone who is helping about any dietary issues, budget constrains, or timing requirements.
Five weeks in advance, purchase your invitations. Most places that sell baby shower decorations also sell other decorations including tableware (paper plates and napkins), balloons, banners, and games that match the theme for your event, that way you can order baby shower invitations that match your theme!
Four weeks out, make sure all your decorations, favors, centerpieces are ordered. This will give you time for them to be delivered. This is also a good time to check your pantry for your serving supplies. Put out the word to friends and family members who will be attending if you need to borrow any critical items (such as serving platters, punch bowls, tables, etc.)
21 days before the shower, check in with everyone who is helping out. Answer any questions, and make them feel appreciated!
Around 14 days ahead of time is a good time to make sure your cake has been ordered. Some bakeries may require as much as 45 days notice, so plan accordingly. You should also think about activities and games for your shower. Take another look at your check list to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
The week of the event, prepare in advance any food that can frozen. Confirm the attendee list to make sure you know the RSVP status of the invitees. Follow-up with everyone who is helping out to make sure they have everything under control.
Two days before is a great time to start the “wind-up” for the event. Thaw any frozen foods to be served. Rearrange the furniture, and clean the house. (If you are inviting people you don’t know and hosting the event at your home, don’t be afraid to put away any breakable items, and/or lock-up any valuables!)
On the day before the shower, remember to thaw any previously cooked and frozen items if they need it. Decorate the room, tables, and such.
On the day of the shower itself, purchase your fresh flowers, fill your balloons with helium, prepare any remaining food items, and take pictures of everything BEFORE the guests arrive so you and the guest of honor can remember everything in it’s perfect form. Take full advantage of your helpers by getting them to run errands that need to be run (such as getting balloons filled, or picking up catering items.)
Lastly, have FUN!