A baby shower is one of the really fun and memorable parts of the third trimester of pregnancy! It’s the best way to celebrate the new mom and baby. Plus who doesn’t love to see all of the baby gifts be unwrapped?!
Whether you are the mom-to-be or her family or friends, you might be wondering how to throw a baby shower that people actually enjoy and rave about.
Throwing a baby shower doesn’t have to be stressful if you have the right plan in place. And as a mom of two, I know a thing or two about planning baby showers.
This post breaks down the exact step by step baby shower checklist I recommend you follow and should answer all of your questions about how to throw a baby shower.
It includes some unique baby shower ideas, talks about how many baby shower games you should have, includes easy baby shower food, options for baby shower decorations, gives examples of some of the best baby shower favors, and so much more!
The third trimester may feel never ending at times but a baby shower is one of the bright spots and always so much fun for the mom-to-be as well as the guests!
This post is all about how to throw a baby shower.
How to Throw A Baby Shower
First things first, let’s talk about the difference between a baby shower and a baby “sprinkle”.
- A baby shower is typically thrown for a couple expecting their first baby.
- A baby sprinkle is a type of baby shower that is usually thrown to celebrate a mom’s second child. Oftentimes a baby sprinkle is celebrated if the second child is a different gender than the first but that is not always the case.
A big difference between a baby shower and baby sprinkle can be the gifts that are given.
For a couple’s first baby and baby shower, guests purchase gifts from a big baby registry. This usually includes a wide range of items such as bottles, nursery gear, stroller, car seat, baby swing, and so much more.
For a baby sprinkle celebrating a second child, there may or may not be a baby registry given the parents most likely have a lot of the major items they need. Instead of a big registry, parents usually receive diapers, wipes, a few outfits and any basic items that they do not already have.
1- Create Guest List
This should be your #1 focus to start. The guest list determines how big or small of a venue you need, the amount of food to prepare, how many favors to buy, and so much more.
If you are not the mom-to-be, make sure you run the baby shower guest list by her or have her make a list so you know exactly who to invite.
2- Choose a Date
Baby showers are typically held during the third trimester of pregnancy or about four to six weeks before the baby’s due date.
This allows for plenty of time to have the event before you go into labor. Plus, this gives the parents plenty of time to purchase any additional baby items they did not receive at the shower but still need.
3- Select a Venue
Once you have the amount of guests and the date, it’s time to decide where you want to throw the baby shower.
This part will require a little research and probably a few phone calls but the options are endless!
You can consider hosting the baby shower in a restaurant, hotel, country club, park, beach, or other event space. And if it’s a smaller crown, you might also want to consider your home or backyard (depending on the season).
Each space will come with pros and cons but ultimately it’s up to you on the vibe that you want for the day. I just recommend picking a place where you can fully enjoy the event.
4- Decide on a Baby Shower Theme
Whether you want a unique baby shower theme or want to keep it as simple as possible, I purposely recommend thinking about this step now because it could impact the appetizers and baby shower food that you serve.
Some baby shower themes you can consider include:
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Animal
- Jungle
- Floral
- “Baybee”
- Nautical
- Little cutie (with little oranges)
- Taco Bouta Baby (taco inspired)
- Trucks/Trains
- Rainbow
- Winnie the Pooh
Along with a theme, you will want to start brainstorming the baby shower decorations you want to use. The theme may also tie into the baby shower favors you purchase as well.
5- Create Baby Shower Invitations
Now that you have chosen the venue and theme, it’s time to send out the baby shower invitations to your guest list!
Baby shower invites are usually printed and mailed but can also be sent digitally. Either way, there are a lot of different options for customizing the invitations.
Shutterfly and Minted are two of my favorite websites to use for pretty much any card or invitation. Etsy also offers hundreds of unique baby shower invitation designs as well.
Regardless of which design you choose, make sure you include the following important information:
- Mother’s name or parents’ names
- Shower date, time and location
- A request to RSVP and contact information
- Baby registry information (name of store(s) or exact link)
- Other information (ex. gender of baby if known)
The invitations should be sent out three to six weeks before the baby shower to give the guests enough time to respond and purchase a gift.
6- Select the Food To Be Served
If you are having the baby shower at a restaurant, you may have already selected the menu for the event. But if it is at your home or a park, you will need to plan out exactly what you want to serve and/or talk to a caterer.
You will want to consider appetizers, the main meal and the dessert as well as an drinks to be served.
Brunch is very popular for a baby shower but not the only option. If you’re having the shower at a restaurant, do you want it to be a sit down meal or buffet? Do you want a mimosa bar or a cash bar? There is a lot to consider.
And you can’t forget the dessert! This can be a cake, cupcakes or other kind of dessert from a local bakery. Or if you are hosting the baby shower at a restaurant, the restaurant may have desserts you can choose from!
7- Buy Baby Shower Decorations
You thought about it earlier but now is the time to purchase any baby shower decorations you will need. You can get really creative here or keep it simple. Pinterest is a really great place to look for ideas too!
You will want to consider:
- Table centerpieces
- Any balloons or hanging decorations
- Themed plates, bowls, cups and silverware
- Basket for cards
- Personalized signs or small note to attach to favors
8- Choose Baby Shower Games
I recommend you choose about two to three games to play during the baby shower. Usually one or two of those games are being played while the mom-to-be is opening gifts and the others are ongoing during the event.
Popular Baby Shower Games Include:
- Pacifier hunt
- Baby registry bingo
- Don’t say the word “baby”
- Wishes for the Parents to Be
- Who Knows Mommy Best?
- Baby Bingo
- What’s in your purse?
- Diaper raffle
You will also want to purchase prizes for the winners of the baby shower games. Some prizes I have seen done are candles, wine bottles, gift baskets and gift cards but feel free to get creative!
9- Order Baby Shower Favors
This is definitely one of the baby shower essentials you need. I always recommend something practical but fun and not too expensive, especially if you have a bigger guest list.
You can also keep your theme in mind when selecting a favor but that doesn’t have to restrict you if you find something unrelated that you like.
Examples of baby shower favors with cute sayings on them:
- Mini champagne bottles – “Pop it when she pops”
- Mini succulents – “Love makes little things grow” or “Watch me grow”
- Small bag of popcorn – “Popping with excitement”
- Bath bomb – “Girls/Boys are the bomb”
- Cake pops – “Hugs and kisses – thanks for the baby wishes”
10- Finalize Everything
During the week leading up to the baby shower, you will want to make sure everything is set and ready to go.
First, finalize everything with your vendors. Confirm guest count, any catering/bakery or balloon orders, pick up times, payments, special requests and anything else that needs to be taken care of.
You will also want to gather all of your decorations, favors, etc in one place. This will make the day of the baby shower feel so much more organized and less stressful.
11- Arrive Early To Set Up
Plan to arrive at the baby shower location early to set up the decorations, put out the food and get ready yourself. You will feel so much better to get everything set up well before any guests start to arrive.
I also recommend taking a few pictures of the location all set up and decorated before the guests arrive. Your hard work has paid off and you will be so happy looking back on these pictures!
12- Enjoy the event!!!
Throwing a party like this takes a lot of work and can be overwhelming at times – there are a lot of baby shower essentials to remember – but now is the time to finally enjoy yourself.
My Baby Shower + Baby Sprinkle
As a mom of two, I know a thing or two about pregnancy, babies and planning baby showers. I figured it would be fun to share a little glimpse into my baby showers and share some pictures as well.
For my first baby, I had a baby shower in a private room at a restaurant and for my second baby, my mom hosted my baby sprinkle at her house. Both were so much fun and really memorable moments for me during pregnancy.
Overall, I kept both showers very simple and because I knew I was having boys, I went with a blue theme. This included blue hydrangeas for centerpieces and blue cake pops for favors, which were a huge hit by the way!
I opted for no baby shower games (because I’m just not the biggest fan of them) but it left plenty of time to mingle with all of the guests and no one seemed to mind that they weren’t playing a baby shower bingo game while I was opening gifts.
For my first baby shower, I chose the menu for the day beforehand and the restaurant handled everything including drinks and dessert. My second baby shower was a little more work given it was being hosted at home but it was also a smaller crowd. We opted for an assortment of brunch foods, which were served buffet style.
I put together a baby registry for both showers but the list I put together for my first child was much larger. For my second baby, we didn’t need a lot but wanted a double stroller and some smaller items like nail clippers, a second sound machine, and a second humidifier. We also received plenty of diapers and wipes which came in handy!
This post was all about how to throw a baby shower.