How to Plan the Perfect Baby Shower: Checklist

So I know having a baby shower can be a little bit like Marmite for a lot of people; you either love it or you hate it. I think for us Brits it can be a bit more in the ‘hate it’ camp as it can be quite an American thing. I for one am in the love it camp, though! I like any excuse to plan a celebration and if it is for a friend expecting a new baby then all the better. I have planned quite a few in my time, and attended quite a few others too. I was very lucky that friends threw me showers before each of my two children were born. I think that is quite a rare thing so feel grateful for those friends of mine.

If you are pregnant, or have a friend that is, then here are some tips for planning a pretty awesome baby shower, if I say so myself!

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Three months in Advance

  • Speak to the mother-to-be (or arrange with her partner if it is going to be surprise)
  • Se the date and time, once you know what will work best for the guest of honour
  • Gather together a guest list
  • Choose a location from the shower
    • Often it will be at someone’s home but it could be at a restaurant, hotel function room, or somewhere like a church hall
    • Think about the catering. If it is somewhere like a hotel, there might be package included for the food. If not, will you be doing the food yourself? If not, who will you hire? You could always visit Flavours Catering for some ideas about costs, so you can weigh up the options

Two Months in Advance

  • Choose a theme. There are plenty of cute ideas online before. I have done some with the theme of ‘Ready to Pop’, having things like popcorn and plenty of balloons, and ‘Mother-to-Bee’ which was a yellow and black theme. It worked well as they didn’t know the sex of the baby and little bumblebees are cute for decorations.
  • Send out the baby shower invitations
  • Plan some games
    • I hate the cringe games of ‘tasted melted chocolate in a nappy’ so I tend to just do a few baby related quizzes. Then you can spend time opening gifts, eating and mingling. So it is up to you and the mum-to-be!

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One Month in Advance

  • Decide on decorations and make or gather all that you need, in plenty of time
  • Write yourself a shopping list for anything you need to get in the run up to the big day

One Week in Advance

  • Check on anyone that hasn’t sent an RSVP. You might need to confirm final numbers with the location
  • Order flowers if needed
  • Wrap gifts
  • Make any last minute decorations that you need
  • Check you have all of the things you need (tablecloths, centrepieces, bunting etc)

On the Day

  • Pick up the flowers
  • Check on the mum-to-be. Makes sure that she is feeling well and will be coming along. Speak to her partner if it is a surprise
  • Make or collect a cake or other treats if they aren’t being catered
  • Decorate the location and get everything set up for the games and
  • Turn up early! As host you need to be the first one there
  • Enjoy the shower!

Have you been to many baby showers before? I’d love to hear about them.

Linking up to KCACOLS.

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