Your best friend is having her first child and you want to throw her a baby shower! Stephanie, from Spaceships and Laser Beams is here to share some tips and ideas on how to shower your best friend!

  Party Planning Tips for a Baby Shower.

A new baby on the way and you’re the one hosting the baby shower! Where do you start? If you already know the party location, there are five elements to plan: invites, decorations, menu choices, games/activities, and favors. Frame your thoughts, make a list and you’re on track for party planning!

Decide a Baby Shower Theme

Deciding on a theme will give a pleasing cohesiveness to the entire party. There are so many theme options! To narrow down choices, I’ve found it helpful to consider if the focus is to be on new mom and her preferences or baby and childhood delights. Also determine how casual or elegant you want to make the gathering. Send invitations via the postal service, if possible. “Real” mail is a rarity these days so a fun invitation is gladly received. Use the invite to give your guests a glimpse of the good time you have planned.

Baby Shower Decoration Ideas

Your decorations don’t have to be elaborate to be effective but they will certainly contribute to the mood of your festivities. Give guests a visual welcome with banners, a wreath or something that relates to your theme and it will pull them into your celebration. Concentrate decorations on the main food tables and the gift table. In a more casual gathering, two or three decorative elements arranged around the seating area add to the party.

Plan Your Baby Shower Menu

Use your theme to help decide on a menu, too. For example, an elegant English tea would offer lighter fare and quite a different menu than a sports themed bash. Whatever direction you choose, finger foods and easy to eat items are always appreciated. There are lots of games to play at baby showers. Craft activities have become popular options, too. Whatever you choose to do to encourage girl talk and laughter, have enough materials for everyone to participate and make sure you know how to give clear directions for your activities. Sending guests home with a favor is a sweet way to say “thanks for coming”. This is another area where you don’t have to be extravagant to make the gesture special, but pretty ribbon or cute hang tags can add a lot to your parting gift. Organizing details for a baby shower takes effort, but it’s a sweet kind of labor that will always be remembered!