How to Host a Successful Baby Shower

A close friend or family member is having a baby and you want to host a memorable baby shower for them, but you’re low on ideas. Here are some ideas to help you plan for the special day.

Decide who will be involved in hosting the shower. Organize a group of people and decide who will be in charge of keeping the shower planning on-track. The main host of the shower should be a friend and not a family member, as etiquette dictates, but family may certainly be actively involved in the entire process. Good communication is essential to success. The "lead planner" should coordinate with the expectant parents and determine the best date for the shower. Most people throw baby showers in close proximity to the due date of the baby, but don't wait too long as some babies do come early. At least one month before the due date should be fine as it allows time for the parents to evaluate the gifts they receive and determine which ones to keep and what they will still need to buy for the baby.

Keep all receipts for the money that everyone involved in hosting the party spends on the shower so that all expenses can be equally divided. Choose the cutest invitations you can find and try to decide on an overall theme for the shower. Knowing the sex of the baby in advance is helpful, but not required. Buy a bouquet of balloons and enough separate balloons to tie in strategic locations throughout the shower. Be sure to have enough balloons to tie a few to the mailbox in front of the house where the shower will be held. Request a guest list with mailing addresses from the expectant parents and mail the invitations no later than six weeks before the event. Include an RSVP as it will help you to plan the necessary food and refreshments more carefully.

Arrange several activities for the shower and have a few back-ups just in case the shower lasts longer than expected. Some fun games to play are baby trivia, unscrambling words that refer to baby terms, writing cute messages on diapers for the baby, and creating custom outfits for the baby using white onesies and fabric paint. If the shower includes both men and women, have two baby dolls and some props, like diapers, clothes, bottles, etc. and make the men try to care for the baby while the women shout instructions to them. Simulate all of the distractions that would normally happen during the day, like preparing a meal, a phone ringing, or a visitor at the door. This is almost always amusing.

Set up for the shower early in the day to allow time for someone to go pick up anything that was overlooked. The day of the shower should be fun and completely stress-free for the hosts, the expectant parents, and the guests. While the expectant parents are opening gifts, have someone write the names of the gifts as well as the gift givers on a sheet of paper. This will be a great help to the couple when it's time to write thank you notes. After the shower, each host should total the amounts that they spent and report them to the lead planner. They can determine who owes money and who gets a refund.


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