Baby Shower Planning Guide - Brief Steps, Tips and Ideas

Want to put together a baby shower? Here is a brief baby shower planning guide to help you along.

Your closest friend announced her pregnancy several months ago, and you couldn't have been happier for her. "If you need anything, just let me know," you offered without a second thought after a congratulatory hug.

As the months go by, you've watched her belly grow, her ankles swell, and before you know it, she's only got weeks before she pops. One day, you get an e-mail from her husband. He explains that his sister was going to fly in and throw a shower for your friend, but she had to cancel.

He asks you, "Would you mind throwing a baby shower for her?" You think, "Me? Throw a shower? I don't even know where to begin," but you are a great friend, and your reply is, "Sure, I'd love to." You click send, and then wonder what you've gotten yourself into, asking yourself "Okay, where do I begin?"

First of all, pin your gold star for being "Friend-of-the-Year" on your collar and wear it proudly - throwing a shower isn't a small task for anybody! Don't worry, though, with this simple baby shower planning guide and a little personal creativity, anyone can throw a stunning shower on nearly any budget - even in a time crunch.

First point in this baby shower planning guide - you want decide on the type of shower you're throwing. Is this simply a few girl friends having an intimate tea party with cake and gifts? Perhaps a more typical shower, with dozens of guests of varying degrees of family and friends, where you play silly games and give corny prizes? Or maybe it's a couples' affair, and you'll be catering to guests of either gender? Whatever you decide at this point can help determine a lot of the little details later. So put your thinking cap on, and lay out the foundation for the shower: Party Type.

Next in this baby shower planning guide, you'll need to figure out the invitations. You'll need to use what you've just decided to determine who is invited, and a general theme for your party, as well.

A tea party, for instance, would probably be best suited to fifteen to twenty guests maximum. You'll need to whittle down her friend / family list for this type of gathering. For a more traditional shower, it would be safe to invite as many guests as the mother-to-be would like, keeping in mind that a small percentage of people invited will probably just mail their gift or send money. For a couples shower, the number of people invited really is determined by the location of the party.

What else can you learn from this baby shower planning guide? When writing invitations, you'll need to be specific on a few different things. First, let your guests know if your guest-of-honor has learned the sex of the baby yet. That way, they know whether to bring pink, blue, or gender neutral-themed gifts.

You'll also want to put any special requests on the invitation. For example, you may want your guests to come in formal attire for the tea party, or you might be asking each guest to the traditional shower to bring a covered dish to share for snacks. Maybe you want each couple to remember to bring their bathing suits to the backyard barbeque you'll be hosting - nobody wants to miss out on the opportunity to take a dip in the pool or hot tub!

Have you found this baby shower planning guide useful so far?

The last aspect concerning invitations is the request for an RSVP. It may seem tedious, but it is very helpful for the host of a shower to know who is coming and who isn't. This is key for preparing food, seating arrangements, and supplies for games and prizes.

Give your guests more than one way to RSVP to the event - provide them with a phone number or an e-mail address to reach you. Once your invitations are complete, send them right away. You want to mail your invitations out at least 2 to 4 weeks prior to the event.

Next up in this baby shower planning guide - now, it's time to plan the actual event.

Plan on it lasting approximately two hours, and that is taking into account 20 to 30 minutes for snacking and chatting, as well as 30 minutes or so for opening gifts, depending on the number of guests. That leaves just over an hour of time you need to fill.

This baby shower planning guide suggests that a good place to start is a few minutes for introductions, in the event that your guests don't all know one another. Starting with yourself, have each person at the party say their name and how they know the mother-to-be.

Another great thing to include would be some games. Carry out a little bit of research online and you'll find hundreds of options.

If you've got a little bit more time, another great way to occupy time and keep the guests having fun is to decorate onesies. Before the shower, buy several sets of plain white onesies in varying sizes, from newborn to twelve months, and some fabric markers and other decorations. Each guest gets one, and voila! - mama has several cute, personal, hand-designed onesies for baby - what a supplement to the wardrobe already!

What could be left to discuss in this baby shower planning guide? FOOD! You'll want to have some snacks for sure, and depending on what time of the day the event is, possibly a meal.

You'll need to decide beforehand if you'll be asking the guests to contribute to the food table, or if you'll be tackling this on your own. Your guest-of-honor is likely to want a baby-themed cake and some kind of sparkling punch.

Finally, the last point in this baby shower planning guide - decide before the party if you'll be handing out favors. Favors can be a great way to express gratitude from the guest-of-honor and provide every guest with a memento. These favors can range from a bag of candies shaped like bottles, tied with pretty ribbons, to something like a manicure gift set for each guest. Depending on your budget, you've got hundreds of options. A little research and creative insight will go a long way.

Now, using this baby shower planning guide, you've officially got all the information you'll need to throw a successful pre-baby bash for your friend. Wipe that sweat off your brow and wear that gold star proud!

Other than this brief baby shower planning guide, you can obtain a lot more information on organizing baby showers through the other related articles and pages on this website.

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