Having a baby shower plan is the FIRST STEP in turning a baby shower into an AMAZING baby shower!
And this is where we, and this page, comes in.
The usual process starts with a friend or a relative deciding to throw a shower for the mother-to-be, but we’ll assume that all that is done with, since you are here. This is usually done two months before mother-to-be is due, at the latest, although some do celebrate baby showers after the baby arrives. If the latter intrigues you, then the best time to have the shower is one month after the baby is born.
Just in case you’re wondering, more than one friend could throw a shower for the mother-to-be. Only make sure that you don’t unintentionally invite guests more than once!
Baby shower Timeline and Checklist
Creating a schedule and setting the milestones will come next. The good news is, you don’t have to create one yourself, since we have a standard checklist right here for you to print. Depending on your needs, you might want to customize it a bit before you print, since one or two might not apply in your case. Here’s our baby shower checklist in PDF format (download Adobe Reader from this site, if you don't have one).
Tip: To customize, just copy and paste the checklist contents to your favorite word processor.
Guest List
If you read the checklist, it starts with creating a guest list, where the number is usually at most 20. This would keep the occasion intimate for the mother-to-be and her guests. Make sure that you get mother-to-be’s two cents on who should appear on that precious guest list!
Location, Location, Location
When choosing a location on where to hold the baby shower, here are some points that one should consider:
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Cost – if in a restaurant, this will definitely be bigger than when held in someone’s house, though you will no longer worry about tables and chairs in the former.
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Food and drinks – if in a restaurant, this will most likely come with the package. Make sure that they make the right food type and taste that you prefer. If in someone’s house, you have to worry about this separately.
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Decorations – if in a restaurant, make sure that you could indeed do some decorating. Please check when this could be done. In someone’s home, setup a schedule with the owner on when you could start decorating (you must absolutely check our baby shower decoration ideas!). You could also take a look at our compiled list of theme-based supplies if it's sufficient for your different decoration needs.
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Accessibility – how easy or difficult is it for your guests to reach the place?
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Room size – in a restaurant, make sure that you are indeed allowed to perform shower activities, since there will definitely be loud music and voices. Also make sure that you have enough size so as not to cramp your guests.
Because of the above considerations, most baby shower throwers would rather hold their showers in someone’s home. That doesn’t mean you cannot hold your baby shower in a restaurant or a clubhouse, if that's what you prefer.
Shower Theme
Now, for the shower theme. First, decide on whether you want this to be a purely female shower, male only shower, a couples shower, and the like. This will dictate the shower theme that you will choose for the occasion. Having trouble what theme to choose? Our baby shower theme ideas will definitely help!
Invitation
The invitation plays a big role on this occasion. Aside from informing your guests that a shower is being thrown for mother-to-be, this is your main way of communicating what type of shower could your guests look forward to, what to wear, what to bring, etc. Our MUST-SEE baby shower cards are for first time and expert throwers alike!
Food and Drinks
Who says your theme should only be seen around the room where your shower is being held? If you check our theme-based baby shower menu , your guests will find out that they’re not just surrounded by your theme, it will even be part of the menu! We did promise that the theme will be everywhere from start to end, right?
What Happens in a Shower?
Greet guests – as your guests arrive, make sure that they know somebody in the room, so introduce them to other people. Happy guests is one of the major ingredients of an AMAZING baby shower. Don’t forget to ask them to sign your guest book!
Serve appetizers – as the guests trickle in, you could start serving them appetizers while they chat with other guests.
Games and activities – When most of the guests have arrived, you could start with the ice breakers and the different activities you prepared. Still clueless what to do? Our FUNtastic baby shower game ideas will definitely throw a different twist to your guests’ baby shower experience! If that's not enough, then BabyShowerGamesAtoZ might just provide you with the right printable games and materials.
Eating time! – After that FUNtastic activity, it’s now time to sit down, relax a bit, and eat. Watch your guests enjoy great tasting food, which showcase your theme in every bite!
Opening of gifts – Once all of your guests are settled with their food, the mother-to-be could start opening gifts. If chatting kinda stopped while this is going on, relax. Everyone is just so interested with what mother-to-be’s reaction to each gift she opens.
Still have no idea what gift to get? Browse through our cool gift suggestions and you might find just the right gift!
After the gift-opening – Some guests will usually stay up and do more chatting, while others may see this as time to depart. Either way, mother-to-be needs to be able to say goodbye to those leaving (now's the time to give your guests their baby shower favor), and at the same time, chat with her remaining guests.
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