Baby Shower Planning Checklist from our merchant BabyShowerGamesAtoZ.com
...great tips whether you
purchase any of the products or not.
Planning A Baby Shower What's Expected? So, to help you make sure you throw the best baby shower
ever, we've put together this four-week baby shower planning guide. The
next few sections will cover the following: Want a portable version of this guide? Print out our
quick-and-easy Baby Shower Checklist! Week 1: Organizing A Baby Shower Of course you can throw in some more games, mix things up,
leave things out, it's all up to you! Putting Together the Guest List Whether or not to invite children is another matter for
consideration. If the baby-to-be already has a brother or sister, then
inviting other kids might be a great way to get them involved in
celebrating their new sibling. Depending on how old the older siblings
are, they might be able to lead the other kids in activities. Seven is
about the right age. This way, they'll feel as though they are included in
hosting responsibilities. Or, you might even consider hiring a babysitter
for the event. Picking a Location Week 2 & 3: Invitations &
Entertainment Themes Games
Invitations Let's Go Shopping!
Menu and Beverages The time of day can also help you decide on what to serve.
For a mid-morning baby shower, you could serve coffee and tea with
pastries. Or for the afternoon, you can grill up some lunch with cake and
punch for dessert, or go lighter with finger foods soch as
mini-sandwiches. Later afternoon could include chips and dip or vegetables
and hummus. Want more ideas? There are over 100 baby shower recipes
included with the Deluxe Planning and Games Kit. Week 4: Final Details Finalize Menu and Go Shopping Confirm Reservations Extras Day Of: Time to Celebrate! For more information, be sure to get our
FREE e-book, Baby Shower Basics.
Getting ready to
throw a baby shower for your best friend, daughter, sister or even
brother? We've got everything right here to help you get organized. We
have checklists and guest lists ready to print out, even a free gift track
to help with those post-party thank you notes! Our only advice? Set aside
four weeks for planning, sending invitations, and purchasing supplies.
Back in the day, baby showers
were thrown by friends, not relatives...and men were never invited to
partake in the festivities! However, times have changed, and many
parents-to-be, family members and friends are throwing baby showers, and
everyone's invited! Baby showers are a celebration of life and family, and
in fact, these days it's not uncommon to have more than one baby shower,
especially if the parents-to-be have a large family or several close
friends.
You're
throwing a baby shower! How exciting. There are several decisions you'll
need to make in the early stages of planning, so we'll walk you through
each one and provide a ton of tips and hints to help out. To get started,
here is a sample schedule you can use for your baby shower:
Traditionally
you would invite only women to a baby shower, from both sides of the
family, the mom-to-be's girlfriends, and of course, the mom-to-be. Times
have changed however, and potential invitees could be the dad-to-be,
grandpa-to-be, and anyone else! The real question is, what kind of baby
shower do you want to throw? Is it women only? Will the parents-to-be have
another baby shower for family only? If so, you might consider hosting a
friends-only baby shower. Another popular trend is to host a co-ed couples
baby shower.
Once you have a general idea
of the number of guests, start compiling venue options. Traditionally,
baby showers have taken place in the home of the hostess. However, it's
also good to broaden your scope. Consider a restaurant, a park picnic, a
reception hall, or even a day at the spa with a catered lunch!
Now that the guest list is in place and you know
where you're going to host the baby shower, it's time to pick a theme and
get the invitations out!
Themes serve as inspiration for
decorations and games, invitations, favors and even the food. Click here to see one of our favorite
resources for Baby Shower Themes. There are about 50 different baby shower
theme ideas to help get you started. Themes can be as simple as a color
scheme like blue and white if you know the parents-to-be are having a boy,
or pink and white for a girl. A theme also makes shopping for supplies a
breeze! For example, if you are using a Rubber Duckies theme, you'll pick
the invitations with the ducks, duck decorations, a baby bath centerpiece
filled with water and floating rubber ducks, small rubber duck favors, and
yellow foods. Fun right?
Baby Shower games are typically done with
groups of people who may not know each other very well, so they serve to
break-the-ice and set the mood for your shower. If you are thowing a theme
baby shower, games can revolve around the theme. Pick about 3 games for a
2-hour shower. Here are some of our favorites. For more ideas, be sure to
check out BabyShowerGamesAtoZ.com.
How's that guest list looking? Now
is the time to finalize the guest list to allow enough time to mail the
invitations, and to allow the guests time to clear their schedules and
find that perfect gift. Invitations to any baby shower are the guests'
first clue as to the style and/or theme of the baby shower. You can even
design and print your own invitations, using the Invitation Generator that
comes with this Deluxe Planning and Games Kit. Using that
tool, you simply pick the front cover and enter the details, print it out
on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, fold into quarters and send! The benefit of making
your own invitations is that you have unlimited printouts! Make a mistake
on one, no problem, just print out another!
There are two rounds of
shopping. First we'll pick up invitations, party favors and decorations.
In our second round, closer to the actual baby shower, we'll pick up food
and beverages. Need ideas for baby shower favors? One of our favorites are
tealights personalized with the date of the baby shower. These cute,
brushed aluminum 24-hour tea lights can be personalized in black, gold or
silver ink. Another fun idea is to give out personalized bud vases. Both
of these items make great keepsakes without breaking the bank. You should
also pick up some items to use as prizes for the winners of your Baby
Shower games. Gifts such as frames, compact mirrors, or small jewelry
boxes work well as prizes.
Start thinking about what you
are going to serve. You don't need to finalize everything, but you do want
to havea n idea. Need suggestions? Finger foods set around the room work
great and will encourage guests to mingle. Use food to carry on the theme.
If your guest of honor has a favorite color, or if the shower theme
revolves around a color, choose foods with the same color.
It's almost time!
You've organized, planned, shopped, and now there are just a few days left
to the big event!
Now is the time to
finalize what you are going to serve at the baby shower. Write down all
the ingredients, beverages, and placesetting needs that you might have and
let's hit the grocery store. Now's also the time to take inventory on what
you might be missing. Need any extra film or decorations that may have
been left out on the first round of shopping?
If you have reservations
for a baby shower venue, call and re-confirm. Ensure that the venue has
enough chairs, tables and dishes, and that you'll be let in early enough
to set up any decorations.
Here are some other ideas that you might
want to take care of in this last week before the baby shower:
There are
always a few loose ends to tie up on the day of. Best thing to do is make
a list. And don't forget to put picking up any balloons or last minute
decorations to that list. A tip for food, set the food around the room in
different spots. Put the chips on one side of the room and the beverages
on another. This will encourage your guests to mingle. 
