Baby showers tips & tricks

If you’ve hosted several baby showers before, you’ve likely come across situations where the one of the people you’re considering inviting has either lost a baby or is infertile, etc. And you may be at a loss to figure out if you should call them for the event.

There’s a simple etiquette rule you can follow in all such cases.

And that is, “Ask”. Before you send an invite in the mail, call her up and speak to her about the upcoming shower and ask if she would want to attend. Some may not be up to attending a baby shower – that might evoke painful memories. Others may be perfectly fine with showing up.

And the only way you can know is by asking. Don’t just shoot off an invitation in the mail.

Often, even if she doesn’t want to attend, she may want to send a gift across. So again you should definitely talk to her and find out.

Etiquette made easy for baby showers

Your invites are the first intimation most guests have of your baby shower. That’s why you need to make sure they convey the right impression!

You’ll find a page here on what to write in invites for baby showers . It covers the seven things you should include.

Here’s a special tip – make sure the invitation is very clear about exactly who is being invited. Because there are all kinds of baby showers – those where only expectant mommy’s closest friends are being invited, co-ed showers, showers where spouses and kids are invited, and so on. So the invitation should be specific about this.

More on shower invitations

Baby showers are essentially gift giving occasions, although it is of course a lot more to it than just that. What do you need to keep in mind about gifts?

First of all, if mommy-to-be is registering for gifts, make sure she registers at only one place. This will avoid confusion and problems like two or more guests bringing along identical gifts.

When registering for gifts or giving gift suggestions when invitees call to RSVP, do include gifts at a variety of price points. Don’t stick to just low value or high value gifts. And it is fine to suggest that two or more guests can get together to buy a relatively expensive item.

Make sure you get a gift for daddy. Even if it’s not a co-ed shower. After all, it’s his baby too!

Most importantly, if there are older siblings, make sure they receive a gift each. Older ones tend to feel left out with the new baby on the way – so this is an important gesture if you’re holding a baby shower.

Tips for gifts at baby showers

At baby showers, you might sometimes have guests who speak languages other than English. One of my friends recently hosted a shower where many guests were English speaking while several others spoke Portuguese. She wanted to have games at the shower. But how do you play games when everyone does not speak the same language?

Well, she came up with a unique, creative solution.
(more…)

Here’s a simple game you can play at baby showers. Create a nametag for each guest who’s coming to the event. On the tag, write down the relationship that guest has to the unborn baby.
(more…)

As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s pretty easy to create baby showers decorations without breaking the bank! I’ve a page on decorations where you’ll find useful ideas for sprucing up your shower venue at low cost.
(more…)

A surprise baby shower can be a wonderful thing for mommy-to-be! She’ll be thrilled to suddenly realize that she’s walked into a special event – put up entirely for her! How do you go about it?
(more…)

Thinking of having games at your baby shower? It’s usually a neat idea, because it gets guests interacting with each other and having real fun. Here’s a twist to make your games more interesting.
(more…)

Here’s a terrific favor idea for baby showers. Get small baby bottles and a supply of jellybeans. Fill up the bottles with jellybeans. Procure lovely gift bags made of tulle or other material to package this cute favor in. Want to make it even more interesting? Here’s how.
(more…)

This is a fairly common question about baby showers. You often have situations where all guests are well known to the hostess. And the hostess wonders if it is ok to ask each guest to bring along a dish to share at the shower. The hostess, of course, will prepare / arrange for a main item or two.
(more…)

Try to make your baby shower just a bit different from the norm! For example, instead of holding a shower in the afternoon, which is the usual scene, have a morning celebration. A sort of a “Baby, welcome to the world breakfast”.
(more…)

This is a very silly but amusing baby shower game. Before the shower, get a supply of large paper bags, the type you get at grocery stores. Read on for more details…
(more…)