PLANNING A THEMED BABY SHOWER

By Mary McNeil

You find out your best friend is pregnant with her first baby…how exciting.  You want to be a good friend and help her in any way possible.  You even offer to throw her a baby shower.  She is thrilled and excited to be having a shower…. sharing her good news with her friends and family.  Now what?  Panic time?  No way…..

Baby showers are relatively easy and fun events to plan.  Don’t get overwhelmed with little details.  Remember, people really just want to come and relax, eat some good food, laugh and help celebrate the arrival of a new little one. 

The first thing you do is pick a theme.  Having a theme makes everything flow and it’s easier to plan that way.  Let’s say you want to do a zoo theme…it’s a very popular theme and so cute.  You can get (for example) either personalized monkey or giraffe invites—but you need plenty of lead time—or simple fill in ones with the cute zoo crew theme.   Get the invites out three weeks before and then you can think about food and games.  It’s cute if the food goes with the theme.  For a zoo theme a fruit salad would be perfect because many zoo animals eat fruit.  Since you are doing a healthier fare the fruit salad would go great with chicken or tuna salad sandwiches.  A yummy dessert is decorated giraffe or monkey sugar cookies. 

Don’t forget to order favors for your guests.  They are great to hand out as a thank you gift for coming and they also serve as a memento of the special day.  Personalized candy bar wrappers that go with the theme are as delicious as they are cute….but you can also find soaps, candle tins and lip balms that go with the theme. 

Diaper cakes are fun to have as a centerpiece on your table.  Again, the cakes can match the theme and the mom to be will appreciate the diapers once the little one arrives. 

I’d recommend using paper plates…so much easier clean up.  You can find matching cups, plates, napkins and even personalized banners that will go with any theme at www.jackandjillsbabyboutique.com.    

So, don’t worry when you are in charge….simply pick a theme and search for items that are useful and cute for your party.  It will be a blast and the mom to be will be very thankful for your efforts.