Baby Shower Hosting Tips and Advice

If you are reading this, chances are you are looking for baby shower menu ideas. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are no rules you have to follow.

Planning the menu for a baby shower is much like planning the menu for any other social event. It is a good idea to make your final choices dependent on the total number of guests who will be in attendance and whether or not the meal portion of the shower will be casual or a bit more formal.

If you decide to host a casual shower, which is by far the most traditional choice, consider a menu consisting of miniature sized foods. It’s a fun way to celebrate the upcoming birth of the newest miniature sized person, in your life.

There are many yummy recipes that can be scaled down, to miniature size, without a great degree of effort. Making a choice to serve smaller versions of popular baby shower munchies, allows you the opportunity to serve a wider variety of dishes than you would, otherwise.

Mini hamburgers are always a people pleaser. You can jazz up plain burger by mixing up your favorite meatloaf recipe and shaping them into small patties. They can actually be frozen until the day of the event. Mini hamburgers can be baked or fried and can be served on dinner rolls, which has been cut in half.

Pizzas are another great, scaled-down, baby shower menu idea. Pizza crust is really quite simple and inexpensive to make. You can bake several small pizzas, at once, on one large cookie sheet. Again, to save time on the day of the event, these can be pre-assembled and frozen until ready to bake.

For dessert, you might choose to make little cheesecakes, ice cream sandwiches, pie pockets or cupcakes. Mini cheesecakes and cupcakes can be made in miniature cupcake pan. Tiny ice cream sandwiches are very easy to make, by simply placing a small amount of ice cream between two small, wafer style, cookies. Freeze until firm.

Pie pockets or fried pies take a little longer to make but are more than worth the extra effort. Cut pie crust dough into 5 inch rounds. Place a heaping tablespoon of pie filling in the center of each round. Fold though in half, crimp edges with a fork and fry until light brown, in hot oil. Pies can be baked, as well. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, when pies have cooled.

These are just a few examples of yummy baby shower food ideas. Use them as a starting point to come up with your own, unique, menu.

Although there are no set in stone rules in regard to baby shower etiquette, there are many traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, which remain unchanged. So, these traditions are the ones that will probably come to mind when you decide to plan a baby shower around proper etiquette.

There is no official list of do’s and don’ts, when it comes to planning the event. You need to take into consideration things like the location of the shower, the number of guests who will be in attendance and whether or not the shower will take place before or after the baby is born.

As the rule, the hostess of the baby shower is usually a close friend, of the mother-to-be. However, it is certainly acceptable for a sister or sister-in-law to plan the celebration, as well.

Grandmothers should not take on hosting duties, simply because they should be considered guests of honor… right along with the expectant mother.

Etiquette tells us that it is also acceptable for two or more women to co-host the baby shower. This makes it easier on everyone involved, both financially and when it comes to getting stressed out, as the event draws near.

Traditionally, a baby shower was only held for the firstborn, in the family. This is because larger items such as car seats, strollers and highchairs were used for subsequent children as well. The same goes for clothing items, blankets, crib ensembles and more.

Because of today’s skyrocketing prices, it is much more commonplace to hold a baby shower for each child, in the family. Even though the mom-to-be has already acquired the larger items, she can never have enough diapers, formula, baby food and bath supplies.

If the mother-to-be is adopting, there is no reason why you shouldn’t hold a shower to celebrate the joyous event. After all she still needs all of the same things that any new mom needs.

Although, it is wise to wait until the baby has actually been placed in the home, before you celebrate. Sadly, many adoptions fall through because the birth mother changes her mind, at the very last minute.

Many dads feel left out, when they aren’t included in the baby shower festivities. Etiquette-wise there is nothing wrong with them attending the shower… at least for the last half hour or so.

It is not proper, however, for him to start loading gifts into the car before the guests leave, should the baby shower be held in a location other than his home.

Planning a baby shower location isn’t normally an issue. The most common location is the home of the Mom-to-be or the home of a friend or relative of the Mom-to-be… especially if they are hosting the shower.

There are occasions, however, when these locations are not suitable and/or convenient. Maybe the house is too small or the guest list too large. Maybe a more centralized location is required.

The next obvious places to consider are reception halls and houses of worship. Many times reception halls offer discounts to certain organizations in the community. Churches often provide a no cost reception area, to their members. It stands to reason that if you spend less for the actual building rental, you’ll have more money to spend on the shower itself.

When you are choosing a reception type building as a baby shower location, it is important to ask about any additional fees you might incur. If you are renting by the hour, will there be an extra fee if the shower lasts longer than anticipated? Are babysitting services available, in the event that adult guests want to attend the actual shower, without their children in tow? Is there a fee to use the tables and chairs? These are all questions to ask, BEFORE making a final decision to rent the space.

It never hurts to ask the owner or manager of the facility you will be renting if they have baby shower decorations, readily available. As silly as this sounds there is always a chance they will be able to accommodate you. Who knows… there is always the possibility that previous shower hosts decided to leave their decorations behind… it could happen.

If it’s within budget, you might want to consider renting a facility, which provides bakery and/or catering services. This option will save you the hassle of lugging food to and sometimes from the shower.

Always ask if there are any types of restrictions you need to be aware of, prior to making a rental commitment. Some establishments might not allow lit candles, confetti or other decorations that pose a safety hazard or are difficult to clean up.

Weather permitting you might consider choosing an outside location, in which to hold the shower. A park, a lake or even the zoo with a large picnic area are location worth considering. But be sure to have an alternative, indoor, baby shower location in mind in the event of inclement weather.

Let’s face it… a baby shower isn’t a baby shower without a cake. If you are planning a baby shower, read on to discover creative baby shower cake ideas.

Instead of a standard baby shower cake, consider making a cupcake cake. Cupcake cakes are typically found, for the most part, at wedding showers or receptions. They are inexpensive and creative alternatives to a traditional cake.

Cupcake cakes can really be as elaborate as you want them to be. Or if you are on a limited budget they can be quite simple, but still quite delicious.

You, of course, have the option of baking the cupcakes all in the same flavor or in as many flavors as you choose. Baking a variety of flavors will help to ensure that everyone will find something that they like. After all, not everyone likes chocolate, vanilla, banana, etc.

Again, you might choose to decorate each cupcake the same way or in a variety of ways. If the baby’s name has already been decided, you could somehow incorporate it into the decoration. For instance, you could write something like ‘Welcome Sweet Susie’ or ‘To Our Sweetest Billy’. You get the idea.

If you have a good idea in regard to the actual guests who will be attending, you might opt to decorate a customized cupcake for each one. You could even go a step further and take a picture of them, which can be sent home with each recipient.

There are a wide variety of tiered trays, which can be used to ‘construct’ your cake. Most of them have at least three trays… the biggest one at the bottom and the smallest at the top, with a medium sized tray in the middle.

They are made out of many different materials… everything from Styrofoam (which is made to be used once and then disposed of) to elegant crystal. The choice is up to you.

Another creative baby shower cake idea is a baby shower cheesecake. Most people love cheesecake and it’s a yummy change from a regular cake. Again, depending on the number of guests who will be attending the shower you may want to make one or two full-size cheesecakes or several miniature ones.

Regardless of the type of cake you choose to serve, there is still a possibility that there will be guests in attendance who don’t like it or can’t eat it. It is always a good idea to have something ‘on standby’, just in case.

A fresh fruit salad or even Jell-O are refreshing alternatives to traditional baby shower cake ideas. Bon appetit!

There are two schools of thought when it comes to sending out baby shower thank you cards. There are those who believe that there is no need to send out thank you notes, for any occasion, as long as the gift was opened in front of the giver, who has been thanked in person.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that thank you notes should be sent regardless of the occasion. When it comes time for you to send out thank you notes to the attendees of your baby shower, it is really up to you to decide how to handle the situation. Remembering, of course, to send out notes to gift givers who did not attend the event.

If you are creative you may decide to create your own baby shower thank you cards. However, you’ll probably want to do this before the baby arrives. If you have time, you can even create customized notes for the guests that you are certain will attend.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own thank you notes, chances are you can easily find a style, which fits your personality, at a very reasonable cost.

The most important thing to remember about writing proper baby shower thank you cards, for that matter, is to avoid being generic. It is almost as bad to send out a note that says… “Thank you for the generous gift”, than to send nothing at all.

In the event, you receive a gift which is non-returnable and of likelihood of its use questionable…there is still an acceptable response that is perfect for the situation. You do need to acknowledge the fact that the gift was personally selected for you and the baby.

You can say something like:

Dear Mary,
Thank you for the heartfelt (fill in the blank). I will think of you each time it is used
Love,
Susie

Never hand out generic thank you notes, at the close of the shower, in effort to save time. No guest wants to be made to feel that they are just another spoke, in the wheel. Even worse, your guests will never know just how much their specific gift was appreciated… especially if it’s an exceptionally great one!

It is important to try and mail out your baby shower thank you cards, as close to shower date as possible. Although, your guests will certainly understand if they don’t receive one right away it’s best to show your appreciation, in a timely manner.

What would a baby shower be without baby shower games? Sure, there would still be food and gifts and conversation… but let’s face it, baby shower games are just plain fun! Whether they are classic games that have been around for years or games that are quite unique, incorporating them into the party will only add to the celebration.

There are several things to take into consideration when planning games, for a baby shower. These include, but are not limited to: the number of guests, the actual location of the shower, whether or not children will be in attendance, the theme of the shower and whether or not the majority of guests know each other quite well or on more of an acquaintance-type level.

A classic baby shower game that is enjoyed by almost everyone (especially those with pack rat tendencies) is Things In Mommy’s Purse. This is a game that can be played individually or in teams of two or three. Game sheets, which consist of a list of items that can be in a purse, are distributed to everyone.

Allow everyone to dump their purse and compare the contents to the checklist. A prize is awarded to the person or team that has the greatest number of those items in possession. Maybe even a smaller purse or purses, as the case may be!

The next two ideas aren’t exactly baby shower games, but they are still a lot of fun. They work well in situations where the majority of guests aren’t really into the party game scene… like Grandma and Great Aunt Sally. They both end up resulting in extra gift for the parents-to-be, as well.

The first is a raffle. Simply purchase a prize or prizes. The quantity and price range will be dependant on the person in charge of the baby shower games. Create or purchase ready made baby shower raffle tickets. Sell the tickets to the shower attendees. Raffle off the prizes, in the traditional manner… the proceeds go to the guest of honor.

Another fun baby shower game idea is the 5 Minute Recipe Cards exchange. Ask each guest to bring a quick and easy recipe that takes only 5 minutes to prepare. Hand out recipe cards and have each guest transfer their recipe to the card. Award a prize to the person sharing the yummiest sounding recipe.

Now, let the baby shower games begin!