Ashley’s Baby Shower

Keep it simple, but fun. Plan your baby shower to have three parts so you can move from one
part to the other easily. For instance, plan to have socializing and games in the beginning, then
appetizers or snacks and then presents. 

Decide:
Date/Location
Guests
Invitations
Games
Food
Favors
Decorations
Gift List
Thank Yous
Pictures
 

Date/Location
Keep the timing around the two-hour. Start the shower no later than 15 minutes after the
scheduled time.

Guest List/ Invitations

Determine how many invitations you will need and who you want to invite. Make sure to send
out invitations 3-4 weeks before the shower date. Make sure to indicate the address of the
shower, the phone number of the hostess where she can be reached that day, and that it IS A
SURPRISE.

Decide on the menu

Make a big pot of sloppy joes or meatballs. For the rest of the food, put out a variety of snacks
and desserts. Finger foods are easy and they allow people to eat while they watch the expecting
mother open gifts. Prepare either a fruit or fresh vegetable tray and serve with a dip. Cake is a
baby shower staple. A cheesecake sampler is a good alternative to your standard cake,
especially for a small number of guests. These are found in most supermarket bakeries. You can
round out your shower menu with small snack items such as assorted cubed cheeses and
crackers. Make sure to have enough drinks for every person- this can include water, sodas, and
punch prepared using sherbet and ginger ale.
Games:
Try to limit the shower games to 2-3 total. Whatever you do, try to keep game times under 5
minutes with an explanation of 30 seconds to 1 minute in length. A mix of active and written
games is good.

Or, rather than playing games, have guests share their advice or memories. Ask each guest to
write her top piece of new-baby advice or a special memory of her relationship with the mom-
to-be on an index card when she arrives. Collect the cards and present them to the mom-to-be
at the end of the shower in something she can use for the baby, such as a new diaper bag or a
storage basket.

 
Favors
Prizes can be inexpensive items such as candles, scented lotions, boxes of candy, or picture
frames. 
 
Decorations
Streamers and helium balloons around the room and on the gift/refreshment tables are very
festive and inexpensive to do yourself. Baby playthings such as rubber duckies or stuffed
animals make great decorative accents to place around the room. Be sure to provide the
mother-to-be with her own special chair next to the gifts and mark it by tying a unique balloon
to it. For a centerpiece start with an inexpensive basket in natural, white, or another color that
matches the shower colors. Place a stuffed animal into the basket and then place a baby bottle
or rattle in front of the animal. Attach a decorative bow to the the basket handle and tie 4-5
asst pastel helium balloons to the top of the basket handle. Place the decorated centerpiece in
the middle of the refreshment or punch table and sprinkle around some baby shower confetti.

Gift List
It is a great idea to have a good piece of paper and pen ready to record the guest name and
matching gift. Have one person writing down the name of the gift-giver, and another person
passing the honoree the gifts and things will flow smoothly. This will also ensure that the mom-
to-be will have accurate information when it is time to write her thank you notes. Display the
gifts on a table so people can come up and take a closer look after they are all opened.
 
 
Thank You’s - Have all the guests, upon arrival, fill out the envelope with the address where
their thank you note will be mailed. This will save time for the mom-to-be when she is writing
her notes.

Pictures - Designate yourself or close friend as the official photographer. Take pictures of
everything - the food, decorations, gifts and the guests.
Need: