A baby shower is a fun way to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new baby, and is usually hosted by a friend or relative of the expectant mother. When it comes to decorating for the event, there are plenty of fun options, each one more charming than the last. To plan the perfect baby shower decorations, all you need is a little time and creativity. Start with step 1 below to find some helpful decorating ideas, tips, and advice for a unique and memorable baby shower.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Make a Plan
Step 1. Decide where the baby shower will take place
Before you start planning, you need to decide where the baby shower will take place. Knowing how much space is available and what facilities you have will help you plan your decoration.
- Baby showers are often held at the expectant mother's home, as this makes it more convenient and comfortable for her (especially if she is several months pregnant). This gives you quite a few decorating opportunities, but you may need to discuss your ideas with the expectant mother and her partner, especially if you plan to do something crazy!
- If you're hosting a restaurant baby shower, be aware that some restaurants will put a limit on how much you can decorate or rearrange the furniture, so be sure to speak with the manager before making plans.
Step 2. Choose a topic
Having a baby shower theme can help you focus your ideas and make the decor look professional and well planned. The theme you choose is entirely up to you, but here are some ideas:
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Jungle theme:
A jungle or safari theme is popular for baby showers, where the room is decorated in a mix of greens and yellows, plus stuffed lions, monkeys, and elephants.
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Movies theme:
Choose the favorite movie from the future mother's childhood and use it as the theme of the party. For example, a Wizard of Oz themed party may have a "yellow brick road" leading to the party venue, which may be decorated in green by the Emerald City. You can even give the mother some comfortable ruby chapines upon arrival!
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Fair or circus theme:
a carnival or circus theme could be decorated in bright colors, have popcorn and cotton candy machines, and games like hoop tossing and rubber duck races.
Step 3. Choose a color scheme
If a theme seems to take too much effort, you can simply choose a color scheme for your décor.
- Sticking to a particular color scheme can help you focus your event planning, making it easy for you to choose the color of decorations, from tablecloths and napkins, flowers and candles, to cakes and confetti.
- You can go for a classic theme of "It's a Boy!" or "It's a girl!" where you turn the room into an explosion of pink or blue. Some mothers will like this traditional approach, while others will prefer something a little different.
- If this is the case (or if the gender of the baby is unknown), opt for a more unisex color, such as yellow or green, or decorate with a uniform mix of pink and blue.
- Going for an all-white theme is another stylish option, perfect for outdoor parties or low-key restaurants.
- You can also consider combining the baby shower color scheme with the baby's room color scheme.
Step 4. Plan your budget
The next thing to consider is your budget, as this will determine (to some extent) how elaborate your decorations can be.
- Make sure you take everything into account: food, drink, gifts, souvenirs, balloons, games, etc. The more detailed your budget, the less likely you are to overspend.
- When shopping for decorations, be sure to shop around. There can be a huge variation in the price of baby shower decorations depending on where you shop. Look at party supply stores, dollar stores, and online before making your final decision.
- Think about where you can save money. Borrow cake stands, candle holders, or other tableware from your friends or relatives. Maybe your grandmother has an old porcelain tea set that you could use for an English tea party theme?
- Or, if you're particularly skilled, you might consider making some of the decorations yourself. You could knit some baby booties, crochet a baby blanket, or make a collage with photos of the expectant parents as babies.
- Even if you're on a tight budget, you can still have an amazing baby shower. You just have to be a little thrifty comparing prices, making things by hand and borrowing them!
Step 5. Give yourself time
All of this planning and preparation takes time, so be sure to start planning well in advance of the day itself. The last thing you want to do is stress leaving everything to the last minute.
- Being disorganized will only lead you to buy under pressure, where you will inevitably spend a lot more money than you originally planned. You may also have a hard time finding what you need at the last minute, which can derail the whole party theme.
- You should also make sure you give yourself plenty of time on the day of the party. Arrive at the party location well in advance of the start time. If you are going to carry it out at the expectant mother's house, try to make sure that she is not in the house or at least that she stays in another room.
- Consider the possibility that you will need to vacuum, dust, mop, and clean the bathrooms (or hire someone to do it) before the event, as you don't want the expectant mother to stress about keeping the house clean.
Part 2 of 3: Decorate the room
Step 1. Start outside
Apart from the room where the party is taking place, you should consider decorating the outside of the house (or the restaurant, if possible) to mark the location of the baby shower for the guests and start with the atmosphere of the party..
- Make a cute stake sign that says something like "This way for the baby shower!", "Ana's baby shower" or even "It's a boy!"
- Place groups of colored helium balloons (to match the theme of the party) around the sign or on the front door.
- Hang banners over the front door or the door leading to the party venue. You can get personalized ones with the mother's name (or baby's name, if she's already chosen one) at a local gift shop.
Step 2. Place the signature book and gift table by the door
Next to the entrance to the party you need two things: a guest book for the guests to the baby shower and a table for the gifts.
- The signature book (which can be a specially bought one or just a nice notebook) is an important feature of the party. In it, each guest writes her best wishes for the expectant mother and her baby, along with some parenting advice or funny anecdotes about their own experiences as mothers.
- Place the signature book, along with some writing pens, on a small table just past the door. Leave it open so guests can easily see what it's for (or you can even make a little sign to explain it).
- Cover the table with a nice tablecloth and decorate it with baby shower confetti, a vase, a lamp with floating candles, some baby toys or whatever goes well with the theme of the party.
- You will also need a larger table where guests can place their gifts as soon as they walk through the door. You can decorate this table as you see fit; just make sure there is enough room for gifts.
- As an alternative to the gift table, you could place a crib or stroller next to the door for guests to place their gifts there. The crib or stroller can be borrowed from someone else or as a gift for the expectant mother.
Step 3. Decorate the walls and ceiling
The walls and ceiling are the next thing to think about. Things like streamers, wall hangings, and mobiles can really transform the look of the room and make the baby shower extra special.
- Themed baby shower garlands are available at most party supply stores in a wide range of colors and patterns. Alternatively, you can make your own garland out of pieces of colored or patterned fabric for a more traditional and personal touch.
- Another very cute idea is to hang a clothesline across the room and use safety pins or old-fashioned clothespins to hang baby clothes, such as bodysuits, booties, socks and bibs.
- Another option is to hang mobiles from the ceiling. These can be real baby mobiles or paper mobiles in the shape of flowers, hearts or baby accessories such as rattles, bottles and pacifiers.
- For the walls, you can hang more banners or garlands, hang framed photos of the expectant parents when they were babies or posters related to the theme, such as snapshots of specific movies (for a movie theme) or images of baby animals (for a theme of Jungle).
- Another great idea is to hang strips of tulle along the walls, from floor to ceiling. This creates a pretty, almost ethereal effect that transforms the entire room. Stringing Christmas lights along the tulle will add an added touch to this effect.
Step 4. Make the table the central focus
The table is the main attraction of the entire baby shower, so you should make a special effort to make it look good.
- Make sure the table is large enough for all the guests to be seated comfortably, and that you cover it with a pretty tablecloth and possibly a table runner in a contrasting color. Sprinkle baby shower confetti on the tablecloth.
- Arrange the pre-made cakes and desserts on the table buffet-style. Use pretty multi-tiered stands to display cakes, muffins, cupcakes, or other treats. A layered stand filled with frosted cupcakes makes a great centerpiece.
- In addition to food, you can decorate the table with flowers and votive candles. The flowers can be elaborate arrangements from the florist or simple but beautiful cutouts from the garden, depending on the theme of the party and the time of year.
- If you are serving hot food at the party, a nice idea is to put all the necessary seasonings, such as mustard, mayonnaise or salad dressing, in baby bottles. Just cut off the tops of the nipples to make pouring them easier.
- Make sure you have enough plates, knives, forks, spoons, glasses, and napkins. Polish the cutlery if necessary. Then you can either formally set the table or pile everything aside until you need it.
Step 5. Make sure the mother-to-be's chair is special
Since the expectant mother is the guest of honor, it is important to place her at the head (or center) of the table and make sure that she is comfortable.
- Place her in a larger, more comfortable chair (preferably one that reclines or has a footstool) and provide her with as many cushions or pillows as she needs. She will really appreciate this, especially if she is already several months pregnant.
- Decorate the chair by tying ribbons or streamers around the legs and tying some helium balloons to the armrests. If you want, you can place a baby blanket on the back of the chair.
- Something that is frequently done at baby showers is to hang or stand an open umbrella over the mother-to-be's chair. Then blue streamers or ribbons are attached to the edges of the umbrella to make it look like "rain." After all, "shower" means "rain" in English!
Part 3 of 3: Adding the Finishing Touches
Step 1. Create the right environment
In addition to the visual effect of the decorations, it is important to create a good atmosphere through sound and smell.
- Soft, soothing music is generally best for a baby shower. Classical music is always a good option, although certain types of country music can work as well. You can even buy or download discs containing music specifically chosen for baby showers from Amazon.
- However, you could also make the music fit the baby shower theme. For example, you can play a movie soundtrack for a movie-themed baby shower. Or instead of music, you can play sound effects, like animal sounds for a jungle-themed party or the sound of waves and seagulls for a beach-themed party.
- You can create pleasant scents by lighting scented candles or incense, or by using oil-based diffusers or air fresheners. Again, try to make the scent fit the theme of the party, whether it's the smell of exotic flowers, the coastal breeze, or freshly laundered cotton sheets.
Step 2. Make nice memories
Souvenirs are small gifts that you can send home with your guests to thank them for coming. These gifts can be anything you want, although how sophisticated or expensive they are will depend on your budget and how many guests will be in attendance.
- If you're looking for a more personalized and DIY approach to keepsakes, you should start collecting mason jars before the baby shower. You can then fill each jar with a selection of chocolates (preferably ones that are wrapped in blue or pink foil), wrap a colored ribbon around the lid, and attach a label with the guest's name written on it in calligraphy. or italic font.
- As an alternative to chocolates, you can fill the jars with colored bath salts. This makes a nice gift, but the jars will also look great on the table during the baby shower.
- Another idea is to give each guest a sophisticated bar of soap, wrap a ribbon around it and stick a note that says "From our shower to yours", playing with the two meanings of the word "shower" in English, which with security will surprise your guests.
Step 3. Decorate with toys
A good way to spice up the party's baby theme is to decorate the room with toys and other baby accessories.
- Scatter things like rattles, plastic keys, baby bottles and cups, pacifiers, and teething rings around the room. They will not only look cute but the expectant mother will also find them extremely useful once the baby finally arrives.
- You can also use things like alphabet building blocks, toy trains, teddy bears, and dolls, which your baby will appreciate when he gets a little older.
Step 4. Buy a few disposable cameras
When you're busy hosting a baby shower, organizing games, dealing with gifts, and making sure everyone has enough to eat and drink, it can be hard to find the time to take photos.
- So it's a great idea to buy a bunch of disposable cameras and leave them in strategic locations around the room. At the start of the party, tell the guests not to hesitate to take as many photos as they want.
- This is a great way to ensure that all of your guests appear in photos, while saving you the trouble of constantly trying to chase everyone. Since they won't be able to erase the photos they don't like from these non-digital cameras, you're sure to end up with some fun results!
- After the baby shower, you can collect the cameras and develop the photos. Pick the best ones and put them in a photo album. Give the album to the expectant mother as a final gift so that she can treasure the memories of her baby shower forever.
Step 5. Don't forget the diaper cake
A classic feature of most baby showers is the diaper cake - a multi-tiered masterpiece made almost entirely of diapers. It is not edible, but it will definitely come in handy when the baby arrives!
- You can buy fancy-looking diaper cakes online, but these can be quite expensive. Actually, it's pretty easy to make one yourself; all you need are diapers, rubber bands, and some decorative ribbons and bows. Read a step-by-step guide here.
- Another similar idea is to create a bouquet of baby socks. This is done by rolling tiny baby socks, fastening them with a piece of wire, and wrapping them in green tissue paper to form a "rose." Like the diaper cake, the baby sock bouquet makes a fun and useful centerpiece.