Baby shower parties are supposed to be fun, even on a tight budget. With careful planning, you can avoid going way over budget. It can also keep you from being too stressed. Read the following tips on baby shower planning to help you budget the party that you are hosting.

• Make a two-column list, a must-have in every baby shower planning. Jot down the items that you need in one column. Then, in the adjacent column, write the cost of each item.
• Compute the total cost and if it exceeds your budget, don’t hesitate to make some changes. Make sure that everything you need is listed, including the baby shower cake, and they are within your budget.
• If you want to save money on the venue, hold the shower at your home or at a friend’s house.
• Your baby shower budget must include the decorations. If you are going to buy flowers, try to find the most affordable ones. You can also make some cut out decors from colored paper or cardboard and paste them on the wall.
• Catered food can be quite costly, so you have the option to prepare the menu yourself. Or arrange a potluck with the other guests, if it’s okay with them. If they are close friends with the mom-to-be, they will surely agree with this set up. Just don’t forget to address this through the invites, which may be hand-made or printed from your home computer.

It has become a tradition to give the expectant mom some gifts at the baby shower. Although the host wouldn’t send you away if you fail to bring something, it wouldn’t hurt either if you’d present the mom and her baby some type of baby shower gift.

Baby shower gifts can range from different shapes, sizes and prices. To help you decide on what is the best gift for baby shower, check out the following tips:

• If you are celebrating the arrival of the expectant mom’s first baby, it would be great to bring practical gifts (such as formula, diapers, blanket, pacifiers, etc)

• If it is a second baby or baby shower, it’s okay to be a bit spontaneous with your present. Anything from mittens to baby books will do.

• Ask the expectant mom’s mother or sister in what she might really want.

• You may ask the host if she has an idea what the mom might need. Or if you want, you can ask the mom-to-be herself.

• It’s okay to pitch in money with other guests to purchase something extra special.

• There’s no mandatory price for baby shower gifts. Feel free to shell out any amount as long as it fits your budget. What matters most is your sincerity.

Poems add a special touch to baby showers. Whether sweet or humorous, baby shower poems are great additional inscriptions on baby shower invitations and thank-you cards. They can also be read during the shower party.

While you can find baby shower poems on the Internet, you may unleash the poet in you, instead, and make your own. Below is a sample baby shower poem:

Babies are Angels that fly to the earth,

their wings disappear at the time of their birth

one look in their eyes and we’re never the same

They’re part of us now and that part has a name

That part is your heart and a bond that won’t sever

our Babies are Angels, we love them forever.

~Author Unknown

You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write something like that. You don’t need to have some special writing skills. In fact, the simpler your poem, the better.

Compose your poem in four to eight short lines. While most people will say that verses don’t have to rhyme, it’s all right if it’s a baby shower poem. Rhymes will make the poem sound cute and perfect for the occasion.

For your theme, imagine looking at a baby. Think of any of her trait of the baby let it be your starting point. Or imagine yourself as the parent. Think of their anticipation and happiness and use them as an inspiration. Then start writing. Before you know it, you’ve already finished your masterpiece.

Throwing a baby shower may seem as easy as hosting an afternoon tea party. Well, not exactly. In planning a baby shower, there are some things that you need to consider which are beyond brewing a pot of tea.

Who is throwing the baby shower party?

Traditionally, any one close to the mother-to-be, except for the immediate relative. Having a relative of the expectant mom throw the shower would seem as if the family is asking for presents.

When to organize the baby shower?

Most people prefer to schedule during the last trimester when the expectant mom’s belly is more prominent. However, it is also acceptable to hold the shower after the baby’s birth. What’s important is to confirm with the family to avoid any conflicts in schedule and make sure that guests are available to attend.

Who are invited?

It is a common practice to invite the expectant mom’s close female friends and relatives. But it has become acceptable to invite male friends and members of the family, who are mostly husbands of the female guests. If you are having a coed baby shower, it’s best to prepare activities that both men and women will enjoy.

What activities should be prepared for the shower?

Serve some food and refreshments, depending on the budget. Aside from socializing with the mom-to-be, guests will have fun with some silly games.

It’s exciting to plan a baby shower. Just use this guideline to make the shower enjoyable for the mom-to-be and the guests.