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.

Available in different sizes and colors, helium-filled balloons add color to celebrations such as children’s parties, wedding receptions, etc. Balloons are wonderful eye candies. But there are more to balloons than meets the eye, especially when it comes to baby showers.

Decorations

Let the balloons reflect the meaning of the occasion. Decorate the place with specialty balloons shaped like feeding bottles, teddy bears, pacifiers and other baby-related stuff. The balloons may come in different colors or match the theme. Attach the balloons in the window sills, tables, chairs and other places inside the venue.

Game Props

It’s entertaining to incorporate balloons in baby shower games. One idea is to have each of the guests put a balloon inside their shirt to simulate pregnancy. Then have them race to pick some items, say playing cards, on the floor without bursting their balloons. Whoever picks the most items in two minutes without bursting his or her balloon is the winner. Well, that’s just one idea. I’m sure you can think of other equally fun games.

Gifts

Balloons can add statement to gifts. If you are presenting the mom-to-be with a gift basket, attach small balloons around the basket for added color and design.

Another thing, don’t forget to place some baby shower balloons outside along with streamers to let the guests know which house on the block is hosting the baby shower. Seeing the balloons will surely make them feel as excited about the baby shower as the mom-to-be.

Whenever I go to baby showers, I always wish I was in the receiving end of the gifts because those baby shower gifts are the most thoughtful gifts ever. I don’t think there’s ever a party where the gifts have been given so much thought. It’s nice to know that people really think about the gifts they’re going to give to the mom-to-be and also the newborn. But as much thought that goes into each present, some of us are stumped on what to give. Of course we want to give a great gift, the best gift even, but there are simply times when the gift-thinking part of our brain just ceases to work.

But worry no further because we have several gift suggestions here that are sure to be a hit at that baby shower you are attending.

Diaper Genie
Often the practical gifts are the biggest hits during baby showers because you actually gave something that can be of great use to both mother and baby. A diaper genie assures easy and nearly odorless disposal of those dirty diapers (there’s sure to be many of that in the months to come). Having a system that makes sure your baby’s nursery doesn’t smell like baby poop is a great gift indeed.

Baby Bjorn Carrier
It really doesn’t have to be the Baby Bjorn brand, but why not get the best while you’re at it? The Baby Bjorn infant carrier allows the parents to be with their baby, carrying them safe and close to them, but letting them have their hands free to do other things.

Diaper Cake
It’s a somewhat unusual gift that is really starting to rise in popularity. The diaper cake is literally made out of diapers and arranged so that it will look like a two- or three-tier cake. It can also include some small baby-related stuff like toys and rattles, but the diapers are the main attraction. These could also serve as baby shower centerpieces because these tend to be very big. These are great gifts because for one, you can never have too many diapers, and second with the right packaging it could look really great and be a main attraction in the baby shower.

Baby Care Essentials
Anything from baby bath shampoo, baby wipes, burping cloths, bibs, and baby bottles will definitely be great gifts to give to any expectant parent. These are the stuff that usually run out fast and gets used often, so having a steady supply will truly be appreciated.

Baby Clothes
Though it is most likely that baby clothes will be the most numerous gift in the baby shower, all of them are very much appropriate gifts to give. As a rule, it is better to give clothing gifts in larger sizes so the baby can use them in the future. Weather-appropriate baby clothes are also great. Buy sizes that are approximate to the age the baby will be when the season comes, say, if the baby is born in the summer, he or she will be about 4-6 months in the wintertime. You should buy winter baby clothes in that age range then.

Are you tasked with thinking of and organizing a baby shower? Many people who organize baby showers tend to go with a theme in order to streamline the organization of the party. This will help in knowing which invitations to send out, what wording to use, the colors of the party, what food to serve, the decorations, the games, and a whole lot more. The theme unifies all aspects of the baby shower into one cohesive unit.

When choosing a theme for a baby shower, you should also check it with the parents if they like the theme you are considering. If it’s a surprise baby shower, it’s safer to go with a concept that the mom loves. A theme can also be that of colors and not particular concepts so for example, for a surprise shower, the mom’s favorite colors are pink and yellow then you should incorporate that into the theme. Some popular themes you could consider are:

Noah’s Ark Theme
This seems to be a popular theme since I’ve been to a couple of baby showers that had this theme. I guess it’s because the idea of many animals almost equate to the many fun ideas you can do. In the decoration department, for example, almost any animal can be used as decoration. You can have plush animals and animal-shaped pillows around. You must not forget about the ark as well. Invitations could be in the form any animal. Party favors can be cookies in animal and ark shapes. The animal and ark theme can be used in all aspects of the party. This is also great if you’re planning a co-ed baby shower as this theme won’t be too dainty for the men in attendance.

Tea Party
Smaller gatherings among friends require a much more intimate theme. This tea party theme is best utilized if expecting only a few people in order to preserve the intimacy of a theme party. The invitation could be formal tea party invitations but with wording fit for a baby shower, and you can serve tea and scones and other pastries as most tea parties would. You can decorate the place in an old English style with flowers and lace. Be as dainty as you want.

Sports Theme
Is the mom a sports fan? Is she expecting a boy? Well, even if she was expecting a girl but is not the typical girly mother, she would certainly appreciate a baby shower that reflects what she is. This is also great because the men won’t feel too out of place in a roomful of women. Make the central baby shower theme in the colors of the mom’s favorite sports theme and have cakes and cookies decorated accordingly. It is sure to be a fun, raucous time.

These are just a sprinkle in the many other baby shower options that you can throw. As for decorations, these are readily available in party supply stores. Bigger ones may even have a special baby shower section so you can get everything you need in one area. Also, have someone to help you even if it’s just for a small bit. Any little help goes a long way.

What’s a great baby shower gift to give the expectant parents?

That is the question most guests to a baby shower ask themselves. What makes it difficult to choose a baby shower gift is the sheer amount of things that you have to choose from. Gift givers today are given a ton of options especially when it comes to baby showers. It’s almost stressful, but why turn such a joyful event into a stress-fest?

Many people rely on the power of the gift basket when it comes to occasions such as this. A gift basket is truly a great idea to give, but how do you make yours unique, how do you set it apart from all the rest of the gift baskets that have been given and will be given? A way to do this is to decide on some sort of a theme for your baby shower gift basket.

Speaking of themes, modern baby showers usually have themes. You may want to coordinate the colors of your gift basket to the colors of the baby shower, but what we mean by baby shower gift basket themes has to do with the content rather than what it looks like. However, it wouldn’t hurt if you coordinate the appearance of your gift basket with the rest of the baby shower. The new parents will surely appreciate this attention to detail.

You can put pretty much anything you want in a gift basket, but deciding on some sort of theme would actually make your baby shower gift basket much more appealing. For example, you can give a Sleep Time gift basket. Its contents would be a nice teddy bear and a baby blanket. You can even further personalize this by having the yet-to-be-born baby’s name embroidered, or at least give the parents the option of having it embroidered in the future. If the baby shower has a Noah’s Ark theme, for example, you can choose a blanket that has the same design aesthetic (animals, ark) or decorate your basket accordingly. This is one idea.

Another is a Meal Time theme, and this would contain anything from baby bottles, sippy cups, baby spoons, baby bowls, anything that could be used in baby’s meal time. You could even put in a breast pump in there so the mother can express some milk for storage, as well as some bibs and towels to help clean up any meal time mess.

There are so many possible baby shower gift basket themes that you can conceptualize and make a gift basket from, but do remember that the best baby shower gift baskets are those that come from the heart. It doesn’t have to be extravagant as long as you put your heart into it.

What’s a baby shower without games? Games are ever-present at baby showers and any other type of shower for that matter. It is a way to get all the guests together and perhaps even get to know one another. It also makes the baby shower enjoyable for everyone present.

There are many baby shower games resources on the internet that you can get for free. You can even try being a bit more creative by inventing some games yourself or even modifying some well-loved childhood games into baby-shower appropriate games.

The internet also provides you, the baby shower planner, with lists of great baby shower games, how they are played, and what materials are needed if any. The suggestions on these sites – many of them baby shower planning sites themselves – are very fun and are quite easy to follow. These are worth checking out.

And since baby showers these days tend to include the husband and the husbands and significant others of the guests, make sure you choose coed baby shower games that could also involve the males in the group. It could be team games that have all-male teams, or male-female teams. It’s up to you.

What to give for prizes?

Prizes don’t have to be big. After all, these are just little fun games. You can all play a game where the prize is food, i.e. winner gets a brownie or cookie. Have plenty of these at hand because even though your guests are adults, they’d still want to win. Other good game prizes are little office supplies such as sticky notes or tape flags.

Like weddings, a baby shower invitation is other people’s first look at what the baby shower could be. You may think it’s just an invitation with details of the event, but it could help people get a feel for what is about to happen.

People say that the most difficult thing about getting baby shower invitations done is picking out just one type to have done. There are that many options available to people these days that it could be overwhelming at times. One way of making your job easier is to stick to the colors of the party, or stick to 2 colors/color combinations. That way you could have narrowed about half of the invitations available. Then be on the lookout for several details that you require in the invitation. Do you want birds? Other animals? From there you could have an easier time picking out the final invitation for the baby shower.

As for sources, you have different ways of going about it. You can go to the printers and have a special design made just for you. Of course it can be a bit pricey, but most printers offer discounts after a certain number has been reached. Some price their invitations per piece with only about a minimum of 10 invitations, which is great for smaller gatherings. Besides, these invitations are very beautiful.

If you are one of the creative types, you can make them yourself. Arts and crafts supply stores have just about everything you need when it comes to making invitations. You have at your disposal card stock, paints, scrapbooking stuff that also look great with invitations, glue, glitter, sequins, and everything else. Not only could it be a showcase of your creativity, you also show the mom-to-be how much she means to you by undertaking this labor of love.

The internet has also been a godsend when it comes to invitations. Not only can you find great ideas to use in your own design (should you decide to make them yourself or have them made)online, you can also find printable baby shower invitations and templates. A quick search of “printable baby shower invitations” can yield a lot of results. Go through them, choose which one you like, make sure you have the paper you want for it, and print away. The designs available as the ones you can see in stores, and ends up being less expensive.