Interesting Baby Shower Planning Ideas? Novice here!?

Question

I intend to plan/throw a baby shower for my friend in the next few months. For those of you who have been to, planned, or have had really nice ones thrown for you, do you have any good suggestions for me? Really, I'm just trying to put my year into perspective, I'm just doing a brainstorm now and have yet to even google anything, so please, no internet links, I'm quite capable of doing that type of search on my own. I'm just looking for some ideas and experiences that have gone over well with others. I'll also look through other similar Y!A answers.

So some info I'm looking for:

- Budget? How much am I looking at spending?

- Any interesting prolonged games we could do throughout the evening? I don't know if you're familiar with the Safety Pin game? Stuff like that...

- Is there a standard time when the shower should happen? Like, a couple months before due date? Once the sex is known? Does it matter?


Thanks a bunch in advance for all your advice and input.... :)

Answer 1

My mom and sister threw my baby shower one month before I was due and I already new I was having a girl. We had it at a rec center so it would be large enough to fit everyone so the price of the facility combined with food, prizes, decorations, party favors, etc., was well over $400.00. We played some of the usual games - like the safety pin game, guessing the measurement of my tummy with string, but the best idea was for people who wanted to part of a drawing, they could be bring a package of diapers to enter. The prize was two movie tickets. A lot of people liked it and I didn't have to buy diapers for 3 months. Just have fun! Good luck!

Answer 2

I had my baby shower a month and a half before I was due. I had my daughter 2 weeks later. We didn't play any games, at my request. I can't stand the games. Some people love them. I wanted to have a nice brunch, open gifts, have cake and be done. We went to a local restaurant that had a party room and had sandwiches and soup, which was paid for by my grandmother, mother, sister in law, and best friend. I think the whole affair cost $300 for everything.



I would decide what kind of budget I'm looking at first. You might also ask your friend what she would like and if possible you could involve her family members.



If the sex of the baby is known, I would incorporate that into the shower.



I believe a shower is usually held about a month in advance.





I've played several games.



One was that after everyone arrived the mom to be would leave the room and everyone had to write down everything they could remember that she had on.



Another, this is kind of gross but they made small diapers out of kleenex and put a chocolate chip in one and the person that had the "dirty diaper" won a door prize.



Each guest takes the number of squares from a roll of toliet paper that she thinks will go around the mother to be and then the mtb goes around and they each put the tp around her and see who is the closest.

Answer 3

From experience, my number 1 piece of advice I could give is to make sure you include her (& the daddy's, if applicable) family in the planning. Do your very best to allow them to have input on the shower. You don't want anyone bitter that you took ownership on throwing the shower. As a bonus, you may find that they'll be happy to monetarily contribute.



The budget ranges dramatically depending on where you're having the shower. At home with home cooked foods, at home catering, at a hall with home cooked foods or at a banquet hall. The least expensive way would be to have the shower at a house and have all the close family members make a dish.



I stole this diaper game idea from a website and made my own at home (and save lots of money doing so):

Using a fancy white napkin, fold the top corner 1/2 way down

fold the bottom corner 1/2 way up

then fold the left and right corners to the center

You should have what looks like a square again. Cut the bottom right & left corners off (as if they were the leg holes of a diaper). I used a zig-zaggy scissor for effect.

Use a diaper pin sticker to close it up (I ended up "drawing" my own on my computer & printing them on labels which I cut to size)

Glue a small clothes pin to the back of the diaper

Put a smudge of spicy brown mustard in however many diapers you want as winners. Hand out a diaper to everyone who attends the shower & at some point tell everyone to open their diaper and if they find a "SURPRISE" inside, they've won a prize.



The shower should be thrown about 2 months before the due date. It helps if the sex is known, but it's not neccessary.



Good Luck & have fun!!

Answer 4

The budget can be very small if you shop around and do most of the work yourself. There are FANTASTIC websites that have the rules to loads of games, They even give you food ideas and recipies. Baby Bingo is a great one. You draw up a 5 x 5 board on paper or card and write baby names and things in the squares, all the cards have to be slightly different, then on small peices of paper write the names and things and they drawn one by one out of a jar. First person to cover card win. Celebrity babies is always fun. Give everyone of a list of famous babies and write who the parents are.

About 7 months is a good time. but you can have it later if its easier for the mother, she may still be quite sick or very tired, Knowing the sex can make it easier, but if you dont know, white and yellow gifts can be boring, so i would suggest a wishing tree. Every one brings a small amount of cash, or large if the prefer and it goes into a decorated jar for the mother to spend it on what ever she needs. Try these links. Good Luck

Answer 5

advice for something to do is to have a diaper raffle. Raffle off a latest basket you will get issues on the dollar save. If human beings choose to take part then have them convey a %. of diapers so as that they'd enter their call. have all and sundry convey a passing dish (have or not that is finger meals) to proportion Letters to the toddler because of the fact the travellers walk to the table the place the presents are being placed.....have a undeniable station set up on the component of the present table. At this station have cute toddler themed table certain laid out with some Blue or black pens. Beside the table certain have a card out asking each customer to take some moments to jot down a observe to the recent little toddler. while the travellers end writing their notes, have them place their notes in a tray or basket to the section. as quickly as all of the travellers have written the notes....the hostess can then do a possibility and draw, at random, one or 2 of the notes and announce the winner of the prize for this actual interest. while the bathe is over those notes would nicely be placed in a scrapbook or album to be enjoyed by way of the mothers and dads now and throughout the toddler years down the line. candy and nostalgic and valuable to be useful by way of the recent kinfolk!!! have all and sundry convey undemanding onsies (3-6 months) of any colour have fabrics paint out and function them make their own designs and supply to individuals as a latest.