Planning a Baby Shower

My daughter is expecting her first baby in November and I'd love to organize a baby shower. I live in the UK and I haven't the faintest idea how to go about it. Any ideas and suggestions would most appreciated. Many thanks.

Jan from Grantham, UK

By blackbess

Best Answers: Planning a Baby Shower

These are the best answers for this question.

Buffet Table

By 05/25/2009

finally some food...

Buffet Table

Diaper Cake

By 05/25/2009

Duckie diaper cake.

Diaper Cake

Mommy and Daddy To Be Table

By 05/25/2009

The mommy and daddy to be table.

Mommy and Daddy To Be Table

Guestbook Table

By 05/25/2009

Do some searching online & you will find a ton of great ideas for the baby shower. Do you have a theme yet?
I will include some pictures from the one I threw.
This is the guest book table.

Guestbook Table

Plan Games and Give Prizes

By KJ (Guest Post) 04/28/2008

I've hosted several. The games are what breaks the ice, and gets everyone into having fun. Here are a couple that always are fun and one for a door prize.

I always give a door prize, that's meant for the winner to keep. For the other games, I give a dual prize - like a fragrant candle or small box of candy and a couple baby items. The idea is for the guest to keep the candle/candy, but give the baby items to the mom-to-be. Both guest and mom-to-be are winners.

1 - Door Prize - fill any size plasticware container with the favorite mini candy bars of the mom-to-be. In a basket, have white paper napkins folded like diapers and pinned shut. In the middle of one 'diaper', put a yellow or brown mustard smear - to suggest baby's' poop'. Pass out the diapers and have the guests open them at the same time. The 'lucky' guest, getting the 'poopy diaper', wins the candy tub.

2 - Ice Breaker - as guests arrive, have them cut any length of yarn they want, and then sit down. Once all the guests are there, begin with the person next to the mom-to-be, and while winding the yarn around their finger, tell the group, when/where/how they know the mom-to-be. They have to keep talking until their yarn piece is wound up.

3 - Mommies and Babies Game - you can find a listing of mommies and their babies online or in kids books. Make a list of Mommy names, like - Cat. Then, have a blank line next to it, where your guests would write in the matching baby name - Kitten. Make sure you get some more difficult ones, or you'll end up with a tie. The guest with the most correct answers wins a prize.

4 - Nursery Rhyme Game - a similar game is write out the first line of a nursery rhyme, and either fill in a couple of missing words or the next line. Again - the guest with the most correct wins a prize.

5 - How Big Is Momma's Belly - have each guest 'guess-timate' how big the mom-to-be's waist is, by cutting off a piece of yarn, which will be measured around her waist. The guest closest to the actual waist size wins a prize.

These are just a few ideas. Hope these will help, or inspire you to create your own!

Planning Baby Shower

I'm starting to plan my daughter's baby shower. Do you have any ideas of what I can put on the tables. The shower is on 4/3 and I work a full time job so I would want something cute and simple.
Thanks,
Pat

RE: Planning Baby Shower

Easy and Inexpensive: Ask guests to bring an unwrapped book and place them as centerpieces on the tables (the board books stand up really well, look adorable). Or you could go to a thrift store and buy baby caps/hats and or baby booties (they usually sell for around 25-50 cents each & are in good condition because they are rarely washed or worn for long periods of time) in brights or pastels, or some color theme and then stuff them with tissue paper so they "stand-up." Good Luck! (01/12/2005)

By Jeanine

RE: Planning Baby Shower

At my Baby Shower pretty little note pads were passed around (you can either buy some cute notepads, or my cousin has a cute Mary Engelbrite Day Calendar and she cut some of the cute little messages out and glued them to the front of some generic notepads - very cute!) and all the guests put some little notes and advice for the new mom! (01/12/2005)

By Carly

A "Real" Shower!

This is the perfect opportunity to have an "April Showers" theme baby shower! Gather up some kids' rai nboots and/or hats and rubber duckies, for table centerpieces. Float the duckies in dollar-store basins filled with water. Use a small piece of green outdoor carpet as a mat under the centerpiece. Find some large, colorful umbrellas, open them up and stand them in the corners of the room and on the gift table. The color scheme, naturally, could be cheery yellow and green. Then, shower her with gifts! (01/13/2005)

By zballoongirl

RE: Planning Baby Shower

I would decorate with something that she could use later (thrifty). I attended a shower where everyone was asked to bring 3 jars of baby food which was used to fill a pretty basket as a centerpiece on the food table. You could also decorate with bibs, qtips, bottles, etc - I think I've seen these things used to make a sit-down 'scarecrow' to decorate an entry hall table. For example, use a pack of diapers or books as the body which you could even dress in an outfit. The head could be a round tub of wipes. Top off with a cute hat. Bottles could be the arms and legs. (01/13/2005)

By Ann4

RE: Planning Baby Shower

For a center piece try making a "diaper cake". You purchase several packages of small baby diapers, remove from the packaging and arrange into a circle (an old hat box or deep cake pan helps with this part) and tie together with a wide ribbon all around and make a nice bow (I use wired ribbon for nice fluffy loops). Make a second layer slightly smaller and a third even smaller. Use different colors of ribbon or all the same if you want. For the "Cake Topper" you can use either a cute "baby doll" or small stuffed elephant (or toy to fit with chosen nursery theme).

To make the cake even more useful and special, tuck full or travel size bottles/tubes of baby products (shampoo, lotion, rash cream, rattles, pacifiers, etc.) into the tops of the layers like flowers on a layered cake. You can even twist socks and bibs into little "rossettes".

Even when not as a decoration, most "new mommies" like to receive this cake and all of its useful goodies. No calories and lots of surprises! (01/13/2005)

By Melody

Baby Cake

Here is a cute idea for a gift or centerpiece for a shower. NO Calories too. It is just a matter of folding various blankets and towels and rolling them many items for baby. Roses are little booties and mittens, and lace is added to resemble the icing on the cake. Stuffed toy is on top. Lots of bows give this cake a nice festive look.

I always attach a "Cake Ingredient" listing since the mom to be never wants to take this apart. It is held together with corsage pins. Here is a listing of all items in this cake