How to Organize a Baby Shower

There are some decisions that will determine the kind of Babyshower you will have. To make things simpler they have been divided here into seven steps.

Step 1: Organize yourself, with friends or a professional?

Organizing a baby shower is not as easy as it looks. I recommend that you look for some assistance. There are several companies that can do it for you, or, if you are lucky, a group of friends might offer themselves to help you with this difficult task.

Step 2: Where?

Selecting a venue is an important decision. If you choose a public place such as a restaurant or bar, there will likely be space restrictions and the possibility that your guests may feel inhibited taking part in the games that are the “soul” of a baby shower.

A baby shower is better held privately. Many apartment buildings have function rooms that are ideal. Though if space allows the living room of a house is as good as anywhere. Another possibility is to take the event outdoors to a garden or a park, though care must be taken to consider the weather and to plan accordingly perhaps renting a tent and outdor heaters. A tent also has the advantage of creating a cozier atmosphere.

Step 3: Mixed or Women Only?

At one time baby showers were very much women only affairs, nowadays however it is becoming frequently more common for a modern baby shower to include male partners.

Before taking the decision to invite men, take time to consider your friends and your relationship with there partners. Keep in mind that the key to a succesful baby shower is that everybody plays the games. Uncomfortable males that know nobody else but there partners may not be so open to baby shower games, This becomes less important depending on the skills of the organizer and there ability to make everyone feel comfortable and to keep the party flowing.

If unsure it may be better to go for a traditional baby shower. Mixed baby showers If, on the contrary, everybody knows each other, it is a lot of fun to see the guys playing the baby shower games. As the men are not very used to participate in baby shcan certainly be a lot of fun and add a new dimension

Step 4: Food and Drinks.

A party is not a party without food and drinks. Baby showers are no exception to this rule so, here are some tips.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to interrupt the party mood, so it's best to avoid anything too formal. You want to avoid plates, cuttlery and people seated at a table.

Snacks are ideal. Look for small bites, that can be eaten standing up, preferably just using one hand. Jam and cheese croissants, pasties, individual quiches are all good options. Look for simple foods, that are likely to apeal to all tastes. Think about a sweet touch like an iced cake or a party cake than can provide a nice finish to the party. The simplest buffet well presented could be a great success. Look for some pewter trays, nice napkins (there are napkins specially designed for baby showers) a tablecloth and your guests will feel welcomed.

Put all the food on a table at the side of the party, so that people can serve themselves whenever they feel like it. The drinks can go in a cooler, so they stay fresh and at the same time, it is easy to access them. Which drinks to offer, depends very much on your guests. Try to go for what they prefer.

You can offer a selection of soft drinks, juices beer and wine. If it is summer party, a pitcher of sangria is a nice touch.

Step 5: The Photos

Photographs, are the memory of the party and need to be planned for. The best approach is to appoint someone as the photographer of the venue.

Don’t try to take on the photographer task yourself, as you will not be able to enjoy the party in full. It is important to remember that this is YOUR baby shower, so, focus on enjoying it, and let someone else take on the reportage.

Just be sure that the “photographer” knows that they will have this duty, and can be sure to be prepared with sufficient batteries film etc. If providing your own camera to a designated photographer, be absolutely sure that they are well versed in it's operation as you can easily end up with a lot of low quality photos. If possible maybe have two people, one assigned to still photographs and another for the video. This way you will have a nice memory of the event.

Step 6: The Gifts

Help your guests out on this. The most difficult part about giving a present at a baby shower is knowing what to give.

Your friends don’t know what you already have and what are you missing. In order to help them, you can send a list of what you are still in need of. They will certainly appreciate it.

If you are a compulsive buyer, and by the time of your baby shower you already have more clothes than your baby will ever use, a good idea is to ask your friends for diapers, and baby toiletries. Toys are also a good option. These are things that you can have a lot of and still use them, so it matters lessif you end up with a lot of them.
Choose a place to host the presents. You can put a big basket or a small table. In this way, when your guests enter, they will know what to do with the present without needing to ask It will also be easy to take them to the place where they will be opened. There are a lot of games that can be played while opening presents.

Step 7: Games and Mementos

These are so important that a full page has been dedicated to them. This page is currently only available in Spanish but will be translated soon