Welcome to the ultimate Baby Showers planning guide! Our experts at Gift Hampers Melbourne have put together an informative Baby Shower Checklist to assist you with your celebrations in light of the arrival of the new baby!
As new parents or a close relative planning to throw a beautiful Baby Shower, your mind may be buzzing with endless questions such as "What is a Baby Shower”, “When do you have a Baby Shower” or “Where should I place the Baby Shower”? All these are great questions and we are here to answer them for you!
A Baby Shower is the celebration of the new baby. In this lovely celebration, we praise the expectant mums for their graceful gestures and the dad for creating a safe and protected atmosphere for the mum and the baby.
In a Baby Shower, you will be supporting the new parents with your blessing to start their new chapter in life. Baby Showers are usually celebrated towards the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy, giving time for the mum to adjust for their delivery.
In this blog, our experts at Gift Hampers Melbourne have highlighted the key areas that you must consider in order to put together. This step-by-step Baby Shower guide is all you need to get going!
Cheers to delightful Baby Showers in Melbourne!
Determine the Basics
Set the Date and Time
In order to plan a successful Baby Shower, you would need to set a date prior to the estimated date of the baby’s arrival. Consider a time gap of 4 to 6 weeks for the planning stage.
This can also be helpful to your guests to plan their schedules. It can also be perfect for the expectant mother to settle in and adjust to the party, avoiding any unexpected arrival of the baby.
Create a Budget
Setting a budget is a reasonable and realistic option. Starting your Baby Shower planning can be risky without a budget. And make sure your budget is reasonable considering the current prices in the market.
We recommend that you consider speaking to some decorators, and caterers and consider the venue and the alcohol prices. This would be a great start to your Baby Shower plans. Also, our experts suggest that you keep a small buffer for unexpected expenses.
Choose a Venue
This is where things get trickier! No matter what you plan, the venue is your largest investment. This is where you need to think wise and think straight! Discuss with your partner as to where you would prefer to have the Baby Shower. Is it at your cosy home? Or are you looking at a classy restaurant?
If you are planning to invite a larger crowd, considering a small event hall can be a better option. You can also consider the local park depending on which time of the year you’re planning to throw your Baby Shower!
Never forget to check with the expectant mother at her convenience as well!
Select a Theme
Popular Baby Shower Themes
Baby Showers are fun and exciting. They will surely take you back to the time when you were a young parent planning your own Baby Shower.
To make your Baby Shower stand out from a regular adult party, following a theme would be adorable, and very baby-like.
It also puts the mum and everyone attending in a calm and settled mood. Some classic themes you can follow are:
- Disney Baby Shower
- Woodland Creatures
- Pumpkin Patch Baby
- Tea Party
- Dinosaur Themed Baby Shower
- Little Prince
- Little Princess
- Winnie the Pooh Baby Shower
DIY Themes
While the above mentioned Baby Shower would work perfectly, you can also personalise the theme in a DIY project.
To do this, get creative and reflect on the personality and interests of the expectant parents. Consider colours, shapes and characters that the new soon-to-be parents like. Make it personal and interesting!
Colour Schemes
A Colour guide to follow all throughout the Baby Shower would be ideal for the planners and the decorators. This can also help the guest coordinate their outfits and gifts.
While they provide balance to the event, you and your guest would look beautiful in pictures! Now who wouldn’t want that!
If you have already had your gender reveal, you could also match your Baby Shower to the gender of your baby!
Send Out Invitations
Compile the Guest List
Now that you’ve got the bone structure, you would need to line up your guest list! Make sure that you invite close family and friends that would be a support and a motivation to the expectant mother and father.
Consider inviting co-workers, good friends, friendly neighbours and anyone you consider to be a blessing to your lives. Make sure you invite pure positive energy and no drama to the party!
Design and Send Invitations
As you’ve settled on the theme and the colour, designing the invitation is one step easier. Get in touch with a graphic designer or your local printers who would be willing to do both for you.
Get yourself some printed invitations and some E-vites that you can send to your people living further away from the event. Post may take to reach cities away from yours. So E-invitations would work perfectly!
In your Baby Shower invitation, include the essentials such as date, time, venue, RSVP contact details, dress code, registry information and everything else you think is relevant. Keep it minimal and to the point!
RSVP Management
If you are looking to invite a bigger crowd, consider an RSVP management team to track all the RSVP guests to get an accurate headcount. This can help the caterers and the planners to plan ahead!
Plan the Menu
Catering vs. Homemade
Food is another key element in a Baby Shower. Make sure you take that seriously as people will surely remember what they eat at your party. Your decision on whether you should be considering a caterer or not purely depends on the venue and the headcount.
If you are planning to cater to only 8 – 15 people, at home, homemade food would be ideal. It’s cosy, warm and a great way to bond with the people who are closer to you. As the expectant parents may have a hard time cooking alone, hiring a chef for the event, or arranging a potluck might make things more intimate.
However, if you are looking at over 20 to 50 people, considering hosting your Baby Shower outdoors or in a smaller hall can be ideal.
This is where you must consider hiring a catering service to handle the food. Make it look appetising and delicious to the eye and the palate. And this would leave the expectant parents stress-free and relaxed!
Menu Ideas
Guests would love some good old finger food. Fruit platters, cheese boards, and finger food would work perfectly. Here are some of the common foods you can consider for your Baby Shower:
- Pinwheel sandwiches
- Deviled eggs
- Cupcakes
- Pigs in a blanket
- Antipasto Bites
- Chicken salad sandwich
- Bruschetta
- Quiche bites
- Cookies
- Chicken and Waffle Sliders
If not, why not plan a whole sit-down meal with perfect dishes that everyone would love!
Consider Dietary Restrictions
Being a little more thoughtful and considerate when planning Baby Showers can go a long way in the hearts of your guests. Think about all the individuals following a specific dietary requirement.
Add options for vegetarians, gluten-free individuals, and dairy-free dishes and watch them feel more connected to you than ever!
Organise Activities and Games
Classic Baby Shower Games
The whole concept of a Baby Shower is involved with the arrival of the baby! Some popular games that everyone, family, friends, colleagues and children, will enjoy are:
- Guess the Baby Food
- Diaper Raffle
- Baby Bingo
- Name That Baby Tune
- Don’t say Baby
- Who knows Mommy Best!
These are quite fun and create lasting memories. Choose about 3 to 5 games and observe how the guests react to them. Make sure each game lasts about 10 to 20 minutes. Drink out some drinks for the guests to enjoy and don’t forget the gifts for the winners!
Why not get a little creative? Add some creative and exciting DIY sessions like Filling up the Blessing Tree or Fingerprint Memory Frames, Creating a Memory Book, Painting Onesies and so much more. Making your own handmade card can also be ideal to add some energy to the room!
Prizes and Favours
Keep your prices real and strong! Check out some of our favourite Baby Shower prizes and favours that most guests would appreciate!
- Customised Napkins
- Marble Soaps
- Wine Hampers
- Whisky bottles
- Body gels and skin care kits
- Vouchers
- Linen homeware items
- Keepsakes
- Scented Candles
- Succulent plants
- Spa Gifts
- Manicure sets
- Premium Chocolates and a lot more!
Decorations and Ambiance
Decorations
Contact your local decorators and brief them on your theme, event agenda and everything else you have in your mind about the Baby Showers. Consider their options on how to match the theme.
Do not skip smaller details such as balloons, confetti, banners, and the statement pieces such as table centrepieces, and photo booths. Keep it in theme and relevant!
Ambience
Ensure that the event is lively but calm. Set the ambience and create an inviting atmosphere for the guests and the expectant parents. Choose warmer lighting, calm but uplifting music, on-theme decorations, coordinated outfits and great food!
Personal Touches
Why not make it a tad bit more personal? Include photos of the parents, a guest book to write down their comments and blessings, a display of cute and cuddly baby items, more and more nostalgic food and also give your guests a token of sincere appreciation to take home!
Gift Management
Gift Registry
Every occasion deserves a gift registry. This stands as a guide to the guests on what kind of gifts to invest in for the new parents. These would be helpful to the expectant parents to start their journey. Some great gifts for the new parents would be:
- Baby Hampers
- Changing tables
- Cribs
- Strollers
- Baby swing
- High chairs
- Baby books
- Baby Onesies
- Baby blankets and cleaning essentials
- Bedding
- Night lamps
- Dry-mats
- Breastfeeding pump machines
- Teething Toy
- Toiletries Hampers
- Baby toys
- Gifts for mums and dads to enjoy and relax!
And don’t miss out on the Baby Hampers Melbourne from Gift Hampers Melbourne!
Gift Opening
Schedule a designated time for the expectant mothers and fathers to open the gifts. Make it smooth and memorable. Ensure that the guests witness their gifts being opened and that they are appreciated for their gifts on the spot.
If you are a mother reading this, do not at any point make your guest feel low. Whatever you get, it is purely based on the gifter’s budget. Be kind and accepting as all these gifts come from a place of love!
Thank You Notes
Once the whole event is coming to an end, have a bundle of thank you notes for your guests, alongside a token of appreciation. This can be anything from succulent plants to a picture frame, premium chocolates and much more. Keep it subtle but meaningful!
To Conclude
Baby Showers are beautiful! They are sure to brush the most precious emotions in the hearts and souls of the guests as well as the expecting parents. Ensure that this celebration is to rejoice in the joy of being a new parent and the arrival of the new baby.
Appreciate their decision to bring a new life to earth, and for all the battles and challenges they are hoping to conquer together as one!
At Gift Hampers Melbourne, we appreciate and love all kinds of celebrations. Baby Showers are a precious form of celebration and are a perfect way to welcome your bundle of joy!
In this blog, we have covered all the important areas of planning a Baby Shower! We have introduced you to concepts like ‘What is a Baby Shower’ and ‘When do you have Baby Showers’. Hence this blog serves as the complete guide and a Baby Shower checklist for your expectant parents.
If you are looking forward to planning your own Baby Shower or one for the closest people to you, this guide will assist you to kick start your Baby Shower plans.
You can also visit Gift Hampers Melbourne and check out all the fascinating Baby Hampers Melbourne curated specifically for your needs!
Cheers to the happiest Baby Showers in Melbourne!