Babies & Toddler Information

Do you want to provide a baby shower that is great fun for guests, inviting and welcoming and also really relaxing for the mom-to-be? Read on about selecting and delivering a baby shower theme with confidence.

The big question is should your baby shower have a theme at all? And this is really up to you as the host and to the mom-to-be. You may find creating a theme too much work or not the style of the mom-to-be, but having one can make the party seem more organized and more enjoyable for the guests.

The use of a theme tends to improve your overall shower and adds a memorable touch for the guests. A theme will help focus attention on the event and provide a unifying factor which will pull the whole event together. Themes help set the general tone for the baby shower. The shower theme can have implications on the decorations you use, gifts given to the mom-to-be, and invitations sent out. Not all showers have themes, but they can be a lot of fun and especially great if there will be multiple showers or if this isn't the first baby. Information about the shower's theme should be included on the invitation and indeed shower themes are often based around the invitations.

If you know that your shower is going to feature baby bottles, for example, you can look for bottle-shaped invitations and bottles to use for beverages or to fill with candy for game prizes. Even if the theme is as simple as a color scheme (for instance, blue and white if the parents already know it's a boy), it's a unifying element that can simplify your job. A theme can be carried from invitations through to decorations and guests will love it.

An easy way to choose a theme is to shop for the party favors and essentials such as paper goods, plates and napkins first. You can then build a theme around the picture or print on the plates and so forth. This will always give your event a link back to the coordinating decorations.

There are so many sources from which you can draw when choosing a theme for the baby shower. You may want to use an occupation, movie, cartoon character, hobby, romantic place, sport, song, poem, book title, historical era or decade, foreign country, childhood memory or brainstorm your own ideas. So as you can see it doesn't necessarily have to be the traditional colors of pink or blue.

Here are some theme recommendations from experienced baby shower planners and guests for ideas you might like to consider:

Nursery Colors - Use colors from the nursery for your theme. This option gives the flexibility to use any type of tableware, napkins, and decorations for the party. Because of this, it is the least expensive route. You don't need to buy decorations all in the same patterns. Why not decorate the shower with a touch of whimsy? Whether you adorn the shower with banners and yard signs, or have an elegant afternoon affair, pick ideas out of our hat of baby shower tricks and traditions.

Around the Clock Baby Shower Decorations - The new baby will be nothing but the sun, moon, and stars to the new mom! Celebrate with celestial decorations. Cut giant moons and stars out of construction paper. If you can't get silver paper, then cut out shapes on plain card and cover with silver kitchen foil. Punch holes in the top and hang from the ceiling with lengths of string at different levels to make the stars shine down on the guests.

Diaper Shower - For a second baby, consider a diaper shower. Ask each guest to bring only a package of diapers as a gift. Some guests may bring other gifts also, but Mom will end up with a mountain of diapers ? something she'll really need! Items could also include anything associated with diapering such as wipes, ointment, powder, etc.

Noah's Ark - Not only is the Noah's Ark theme prevalent in many nursery designs, but it is great for mothers expecting twins! Have your guests bring two of each gift and ensure that everything at the shower comes in pairs.

Shapes - Some parents may decide on shapes or even objects such as lemons, fish, cubes, circles and triangles to decorate their baby's nursery. Again, finding decorations and accessories for the shower that match this theme should prove beneficial and inexpensive. Guests could also be asked to bring gifts in keeping with the shape that is selected.