11 Baby Shower Ideas for a New Parent

A baby shower is a great way for a mom-to-be to share her joy with friends and near and dear ones. Usually organized 6-8 weeks prior to delivery, baby showers provide parents the opportunity to celebrate the wonderful moments leading up to the birth of their child. It also provides loved ones the opportunity to shower the mom-to-be with a wide variety of loving and meaningful gifts, something that essentially explains how the term ‘baby shower’ may have been coined.

For all new parents, it’s their wish that the baby shower turns out to be a memorable occasion and a delightful experience for everyone. A baby shower is traditionally organized by a close friend, but there’s no harm if the mom-to-be or her relatives want to pitch in to provide some help and guidance. If you are looking for some inspiration for the occasion, here are some cool baby shower ideas for a new parent that you might find useful.

Let the flowers bloom:

A variety of fresh, colorful flowers is one of the best ways to describe the joyful experiences of a mom-to-be. Flowers bloom at the onset of a new season, something that will resonate with the expected birth of the child. You can create some awesome bouquets and keep them on the porch and inside the home as well. You can also add some flowers to the walls, tables and other things in the house.

A picnic in the backyard:

If you feel the presence of guests would make the home a bit stuffy, you can organize the baby shower in the backyard. It would be organized as a picnic, something that guests would be able to relate to their childhood experiences. You can plan some decorations that match or complement the look and feel of your backyard. An outdoor baby shower can be organized when the weather is pleasant and there’s abundant sunlight.

Set up a barbecue:

This would be appropriate if you are hosting a co-ed baby shower. In the traditional sense, a baby shower is an all-women affair. However, current trends indicate a growing acceptance for co-ed baby showers. The daddy-to-be and his friends would love to spend some quality time by the barbecue and cook some tasty food as well.

Numbers and alphabets:

Among the first things that the child will learn will be numbers and alphabets. Decorating the venue with shapes and cutouts of numbers and alphabets will be a good way to signify the expected birth of the child. Some of the food items can feature numbers and alphabets for added fun. Some number/alphabet-based games can also be organized.

Choose the baby’s name:

If the parents-to-be have not yet decided the name of their baby, they can ask the guests to suggest the best names they can think of. Once all the suggestions have been written on paper slips and collected in a box, parents can go through them and pick up a suitable name for the baby. The person who may have suggested the winning name can be given a special prize.

Baby shower bingo:

This is a fun and interactive game that most guests would love to play. There are many variations of this game and you can choose the one that you like. You will need some bingo cards, which you can buy or print on your home computer. One of the most popular variations of the game requires guests to fill up the blank squares with names of gifts that they think the mom-to-be will receive. When the gifts are opened, the one who completes a line first wins.

Pink, blue or white:

You can choose specific colors for decorating the venue. For example, if it’s a baby girl, you can choose the color pink for all your decorations and food items. If it’s a baby boy, you can choose masculine colors such as blue or gray. If you are looking for a neutral shade, you can choose white, which signifies purity and innocence.

Let’s brunch:

Organizing a brunch baby shower will ensure that guests can stay relaxed and don’t have to worry about timings. Moreover, a brunch is a great way to delight guests with their favorite food items such as bacon, egg dishes, French toast, ham, salads, various types of bread, bagel, cinnamon rolls, etc.

Go for a Spa:

Once the baby is born, it would be difficult for the mother to find time for herself. During the first few years, the baby would require constant care and attention. A baby shower provides the perfect opportunity to a mom-to-be and her close friends to indulge in some rejuvenating spa therapy.

A no-frills baby shower:

Many people have started using the modern approach to baby showers, wherein the focus is more on conversations rather than elaborate dishes, decorations, and themes. In a no-frills baby shower, things already available in the home can be used or they can be ordered from a store. A no-frills baby shower saves a lot of time and effort.

Parenting wisdom:

The mom-to-be is likely to get plenty of tips and recommendations on the day of the baby shower. To make them last, guests could be asked to pen some of their experiences as a parent and present it to the mom-to-be. Some of these could be read out, which would be quite interesting and a good learning experience for everyone.

The guest list is usually small for baby showers, as it’s meant only for close friends and relatives. However, there can still be quite a few tasks that will require proper planning and execution. For example, you need to send the invites at least a month in advance, so that guests can allocate time for the baby shower. It’s possible that some of the guests may have a busy lifestyle and they may need some time to find the right gifts or arrange for a babysitter. You also need to look into other things such as finalizing the budget, menu, decorations, and parting gifts. Last but not least, get some rest before the occasion since there will be plenty of things to do and share on the day of the baby shower.