Baby Shower Themes
Should your baby shower have a theme? It's really up to you. You may find creating a theme too much work or not your style, but having one can make the party seem more organized and help with preparations.
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.
Tea party
You could throw a tea party baby shower with fresh flower centerpieces
for the tables. You can pull out the good china or borrow it if you don't
have any. The tables can be covered with white tablecloths to dress them
up. The menu may include tea and scones as a starter with the main course
as turkey on a croissant, fresh fruit slices, and a salad.
Baby brunch
You could throw a "brunch" baby shower and hold it around 10:30 am, with traditional games and gifts. Foods can include "virgin" (non-alcoholic) cocktails with fruit tarts, quiches, and a bundt cake for eats. White linens and real silver set the beautiful classy mood.
Pampering Mom
To break tradition for a friend who is having her second or third, you can throw a "mommy shower." The decorations are very grown-up - fancy chocolates, cloth tablecloths, real glass, and flowers. Instead of baby gifts, everyone gives things to pamper Mommy, like comfy lounge clothes, and gift certificates for takeout food and manicures and the like.
Star of the show
Bake the cake like a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
And have it say something like "a star will be born" or something
similar, or maybe even the baby's name if it's already been picked out.
As each guest arrives and walks down the red carpet, videotape the "stars"!
Let each guest give a special message to the mom-to-be. Give the guest of
honor the video and let her add other special moments.
Nine months pregnant
You can invite the guests to come "nine months pregnant" (stuffed with pillows, etc.) so the about-to-pop mother-to-be wouldn't feel physically out of place. It can be a co-ed shower, so even the men can stuff their shirts to be "with child"! The dressing up makes for a nice icebreaker since all of the guests may not know each other beforehand and it creates a very fun, relaxed atmosphere.
Deep freeze
If you're on the second or third child, another brilliant idea is a "deep freeze" shower. Just ask guests to bring a cooked, freezable meal for the freezer, for parents-to-be to eat after the baby arrives.
Diaper bonanza
Put together a basket with a bottle of wine, crackers, wine glasses, wine opener, block of cheese, summer sausage, etc. to display at the shower. In the invitations, write that there will be a raffle for a gift basket that anyone would love. The price for each entry can be one small pack of diapers or a box of wipes. Guests can enter as many times as they like. The new parents won't need to buy diapers for months!
Layette party
Hang a clothesline in the room. Have guests arrive before the guest of honor and bring an item from the layette or an article of clothing for the baby and hang it from the clothesline. When the mom-to-be walks in, she'll be delighted. She can also take the clothesline and clothes pins for her own personal use.
Books for the baby
Hold a "book" shower with a fairy tale/garden party theme. Ask each guest to bring a favorite book; classic books, bedtime books, and storybooks. Many guests also bring a stuffed animal to match the book. It's a great way to start the baby's library! You can even do a book-shaped cake with decorations from children's books.
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