The Complete Hosting Guide for Baby Showers

It's a great honour to host a loved one's baby shower. This means the mother-to-be not only feels close to you, but is also super confident that you'll do an amazing job designing this once-in-a-lifetime event.

At the same time, it's normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of planning and carrying out the perfect baby shower. To help ease the pressure and streamline the planning process, we've compiled the complete hosting guide for baby showers. Let's get started!

8 to 10 Weeks Prior: Consult with the Guest of Honour

In a perfect world, you'll be able to start the planning process a good eight to ten weeks prior to the event. Though everyone is different, many baby showers take place around the 7th month of pregnancy. By scheduling the baby shower for month seven, you'll ensure the mother-to-be has enough time post-shower to purchase needed baby items.

The beauty of a baby shower is that the expecting mother shouldn't have to invest too much time or energy into the planning process. With some key information, you can easily take the burden off her and create the perfect event. When you have your initial conversation with the guest of honour, make sure you cover all of these basics:

Date & Time. With work, doctor's appointments, and preparing for baby, pregnant women are busy. Make sure you can settle on a date and time that fits into her busy schedule.

Guest List. The mum-to-be should provide you with names and addresses (or email addresses) of guests. At this point, you'll determine if you're hosting a traditional, all-ladies baby shower or a more modern Jack & Jill shower.

Theme. Woodland animals? Twinkle little star? Under the sea? The baby shower theme will inform your furnishings, decor, and even your games. At this point, make sure to discuss whether or not the baby's gender will come into play in the decor. Some mothers-to-be will want pink accents for girls and blue for boys — others will want a more subtle, gender-neutral look.

Menu. Dietary restrictions? Special requests? Be sure to get a general impression from the guest of honour concerning the menu, then sort out the details on your own.

6 to 8 Weeks Prior: Set Budget & Choose Venue

One of the most crucial aspects of event planning? Deciding on a budget. There is a big difference between a budget of $200 and a budget of $1,000 for a shower, and you need to be sure to scale your planning depending on how many guests are expected to attend. Once you've decided on a budget, you can choose a venue.

For a baby shower, this can be super flexible. Baby showers can be done spectacularly in your living room if you have a close-knit guest list. In other cases, you might want to book a room in a restaurant for a small brunch or book a traditional event hall for a larger event. Warm weather makes casual BBQ showers possible in your backyard. For a creative and unique baby shower, you might even decide on an outdoor picnic to celebrate the mother-to-be.

Keep in mind that once you book/decide on a venue, you need to start planning how to set up the space. Do you need to reserve tables and chairs? How about service bar spaces for mocktails? Table settings and cutlery? Furnishings like daybeds, benches, and couches where guests can lounge? Umbrellas for shade at outdoor events? If doing the event at home, how will you divide and differentiate spaces for gift-giving and eating? Baby showers are meant to convey a calm and beautiful aesthetic, so setting up the space mindfully is a crucial aspect of planning the event.

6 Weeks Prior: Send Invites & Choose Menu

Depending on the formality of the baby shower, don't feel bad about sending email invites! You'll save paper and have a clear list of your RSVP's that you can access online. On the other hand, a more formal baby shower might call for paper invitations, and this is fine, too! This is also the time to make sure that the mum-to-be has created her baby registry, so that you can include a reference to the registry on the invitation.

Detailed menu-planning should start at this stage. Just like the venue, this is budget-dependent and has a lot to do with the guest of honour's preferences. Keep in mind that, unless the event is scheduled to coincide with lunch or dinner time, most people don't expect a "full meal" at a baby shower.

Depending on how formal or casual the event is going to be, you have tons of options. Make hardy dishes yourself, order full-service catering, stick to simple sandwiches and finger foods, order platters based on guests' dietary preferences, or fire up the grill — as long as you're respecting the future mum's wishes, the menu for a baby shower can take any form you wish!

4 Weeks Prior: Party Games, Favours, and Desserts

In general, guests at baby showers expect party games to help break the ice, celebrate the mum and baby, and organise the day. There are plenty of great online resources available for choosing party games that will resonate the best with your particular party. You can choose two or three games.

At this point, start to think about the little details that will make the party special:

Decor & Flowers. Baby showers are all about the aesthetic! Think about balloons, centrepieces, and flowers that will go with your theme and create a beautiful day that your mum-to-be will remember forever.

Favours. A sweet tradition, favours don't have to break the bank. Look into party favor options available at different price points.

Mementos. The future mum will want something special to remember the day. Remember to include a sign-in book (perhaps a favourite children's book) that's easily available for guests to access throughout the day.

Photos. You don't need to hire a professional photographer for a baby shower (though you certainly can, if it's within your budget!). Instead, you can reach out to certain guests ahead of time and see if they'd be willing to take photos throughout the day. Then, guests can be encouraged to upload pics to a photo-sharing site. Setting up a photo booth is a fun way to get guests involved in picture-taking throughout the shower!

Desserts & Drinks. Cupcakes? Cookies? A signature mocktail with all the mother-to-be's favourite flavors? Coffee or tea to enjoy with dessert?

1 to 2 Weeks Prior: Set Agenda & Cover Your Bases

To ensure nothing has slipped through the cracks, take this time to call your venue and caterer if applicable.

Even the most casual baby showers need an agenda in order to flow properly. Plan this ahead of time so that you're not scrambling and disorganised on the big day. For example, for a baby shower that goes from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the agenda might look something like this:

1:00 — Guests arrive, mingle, and graze on snacks.

1:45 — Start the first game (choose one that also functions as an icebreaker)

2:00 — Start the second game.

2:15 — Start the third game.

2:30 — Serve the main meal or dish that you've prepared.

3:00 — Gather everyone to watch the mum-to-be open gifts (depending on length of shower, guests may still be eating while the guest of honour opens gifts.

3:30 — By this point, cake, dessert, and coffee should have been set out for everyone's enjoyment.

The above agenda would work for a 2-hour party, but it's perfectly acceptable for showers to be three or even four hours long. In those cases, you might incorporate more games, give guests longer to hang out and mingle before games begin, or space the games out so that guests can snack and get drinks in between.

1 Week to Days Before: Set Up & Pick Up

One Week. If your party games require set-up, make sure you get that done about a week ahead of time. Same goes for organising, wrapping, or tying ribbons on party favours.

Days Before. Days before the event, you're going to pick up anything you might need, like drinks, balloons, etc. If you're cooking or baking, make sure you leave yourself sufficient time to complete those tasks.

Day Before. The day before the event, set up your space if possible. With some venues, you might have to wait until a few hours before the event to set up. Keep in mind that this is a great time to ask for help, especially if your space requires tables and chairs.

Day Of. By this point, everything should come together — the food, the games, the desserts, and the decor. If you've made it this far, make sure to congratulate yourself for doing an amazing job!

How to Be an Amazing Baby Shower Host

No baby shower is perfect. As with any event, issues and challenges are inevitable. To be an amazing baby shower host, you need to be able to stay flexible and maintain a sense of humour. Try your best to honour the mother-to-be's vision and requests, and remember to tailor the event to her liking. Looking for inspiration on gorgeous furnishings and decor for your upcoming baby shower? Check out event styling services for some ideas!