Baby Shower Planning Checklist

One of the best things about being pregnant is all the fun activities that it brings. The baby shower is a very important part of the celebration. To make the party successful, you need to have a plan.

Here is a checklist for planning your baby shower:

The Date

The first step in planning a baby shower is to set the date. Plan the shower to occur about a month and a half prior to the due date. It can be sooner than that, but it is recommended to make it any closer to the date. You never know what could happen and the mommy might not be attending the shower.

Party Site

There are several great locations to have a baby shower. You can have it in your home, but then you have to clean up the mess. Great places for a baby shower are a park (Spring and Summer months), a restaurant party room or a community hall. Check that your date is available and get your deposit down early.

Invitations and Decorations

You can find great party decorations at departments stores such as Walmart or you can choose a party specialty shop such as Anderson’s Giant Party Store. Specialty shops will have exactly what you are looking for all in one place including invitations.

Prepare your guest list complete with names and addresses. Send the invitations out no later than a month prior to the shower. This will allow everyone the opportunity to be ready for it.

Food

Order you cake about a month in advance to ensure that you can get it. Grocery store bakeries have excellent cake with a wide variety of choices in decorations. Don’t be afraid to use them. If you choose a traditional bakery, you may be able to be more specific in what you want.

Don’t bother with a huge meal. A nice deli tray or even pizza will work just fine. Afternoon events don’t call for a cookout, although that isn’t out of the question. It’s an expense that you don’t need to go to.

Games and Door Prizes

Everyone expects to have games when they attend a baby shower. It is part of the fun. There are many games to choose from such as those found at Baby Shower 101. Have enough prizes to give out to the winners of each game. Don’t forget to bring the right materials for the games to the location of the shower.

Thank You Notes

Thank you notes must be written. It can be made much easier if you have the guests write their name and address on the thank you note envelope before they leave. This can be done easily as a door prize drawing. Mommy-to-be will have far less writing to do and no one will be forgotten when the thank yous go out.