Invitations
and Announcements - Tips & Tricks
Baby Shower Invitations
One of the best parts of throwing a baby shower is being able to pick a theme for the event. Since the invitations set the tone of your event, the baby shower invitations you select should convey that theme to your guests. Some guests may even incorporate your theme with their baby shower gift. There are so many baby shower invitations at MyGatsby.com to choose from, you may even want to base your theme on your favorite invitation.
Baby shower invitations should be sent 4-6 weeks before the shower date giving your guests time to mark their calendars, pick out the perfect gift and enjoy and afternoon with the mother to be!
If you are throwing a surprise baby shower, there are several ways to include that information on your shower invitations. “Mother knows that baby is on her way… but she doesn’t know we’re showering her with gifts for baby to play!” You can also start out with, “Shhh, It’s a Surprise!”
Be sure to plan your baby shower far enough in advance. Babies have a mind of their own even before they enter this world! Plan on hosting your baby shower 1-3 months before the mother is due. Check with the mother to be and see how she is feeling. Some mothers are not up to celebrating the last month of pregnancy.
If it would be more convenient for the parents or more practical, you can throw a “welcoming shower” for the newborn baby after he or she is born. The guests will be sure to buy the right color of clothing and the out of town family and friends will be able to attend the shower and meet the newborn all in one visit!
Hostess gifts are a common gesture of thanks given by the guests or guest of honor to the host. In the case of baby showers, the mother to be is not expected to give a hostess gift to the hostess. If the mother to be would like to give a gift to the hostess, a bouquet of flowers or a small token of your appreciation would be appropriate.
There is no one perfect place to host a baby shower. If you have a home large enough to accommodate all of the guests, then that may be the best option. What is most important is to pick a location where the mother would be most comfortable.
Since the word “shower” infers “showering the mother with gifts,” it is okay to indicate where the mother to be is registered on the baby shower invitations. Typically the registry information is printed at the bottom of the baby shower invitation wording, often in a smaller or italicized font. You may also opt to inform guests where the mother is registered when they RSVP to the event.
When creating a guest list for a baby shower, it is best to ask the mother for a list of whom she would like to invite or at least have her look over a list you have created. Some mothers may want to have a smaller more intimate shower while others will want to celebrate with all of their friends and family.
Even if you are serving mostly finger food, be sure there is enough seating and tables for your guests to sit down and eat. Many people come dressed to a baby shower in a nice outfit that they wouldn’t want decorated with deviled eggs or frosting.
Don’t be afraid to use the baby shower invitation as an introduction to the game playing at the shower. Ask them to bring a baby photo to the shower and play a game trying to match the baby photo to each guest. There are all sorts of ways you can get them to participate in the fun.
If mom and dad already have a name picked out for the newborn and are comfortable with telling people the name, you are more then welcome to use it on your baby shower invitations.
Baby showers can be thrown for a second, or third, child, but if the parents insist they do not need any gifts you can word your baby shower invitations as such. Simply print, “No gifts, please,” at the bottom of the invitations. Your wording could also read “Please shower us with the gift of your presence…”
Emily Post would dispute common practice for who should host a baby shower. Traditionally, family members should not host a baby shower for the expectant mother for that would be considered self serving. Anymore, it is acceptable for relatives to throw a shower; friends and family are excited for the new arrival and will look forward to attending the baby shower regardless of who is hosting.
It is always helpful to include a direction card in with the baby shower invitations. Anymore, people will most likely be traveling from all over town and may not be familiar with the location of the shower. Be sure to include the address and a phone number for directions on the direction card in case that’s the only part of the invitation they grab on the way out of the door.
Name tags are a great way for people to feel comfortable at a large baby shower or one where the guests may not know one another. You can print the tags with the theme of the shower or have guests draw their own duck or rattle on their name tag.
When planning the seating arrangements at a baby shower, make sure you have enough seating for everyone invited and be sure to set aside a comfortable chair for the expectant mother. Ask someone to be in charge of passing the gifts to the mother and someone else to keep track of who they are from. You will be the hostess with the mostess if you have that arranged for her!
Depending on how many guests are invited to the baby shower, the hostess should make sure that the celebration stays in motion. Make sure that the games, eating, gift opening etc. are somewhat scheduled so that the baby shower is a festive celebration and not a drawn out weekend afternoon.
Men may be invited to baby showers as long as the event is planned with both sexes in mind. Men are less likely to wear a pacifier around their neck or gaggle over bonnets and bassinets. Be sure the expectant father would like to be included in the baby shower and if so, plan a game he would enjoy. One such game is to ask the father what he thinks baby’s favorite sport will be and other such questions. Then ask the guests to guess what father picked. The one who guesses the same as father wins!
Many things expectant parents will need for their baby are expensive and otherwise out of guests’ price range. One helpful thing a hostess can do is to suggest a gift that several guests can purchase together. Guests will be able to afford something special and the expectant parents can receive the car seat or crib to keep their child safe.
Expectant mothers should be sure to thank each guest as they leave the baby shower. Having the favors near the door is a perfect way to gather before everyone leaves and gives the mother a chance to say goodbye to everyone who attended.
The baby shower host will be busy with many details the day of the shower, but it is important to have everything ready when guests begin to arrive. The host should greet guests at the door, welcome them to the event and give them direction as to where to put their purse and get settled.
Games at a baby shower are great ice breakers, however check with the mother to be before planning any games as she may feel differently. The mother may just prefer the guests sign in a guest book over playing any games. To put a spin on the guest book, you could have each guest create a baby shower scrapbook page and place the photos in later.
With our busy lives these days, having two hostesses for a baby shower is not only acceptable, but very practical. The tasks can be divided making it easier to throw a wonderful event without all the work being put forth by one person. As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one!”
Baby shower favors don’t have to be extravagant to be a special reminder of the event. Anything in keeping with the theme of the baby shower is what is usually given. Bubbles wrapped with a custom label are one cute keepsake.
Because the person that plans and invites the guests to the baby shower is the one responsible for paying it is usually considered her gift. Often times, several people will get together and share the expenses.
Potlucks are a fun way to allow friends and family to be involved in the baby shower and to relieve some of the costs. You can create a menu from which people can pick the dish they would like to make or you can ask everyone to make their signature dish.
Even if you are hosting a baby shower with a lot of guests, it is important that time be allowed for gift opening. The shower is to help prepare the parents for their new baby and many people go to quite a bit of trouble to elaborately wrap the perfect gift. Guests are looking forward to seeing the look on the expectant mother’s face upon opening their gift and will feel appreciated hearing in person how much it is liked. It is also fun for the rest of the guests to see all of the items that the mother has received – isn’t that the fun of baby showers?
A fun baby shower theme could be “Mothering around the clock” where guests are asked to purchase a gift that would be appropriate for the time of day tucked within their invitation. If a guest receives 12:00 noon, they may choose to buy bottles or something for feeding time.
When planning the menu for a baby shower, you should take into consideration the time of day that shower will be occurring. If your guests are arriving at 11:00 am, they will be expecting to have brunch or lunch served at the event. If your baby shower invitations indicate 2:00 pm as the commencement hour, light appetizers and punch would be appropriate.
To help the expectant mother respond in gratitude for all the gifts she has received at the baby shower, have each guest address an envelope with their information. Drop all of the envelopes in a bowl and draw a winner for a prize. The guests are eligible for a gift and the mother to be has half of the note writing process complete!
Some fun baby shower themes to keep in mind…. Playtime (gifts for games and educational toys), Baby Safety (gifts to keep baby safe), Pamper Mommy (gifts to help take care of mommy, too), Nursery (anything to do with nursery rhymes), Alphabet (each guests gets a letter of the alphabet – B = bottles, bunnies etc) Back to Tips Home
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