The secret to a fun baby shower? Keep it stress-free, and let the mama shine. There are dozens of ways to celebrate your upcoming little one or the parents-to-be in your life. To get inspiration for your shower, explore some of our favorite baby shower ideas, featuring:
Theme IdeasInvitation Ideas
Decor Ideas
Menu Ideas
Game Ideas
Craft Ideas
Gift Ideas
Bonus Ideas
FAQs
Theme Ideas
You might have the details down with a favorite snack or fun party game—but how do you pull it all together? Time to choose a theme. Baby shower themes are a wonderful way to focus (but never limit) your party decor. Kick off some ideas with these motifs.
1. Animal Kingdom
The only thing that might rival your little one in cuteness? A brigade of baby animals. Choose an adorable creature (or an entire menagerie) to place throughout your shower decor, from cake designs to table linens. Popular animals include elephants, bunnies, ducks, and cows. You could even put a Jurassic spin on the idea by opting for dinosaurs. For an oh-so-cute touch, add some mama-and-baby imagery as well.
2. (Honey) Bun in the Oven
Be the queen bee of the party with a hive-themed baby shower. Adorable buzzers and that signature black-and-yellow pattern will bring a smile to every guest’s face. Add hexagon decorations and a honey-flavored tasty treat to the menu to round out the theme.
3. Garden Paradise
Flowers are always in season and are a fun reminder of a blooming family. Crank the petals up to one hundred with plenty of garlands, bouquets, greenery, or even a flower wall. You can even flower-ize your food with edible petals. Want to make it easy? Host your shower in a garden if the season and climate allow.
4. Tea Party
Rock your daintiest outfit and upturned pinky with a classic tea party theme. Elaborate china, soft linens, roses, and (of course) plenty of tea and finger sandwiches all turn up the teatime fun. This elegant theme fits the bill for a small yet formal celebration.
Invitation Ideas
An invitation is like a sneak peek into your celebration—so make it a peek they won’t forget. Above all, your invitations should match your party’s theme. To make that easier, plan your shower theme before designing invitations. Once you have the decor down, you can create an eye-catching invitation featuring those elements.
5. Short and Sweet
No matter how beautiful your invitation is, it doesn't do much good without all the important details. Give your guests a clear picture of your event by providing the location, time and date, contact information, guest policies, and gift guidelines. Don’t worry about writing up a whole story; keep it short and sweet with the key pieces of information.
6. Elegant Touches
Hosting a fancy teatime? Cursive or serif writing will relay that elegance. Celebrating your baby with a big game night? Add splashy word art or swirly fonts to match the vibe. The font should convey your party’s formality and personality.
7. Decorative Motifs
Every baby shower invitation should include at least one visual to draw the eye. Think of images or motifs that match your decor theme, like florals, baby baskets, clouds, or animals. On paper cards, you can even play around with images and textures. Add tactile spring elements like lace, bows, or even cutouts for a show-stopping card.
8. Virtual Option
To go digital or not to go digital? That is the modern question. While e-invitations are more efficient, eco-friendly, and affordable, paper invitations can be more creative and personal. Choose whichever format matches your plans and budget best.
Decor Ideas
Create the ultimate baby shower by pulling together coordinated colors, flowers, and centerpieces that create a soothing, celebratory atmosphere for the parents and their guests. Need some fresh inspiration? Start with our favorite decor ideas.
9. Color Palettes
Get inspiration from the season, mom’s favorites, or even diaper patterns—Honest® has diaper design options like Turtle Time, So Bananas, Flower Power, and Just Peachy. From monotones to trifectas, a simple color palette will give all your decor elements a pleasing cohesion.
10. Floral Arrangements
From backyard bashes to fancy soirees, no baby shower celebration is complete without some blooms—especially in seasons like spring. Bring the beautiful colors and scents of the season to your baby shower with fresh florals. You could even use these flowers as party favors for your guests to take home.
Traditionally, baby shower florals evoke the softness and beauty of a new life. Popular varieties include soft petals, light colors, and delicate shapes, such as white or yellow roses, hydrangeas, peonies, carnations, lilacs, or sweet peas.
Want a more contemporary or unique look? Wow guests with bold blossoms like snapdragons, anthuriums, tulips, or daffodils. You can even arrange succulents for a bit of bohemian, southwestern flair.
11. Balloons
Simple, classic, and eye-catching, balloons are a winning centerpiece or backdrop decor element. For a traditional look, tie a few long-stringed oval balloons in shades chosen from your color palette. For a fun twist, look for shaped balloons. Flowers, hearts, or baby’s initial letters all make for a lively, personal touch.
12. Centerpieces
Big or small, every baby shower deserves a festive centerpiece. These star decorations elevate any table to fun heights, encouraging guests to gather. Try a basket filled with other decorations or simple flowers or candles. For a pastoral twist, place wicker or straw baskets at the center of your tables to hold candles, florals, terrariums, or other decor.
13. Practical Decor
Instead of buying a bunch of decorations that won’t get used again, decorate with things that mom needs for the new baby. Honest® Diaper Cakes make super cute centerpieces full of products that can be used when baby arrives. You can also try making your own diaper cake. The perfect 2-in-1 gift!
Menu Ideas
One of the top baby shower tips we can offer is to not leave your guests with rumbling stomachs. For a satisfying shower, delight their senses with tasty treats.
Typically, baby showers shine with non-messy finger foods—minimal cleanup, maximal satisfaction. However, you can serve anything from a single charcuterie board to a full buffet. Keep in mind that pregnant mamas often have dietary restrictions or aversions, so baby shower food should always cater to her. Make sure to ask ahead before deciding what to serve.
Whatever your choice, we have a few flavors to inspire your menu.
14. Sweets
Every shower needs a sweet treat to celebrate. Iced sugar cookies and cupcakes never go out of style, while layered cakes or delicate petit fours will dazzle crowds. For flavors, pick from seasonal options—fresh berries for the spring or spiced pumpkin for the fall. Of course, you can never go wrong with crowd-pleasing chocolate or the new mom’s preferred picks.
15. Savories
You don’t need a four-course meal to serve savory dishes. Take the stress-free route with a fresh crudité, cheese, or charcuterie board. Simple appetizers like deviled eggs, pesto toasts, prosciutto-wrapped melon, and pita flatbreads are also easy finger-food options.
16. Drinks
It’s not all about the booze. For all the moms-to-be, whip up a tasty mocktail. Ginger-lemon sparklers, berry spritzers, and virgin piña coladas all offer some spring break flair—minus the hangover. For a brunch celebration, a virgin bloody mary or sparkling mimosa never fails to please.
17. Meals
While showers traditionally have light finger foods, you can always make it a whole-meal occasion to focus on food and conversation rather than games or activities. Offer a soup and salad buffet or pizza options so guests can choose the flavors they like most. Or get mom’s favorite restaurant to cater for a stress-free, elegant choice.
18. Take-Home Boxes
Have enough leftovers for guests to take home? Keep paper to-go boxes on hand for easy gifting and cleanup. Pack some food for mom first, then let guests take a doggie bag home as a party favor. It’s a crowd-pleaser that helps you, too. For a personalized touch, order stickers with your party theme incorporated to stamp the boxes with a cute shower tie-in.
Game Ideas
A baby shower is all about the mom-to-be—and shared fun only amplifies the moment and creates lasting memories. Make your baby shower a party to remember with some lighthearted games. Make up your own, or choose from some of our favorite baby shower games and activities.
Don’t forget to get a few baby shower prizes for the winners. A tumbler, a candle, or a gift card are all simple, crowd-pleasing prize options. You can also lean into your theme with gifts featuring colors or patterns that match the party’s decor.
19. Parent’s Secrets
The star couple plays “The Marriage Game.” Guests write down questions that both parents guess. After answering each other’s questions, the couple guesses each other’s answers in front of all guests. The process helps everyone get to know the couple (and their growing family) better while having a few laughs.
20. Guess the Baby Food
All guests write down their best guess at the contents of multiple baby food jars. Hand out a small prize to the person with the most accurate guesses. It’s a silly way to remember the soft-foods stage of a new baby’s life and can give the parents ideas for the best flavors to try with their little one when the time comes.
21. Don’t Say “Baby”
Upon arrival, everyone receives a diaper pin. If you hear anyone say the word “baby,” you get to take their pin. The person with the most pins wins! This game is an easy ice breaker for guests who don’t know each other as well, leading to new friends and fun memories.
22. Back in the Day
Coordinate with guests and family members in advance to get baby pictures of everyone—plus a few wild card options like celebrities, beloved pets, or the baby-of-honor’s sonogram. For the game, bring the pictures up on a big screen and have guests guess which baby is who. Everyone gets to reminisce about their childhoods and look forward to the new baby’s.
Craft Ideas
While traditional baby shower games have their charms, some guests may be drawn to more hands-on activities. Here’s a baby shower tip for moms-to-be: try a craft or artsy project. Guests can bond over sharing the same paint sets while mom gets hand-made gifts to take home for the nursery.
23. Guest Scrapbook
To make a guest scrapbook, each guest gets a page to decorate and share their wishes and words of wisdom for baby. Add a personal, visual touch with a polaroid of each guest to connect the message with the person who wrote the wish. Bind the pages together into one memory book for mom to have and to share as a wish book for her new baby.
24. Baby Onesies
Babies go through what feels like a million onesies in their first few months of life. They’re constantly changing outfits for one reason or another. Gift mom a few extra sets decorated by her loved ones. Keep the decorations simple with fabric markers, or go ambitious with paints, stamps, and glitter. It’s fun and practical, all in one!
25. Quilt Squares
For a slightly more ambitious project, prepare quilt squares for everyone to decorate. Fabric markers make it easy for anyone to write a message or draw a picture, and you can also have a needle and thread on hand for the more advanced sewers in the group to do a quick stitch.
After the shower, have a quilter put the pieces together. Mom gets a made-with-love quilt to save for baby or to use herself on late nights for a little extra comfort.
26. Birthday Cards
Help your guests celebrate baby’s upcoming entrance into the world with birthday cards! Have a craft table with pens, stickers, and stamps so guests can decorate their cards and envelopes with colorful messages to mom and baby. To help out mom in the process, pair this activity with another: Have guests fill out their addresses on envelopes for thank you cards so she can easily send them a note later on.
Gift Ideas
Every mom-to-be deserves all the layettes, strollers, and spa kits in the world as baby shower gifts. But to show guests your appreciation, give them a little something back. We’ve got a few gift ideas for parents, plus a few for your party guests.
27. Baby Essentials
Trust us: Some of the best shower gifts are baby essentials. Babies need countless bottles, wipes, and clothes in their first few months. Essentials simplify the logistics for parents to give them more peace of mind. Find mom’s favorite brands and coordinate with other guests to give options in progressive sizes so the family has plenty of essentials as baby grows.
28. Diapers, Diapers, Diapers
Diapers are perhaps the most crucial essential of all with a new baby. After their first week of life, newborns typically have
29. Group Gifts
Here’s our best tip for a budget-friendly baby shower: Pool resources for a group gift. Have everyone coming to the shower chip in for a stroller, bassinet, or car seat. If your budget isn’t quite that big, something like a
30. Gifts for Mom
Babies need so many things, but moms need lots of care during this time, too! Consider
31. Gifts for Dad
Lots of upcoming babies have another parent: their dad. Show dad a little love at the shower with a gift or two of his own—or host a whole
32. Party Favors
While a baby shower is mainly about the new family, it isn’t complete without the guests! Show your guests a little appreciation with party favors as they leave. Favors will have every guest smiling after your baby shower. For a springtime shower, consider seasonal gifts like flower seed packets, egg-shaped chocolates, or mini succulents. Decorated cookies or personalized home items like magnets or keyrings are excellent choices for any time of the year.
Bonus Ideas
We’re not out of ideas yet! You can customize your baby shower in so many different ways to suit your needs and those of your loved ones. Here are a few more of our best baby shower ideas.
33. Virtual Shower
Sometimes, everyone who wants to celebrate a new baby can’t be in the same location. You can still have a party with friends and family—
34. Mood Music
No party is complete without a playlist. Try one full of sweet and silly songs that mom-to-be and her guests would enjoy. Music is a fun and super easy way to keep the mood light and upbeat. You can match the songs to the theme, the expectant family’s taste, or a combination of both! Curating your list ahead of time takes a layer of stress off during the party, so everyone—host included—gets to sit down and enjoy.
35. DIY Pennant Banner
A no-sew pennant banner can be used as party decor, the backdrop for a virtual shower, or as a gift for the baby’s nursery. Use cardstock and your favorite stick-and-peel wallpaper to create one at home. Try wallpaper options from the
First, attach the wallpaper to the cardstock and cut out the triangle shapes. Then, using a sharp hole puncher, punch holes in the left and right corners of the shortest edge of each triangle. Starting on the design side, lace your twine through the punched holes so the string lies behind each triangle. Using washi tape or pins, attach each end of the twine to a wall and admire your work!
Welcoming Your Baby with Honest®
The most important part of any baby shower is sharing the excitement with loved ones. With your biggest supporters by your side, your baby shower will bloom into an unforgettable event.
During the final weeks of pregnancy (and right after), you might need a little extra support—and Honest® is here to provide it.
Our Clean Conscious™ and thoughtful products are designed for new moms to thrive. Whether you need to find a Prenatal Routine for her changing body or a Postnatal self-care routine,
Frequently Asked Baby Shower Questions
When do you have a baby shower?
Typically, people have a baby shower a month or two before the baby is born. This gives expectant parents enough time to share their news with everyone and make plans for their growing family while giving them some leeway before the baby is born. Ultimately, the timing is up to you and the parents! You can host a shower early in pregnancy or even after baby is born. Whatever works best for you and your loved ones.
When do you send out baby shower invites?
Give people at least three weeks to plan for your baby shower. If you’re sending invitations in the mail, an extra week or two of buffer time ensures timely delivery, especially if inviting people from another zip code. Plus, it gives guests the chance to order gifts for the occasion. It’s also a good idea to send an electronic invite or reminder if your physical copy gets delayed or lost in the mail.
How do you plan a baby shower?
Keep it simple! Make a guest list and use ideas in this list to decide on a theme, decor, and food. Shower the expectant parents in love—in the form of gifts or simply the presence of their loved ones. The point is to gather around new moms to support them during this time of transition.
We aim to provide you with the most honest and credible information possible. This article was reviewed for accuracy by The Honest Team and its internal technical experts.
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