20 Ideas for Throwing a Fun and Memorable Baby Shower

Confirm the Date and Host

Anyone from a family member to a coworker—but generally not the expectant parents themselves—can host a shower, which is usually held during the last two months of pregnancy. (Some couples hesitate to stock a nursery before the child has arrived, and some like to hold out until the baby can be the guest of honor; ask the couple if they would prefer a pre- or post-birth shower.) Typically, showers are held for first children only, but this is not a rule—"sprinkles" are becoming a popular way to celebrate second and third pregnancies.

Send a Formal Invitation

Even if the shower date and details are a surprise, the parents-to-be can help make the guest list. Traditionally, baby showers were just for women; modern showers now often include everyone.

Although a digital invitation is acceptable, printed cards are more in keeping with the momentousness of the event. Invitations should be sent at least three weeks in advance.

Throw It with a Theme

While party themes are not required, an inventive and thoughtful aesthetic that speaks to the personality of the parents-to-be and makes your gathering even more festive. Choose bright colors, pretty flower arrangements, fun balloon displays, and a coordinated palette to pull your theme together.

Curate the Menu

Nothing ruins a guest experience faster than a table full of intricate, tasteless finger foods. Create a menu that's easy to prepare—unless you're hiring a caterer—and can be eaten at room temperature: cheese and vegetable tarts, grilled-chicken salads, homemade pizzas, fruit, and green salads are just some of the options you can make.

Craft a Custom Mocktail

Raise a (non-alcoholic) glass to the guest of honor with a batch of alcohol-free mocktails. Try flavored iced teas, sophisticated (decaf!) coffee drinks, or frozen fruit blended with lemon syrup and water—all served in your best glassware, of course.

Decorate with Paper Flowers

Colorful daffodils, tulips, asters, and roses—all made from carefully-folded tissue paper—add a cheerful floral accent to your centerpieces. Send them home as favors (and make an extra bunch as a keepsake for the baby's nursery).

Play a Game

Baby shower games can tie into the theme (try bingo for a polka-dot-themed party), and provide entertainment. One to try: Guests write their favorite names for boys and girls on slips of paper that are dropped in jars for the parents' consideration.

Themes to Try: French Countryside Baby Shower

Take inspiration from the French countryside in summer, where the fields are carpeted in lavender, and the sky is nursery blue. A menu of potato leek soup, pissaladiere, madeleines, and chocolat blanc for favors is easy to prepare but still feels luxurious. The decorations are simple—embroidered linens, a tiny arrangement of forget-me-nots, and a few dangling wired wreaths—but effective.

All-White Shower

An all-white theme is simple and sophisticated. Fill a living room or dining room with white balloons and streamers, ask guests to bring their gifts wrapped in snowy hues, and set out glass and white porcelain dishes to complete the theme.

Let a towering white layer cake serve as your centerpiece, and arrange a candy bar where guests bundle their favorites in swatches of white tulle or muslin to take home as favors.

Baby Shower By Mail

What if the mom-to-be doesn't live nearby? Celebrate by instilling the spirit of a shower into a thoughtful care package—a shower in a box. Have a wrapping party with all the supplies on hand—colorful tissue paper, gift tags, and so on. When the presents arrive, the mom-to-be can open each present and savor the affection with which the collection was assembled.

Brunch Shower for Baby

Brunch, by its nature, is relaxed and easy: a perfect setting for a baby shower. Recipes for classic baked goods and egg dishes can be transferred onto keepsake recipe cards for the parents-to-be (and guests) to take home.

Flower Power Baby Shower

Combining colorful balloons and sweet flower shapes is an ideal way to celebrate the anticipated arrival of a baby. Set the party outdoors, where a sunny day and garden do most of the decorating work for you.

Kid-Friendly Baby Shower

Let the little ones in on the fun! A woodland-themed shower is ideal for families with siblings eagerly waiting for their kid sister or brother. Kid-friendly food and décor make it a festive time for the whole family.

Tea Party Baby Shower

Fragrant tea packaged in cheery custom bag—and matched with a pretty silver spoon—is a favor that complements a tea party theme, a baby shower brunch, or a party inspired by classic literature (whether Jane Austen or Alice in Wonderland).

Spa Shower

Since a parent-to-be will have little time to spoil herself after the baby is born, now is the perfect time for her and her friends to indulge in healthy spa food, nourishing body treatments, and luxurious bath accessories.

Give the Parents a Basket of Wisdom

The ultimate present for any new parent? Favorites from those who've been there. Give a basket of essentials for the adult and baby, from cozy booties to first aid supplies.

Give a Handmade Gift

Give the gift of warmth and comfort when you give a parent-to-be a baby blanket. Crocheted, quilted, or knitted all make great gifts.

Build Baby's Library

It's never too early to begin a child's library, and a set of classics—from Peter Pan to Mother Goose—is sure to be appreciated in the reading years to come. To personalize a gift of books, include a set of handmade bookplates: Scan and print clip-art borders to make the plates, stack them together, and tie with a bow—or have bookplate images made into rubber stamps.

Make Family Scrapbooks

Engage the baby's senses with CDs of nursing and bedtime tunes and custom scrapbooks to show the baby who's who in her new world. Have grandparents-to-be email family photos and make color printouts and corresponding labels. Then, stick them into books using double-sided archival tape.

Ask for a Storytelling Tape

Friends and relatives who live far away may not be able to read their favorite books in person to the new arrival, but they can still share stories in a meaningful way by making a recording of themselves reading one aloud and sending it along to the parents-to-be.