Planning your first baby shower can be a challenging experience if not familiar with baby shower etiquette.
It used to be that only women were invited to baby showers; however, events like these have evolved with time and now many showers are for men and women.
Depending upon whether couples, just men or just women are being invited will help determine other decisions needing to be made for planning a shower.
Making a list of everything needing decided upon and done is first.
Start with determining who will be invited, where it will be held and when.
Speaking to family members can be beneficial in making out a guest list and picking a convenient date and time.
Baby Shower Themes There are numerous themes to choose from.
While it is not mandatory to have a specific theme, using a specific theme idea helps in choosing the invitations and decorations.
Some popular themes are teddy bears, traditional blue or pink, nursery rhymes, rubber duckies, Noah's ark, baby animals, Looney tunes, and scrap-booking or baby books.
Of course if having a shower just for women, that opens up other theme ideas like a tea party shower or a makeover shower.
Once a theme is decided upon, it is time to shop for invitations and picking from decoration ideas.
Decorations normally include a table centerpiece - many showers feature a diaper cake for a centerpiece.
Other types of decorations are determined by your theme just as the invitations are.
Baby Shower Food Plan your food menu.
Are you serving finger foods, snacks, pizza party or perhaps a pot-luck? The baby shower food menu should include items which all guests can enjoy and preferably quick and easy to fix.
Remember there are several food items which mothers-to-be should not consume.
Baby Shower Game Ideas A fun part of planning is which game ideas to play and of course, choosing the game prizes, gift bags and/or door prizes.
Favorite game ideas include the dirty diaper game, diaper bag contents memory game, change the baby blindfolded, make baby names from letters of the parents' names and guessing how many pacifiers are in a bowl.
Dunking for pacifiers is a shower favorite.
Just put water in a baby bath tub with several pacifiers in it.
Guests then dunk for pacifiers.
Whoever gets the most wins.
Baby Shower Party Favors Baby shower party favors take some planning.
Are baby shower party favors to be items the guests will give to the expectant parent or to be favors for guests to take home? Are you giving a door prize or gift bags and are they going to be theme oriented or just nice gift items? Last but not least, make a time line to follow.
Know when during the shower the games will be played, food will be served and gifts will be opened.
Plan on how long the party will last and how to end it comfortably.
Once the theme ideas and decoration ideas have been determined, the rest of the planning will fall into place fairly easily with your checklist on hand.
Don't be overwhelmed.
Proper baby shower etiquette isn't hard and should not deter one from planning and having a great baby shower.