Babies are always a cause for celebration! After all, they’re adorable bundles of joy who are bound to inject happiness and joy in anyone’s life. But, before they’re born, there are a lot of things a mama has to prepare, be it building the crib, getting enough clothes for different occasions, or making sure the nursery is ready. With all this on a mama’s list, it can easily get stressful and overwhelming.
That’s why baby showers exist - these events are tailored not only to celebrate the coming of the newborn, but it’s also a chance for the soon-to-be parents to have a little fun and time away from all the stress. As is custom, a baby shower is usually planned not by the parents themselves but by someone close to them (either a sibling, friend, or another family member). This is usually because parents are already so caught up with all the all the things they need to prep for before the baby is born.
Now, if you’re that person planning it, it can seem like a lot especially if you don’t know where to start! But, worry not for we’ve made a list of our top 8 things to check off your list in order to plan the ultimate baby shower as well as a helpful checklist of things to consider! So, read on to find out more.
1. Pick a Date
A baby shower doesn’t typically happen until a few months (and in some cases a few weeks) before the baby is born. Doing so a few months or weeks before the baby’s due date not only allows the parents and the guests to know the gender of the baby but also makes sure that the mama is still well and good enough to join the festivities. If you’re a planner and need a more concrete time in mind, then you may want to plan the shower around 2 to 3 months before the due date.
Make sure you always check up on the mama to make sure she’s still feeling alright and doing well enough. If needed, simply adjust the plans so that you can make the day as convenient and stress-free for her as possible.
2. Invite Guests
When it comes to babies, it can be tempting to invite the whole town to celebrate the coming of the newborn. However, while this may sound fun, it may not be what the mama wants. Before inviting anyone, ask the mama first whether the event should be a more intimate affair with just a few family and friends, or if it should be grander with every relative, friend, coworker, and whoever else can be invited.
Making the guest list helps you look for a venue as by then you’ll know roughly how big the event space should be. When making the guest list, you can also do so the traditional way (if budget permits), or, as many mamas these days do, you can make a Facebook event invite and easily select who you want to invite!
3. Select a Budget and Choose A Venue
Like any event, it’s wise to have a budget to follow when planning a baby shower. It’s easy to go above and beyond but this may cost you a pretty penny. You can still plan a great baby shower while following your budget.
Now, since by this step you’ll most likely know how many guests there will be, you can go ahead and look for a venue! Depending on the capacity and restrictions of the venue and your personal preference, you can try booking a restaurant, an event space, or even an Airbnb! There are a ton of options out there. But before you secure a venue, make sure to tick these steps off first:
- Research venues that are big enough and find ones that can fit the number of guests you’re expecting to have.
- Reach out to the venues and ask for a cost estimate of the venue as well as any inclusions they may have.
- Ask if you can do an ocular of the venue so you know what it actually looks like. Do not solely depend on photos!
- Narrow down your choices and weigh out the pros and cons of each venue. Consider if the venue has:
- Adequate parking space
- Enough clean bathrooms
- Aircondition or fans
- Their own sound system
- Affiliated caterers and suppliers
Once you consider all these steps, you’ll be sure to have a venue (or two) that will be perfect for the baby shower you’re planning.
4. Decide on the Theme
Themes are always fun, especially for events such as baby showers. Having a theme makes it easier for the guests to know what to wear and it helps tie your event together. If you know the gender of the baby, you can opt for the classic blue or pink theme. Or, you can go with more whimsical themes such as stripes, polka dots, rainbows, carnival, or safari. Alternatively, if the parents of the newborn are movie buffs, you can opt for movie themes such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Aladdin, The Avengers, or even Fast and the Furious. The possibilities are endless!
Apart from getting the parent’s approval, make sure that you also consider the following when choosing a theme:
- How will I decorate the venue according to the theme?
- What attire will be appropriate for the theme?
- Are there any particular suppliers that I can get that can help make the theme more fun? (i.e. cotton candy cart if you have a rainbow or candy theme, or magicians if you have a magic theme)
- Will this all fit in the budget? If not, what can I DIY?
5. Contact Party Suppliers
Once you’ve agreed on a theme for the baby shower, you can go about contacting the necessary suppliers. There are many different suppliers that you can hire at different price points, so you’re sure to find one that fits your budget! Now, there are a bunch of suppliers that you may need, and some that you may just want (but not need) in order to make the day extra special. Whatever they may be, you can ask them first if they can somehow incorporate the theme into their service. For example, if you’re going for a safari theme, you can get a sweets supplier that can make sweet delicacies in the shape of different animals. Or, you can ask your caterer to only serve food with a particular color to follow your themes, such as serving only carbonara, stroganoff, salad, pancit, and other food that come in shades of brown if your theme is safari, or only serving seafood if your theme is under the sea.
If you’re at a loss when it comes to suppliers, consider hiring the following:
- Caterer: if you aren’t supplying the food yourself, or if you aren’t holding the shower in a restaurant, you may want to hire a catering service
- Decorator: caterers typically do some decorating too, but you can also opt to DIY the decors if a decorator doesn’t fit your budget or if the caterer provides basic decors already
- Snack Carts: these snack carts are typically not a part of the catering service. These carts can give your guests a variety of food to snack on during the event. Below are some examples of snack carts you can hire:
- Dirty ice cream
- Cotton candy
- Popcorn
- Fishball and other street food
- Mobile bar
- Coffee
- Juice bar
- Donut wall
- Candy bar
- Photographer and/or a photo booth
- Entertainment (i.e. magicians, singers, live band, etc.)
- Giveaways
- Host
6. Get Giveaways
Giving the guests a token of thanks is customary in many Filipino events, be it weddings, bachelorettes, birthdays, corporate events, or baby showers. It can be anything from grand items such as bags or wine bottles, or smaller and simpler items such as a bag of candy and nuts, or even a little lollipop with the image of the event to help commemorate that special day.
Whatever you choose to give as giveaways, ask yourself these questions:
- Is the option costly or budget-friendly?
- Does the token fit the theme of the baby shower?
- Do you have a supplier that fits the budget and can supply the token? If not, would you be able to DIY it?
- What are the other backup options if the first option doesn’t work out?
- Can the supplier deliver the tokens in time?
How many tokens do you need? (Will it be one per family, one per person, only for adults, or only for kids?)
This is definitely one area of the planning stage where you can have a little bit more fun since this goody bag can be anything!
7. Look for a Host and Come Up With a Progam
When planning an event like this, it’s easier to rely on a host to help keep the program going so that you can make sure that the day goes by smoothly and everything is hassle-free for the mama. Now, being in the Philippines means we all surely have our fair share of family and friends who will make fabulous hosts. So, before looking for a professional host to hire, you may want to first consider if you have any family or friends who might be able to host the shower.
That way, you can also make the day more fun and more meaningful since the host will probably already know the parents of the newborn pretty well. On top of that, since they’ll most likely be on the guest list, they may even do it for free!
After you’ve decided on a host, you can go about discussing the program flow. You should ask the parents of the newborn if they have any specific requirements in the program, like a video montage, a game, or certain activities that they’d like to do so that the host can incorporate that into the flow and make the program seamless. There are a ton of baby-themed games that are perfect for baby showers such as the following:
- Change the diaper (Players each get a doll and a diaper and the fastest one to put the diaper on the doll wins)
- Baby’s hungry (This is usually only for adults as it has to do with alcohol. In this game, the players race to finish the contents of a baby bottle. First one to finish wins the game)
- What’s that smell? (This is a fun game that anyone can play. Here, players each get a wrapped-up diaper that contains melted chocolate inside. The players will have to guess what type or brand of chocolate it is by smelling it or tasting it)
- Mommy or Daddy? (This game involves everyone, including the parents. The host asks the audience questions about the newborn baby and the parents. The audience will then have to guess who the baby will most likely get it from - mommy, or daddy?)
- Bring Me (This is a classic game that anyone can play. This is something you can easily tailor to the event, so in a baby shower, make the Bring Me items related to a baby shower)
There are definitely more games that you and your guests are bound to love. You can research some games, ask your host for suggestions, or ask the parents! This is the time when the parents can definitely have fun planning with you as they can help you figure out whom of their friends or family they would want to play certain games. They can also help come up with questions or other fun ideas that you can incorporate into the program.
8. Make A Gift Registry
If you thought gift registries were only for weddings, we’d like to tell you that, thankfully, you were wrong. These days, having a baby registry is just as big and popular as a wedding registry. That’s because guests need to know what items the parents still need. Having a baby and planning for them can undeniably be stressful for parents, especially for new parents. The stress of preparing for the arrival of a newborn will also likely make any parent forget a thing or two. That’s why having a gift registry is quite helpful!
Mamas can now make a gift registry with companies like edamama, Rustans, and even SM. Simply make an account, list all the items from that store that you’d need, and share the list with all your guests. Depending on the store, you can list anything from diaper bundles, swaddles, baby clothes, bottles, and breast pumps, to toys and other necessities. Being a parent is difficult enough. But thankfully, family and friends can help ease things a little bit so that parents can be more prepared for the birth of their child.
Planning the ultimate or perfect baby shower may seem like a lot of work, especially knowing how much you have to prepare. But, remember, this is a day of celebration. So, no matter how grand or how simple the event may be, try to remember the purpose of all the planning and just remember to have fun along the way. It’s a lot of hard work sometimes but it will surely be worth it. We hope you found this guide helpful! If you have any additional steps or pieces of advice, be sure to let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
