A baby shower is a fun way to welcome a baby, which is usually prepared and hosted by a female friend or family member of the expectant mother. When it comes to decorating an event, there are lots of fun and awesome options. To plan the perfect decor for a baby shower, all you need is time and creativity! Get started with step 1 below for some decorating ideas, suggestions, and tips that can help organize a unique and memorable baby shower event.
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Part 1 of 3: Making a Plan
Step 1. Determine the location of the event
Before you start planning, it is very important to determine the location of the event. Knowing how much space is available and what amenities are needed will help you plan your décor.
- Baby showers are usually held at the mother-to-be's house, as it will make things more practical and comfortable for her (especially if the mother-to-be is heavily pregnant). You'll have plenty of decorating opportunities, but you'll need to discuss your ideas with the mom-to-be and her partner -- especially if you're planning something crazy!
- If you're hosting an event at a restaurant, be aware that some restaurants will place limits on the extent to which you can decorate and arrange furniture, be sure to talk to the restaurant manager before you make any plans.
Step 2. Choose a theme
Having a theme for your baby shower will help you focus on the ideas you have and make your decor look professional and well-planned. What theme you will choose is entirely up to you, but here are some sample ideas:
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Forest Theme:
Jungle or safari themes are quite popular for baby shower events, where the room will be decorated with a combination of green and yellow colors, which are added with lion, monkey and elephant doll decorations.
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Movie Theme:
Choose the mother-to-be's favorite movie as a child and use it as a party theme. For example, a "Wizard of Oz" theme party could use a "yellow brick street" to lead to a party room, which could be decorated in green for the city of Emerald. You can even gift the mom-to-be with a comfortable pair of ruby sandals when she arrives!
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Carnival/circus theme:
A carnival or circus theme can be decorated using bright colors, popcorn, and cotton candy and have games like ring throwing and rubber duck racing.
Step 3. Choose a color scheme
If a theme looks like it takes too much effort, you can choose a color scheme for your decor.
- By following a specific color scheme, you can stay focused on planning the party, making it easier to choose colors for decorations, from tablecloths and napkins, flowers and candles, to cakes and confetti.
- You can use a custom theme which is "Baby boy!" or "Baby girl", where you can turn the room into an explosion of pink and blue. Some moms-to-be will like this traditional approach, while others might prefer something a little different.
- If this is the case (or the gender of the baby is unknown) use more neutral colors like yellow or green, or decorate it with a mix of pink and blue.
- The use of an all-white theme is another very elegant option, perfect for a garden party or event at a simple restaurant.
- You can also consider adapting the color scheme of the event to the color scheme of the baby's bedroom.
Step 4. Plan a budget
The next thing you should consider is budget, as this will determine (limit) the complexity of decorating you can afford.
- Be sure to record everything into your budget -- food, drinks, gifts, party favors, balloons, games -- the more detailed your budget is, the less likely you are to lose.
- When shopping for decorations, be sure to compare prices around other stores. Because there is often a big difference in the price of baby shower decorations, depending on where you buy them. Stop by a party supply store, dollar store, and check online before making a final decision.
- Think of ways to save money, such as borrowing a cake table, candlestick, or other tableware from friends and family, or maybe your grandmother has an old Chinese tea set that you can use for an English tea themed party.
- Or if you have special skills, you might consider making some decorations yourself. You can knit some baby shoes, crochet a baby blanket or make a photo collage of pictures of mom-to-be and daddies from childhood.
- Even if you're on a tight budget, you can still host an awesome baby shower – you just need to save a little bit by comparing prices to stores, crafting and borrowing!
Step 5. Give yourself enough time
All of this planning and preparation takes time -- so be sure to start getting things organized well in advance of the day of the event. You don't want to end up being stressed out and leaving things to the last minute.
- Disorganization will only create stress when shopping, where you will definitely spend more money than you originally intended. You'll also have a hard time finding what you need at the last minute, which can mess up the whole theme of the party.
- You should also make sure to leave enough time on the day of the party. Arrive at the location before the event starts. If you're having a party at the mom-to-be's house, try to make sure she's outside or at least in another room.
- Consider the possibility that if you need to vacuum, sweep, mop and clean the bathroom (or hire someone to do it) before the event, you don't want the mom-to-be to experience the stress of worrying about keeping the house clean.
Part 2 of 3: Decorating the Room
Step 1. Start outside
Apart from the room where the party will be held, you should also consider decorating an outdoor area (or restaurant, if possible) to mark the location of the baby shower for guests and get the party atmosphere right from the moment you arrive at the location.
- Make a signpost that says something like "Baby Shower in This Way!", "Baby Shower Ashley" or even just a "This Is a Boy/Girl!" sign.
- Place lots of helium balloons of various colors (according to the theme of your party) around the sign, or at the entrance.
- Hang banners over entrances and doors leading to the party. You can create a custom banner with the name of the mother-to-be (or baby, if the mother-to-be has chosen her name) at your local gift shop.
Step 2. Place the guest book and gift table next to the door
In addition to the party entrance, you will need two things: a baby shower guest book and a table for gifts.
- Event guestbooks (which can be purchased at specialty stores or as cute notebooks) are an essential part of the party. Inside, each guest can write down their best wishes for the mother-to-be and her baby, along with parenting hints or funny anecdotes about their personal experiences as mothers.
- Place the guest book with some pens on a small table near the entrance. Leave the pages of the book open so guests can easily see what the book is for (or maybe make a small sign to explain).
- Cover the table with a nice tablecloth and decorate it with baby shower confetti, flower vases, hanging candles, some baby toys or anything else that fits the theme of the party.
- You will also need a separate, larger table where guests can put their gifts upon entering the room. You can decorate the table however you want, as long as the decorations still provide enough space to put gifts.
- As an alternative to a gift table, you can place a crib or stroller next to the door so guests can place their gifts. A cot or stroller can be borrowed from someone, or be a special gift for a mother-to-be.
Step 3. Decorate the walls and ceiling
Walls and ceilings are the next thing you need to think about. Items like ribbons, wall hangings, and decorative hangers can change the look of a room and make a baby shower even more special.
- Baby shower-themed ribbons are available at most party supply stores, with a wide range of colors and designs to choose from. Alternatively, you can make your own string of flags from strips of fabric in a variety of colors and patterns, for a more personal and traditional touch.
- Another very cute idea is to hang clotheslines from one side of the room to the other and use safety pins or old-fashioned clothespins to hang baby clothes like clothes, shoes, socks and coke.
- Another option is to hang decorative hangers on the ceiling -- these decorative hangers can be baby toy hangers, or made of paper in the shape of flowers, hearts, or baby accessories such as rattles, baby bottles and pacifiers.
- For the walls, you can hang more banners or strings of flags, install photo frames of the mother-to-be and the baby's father, or posters that relate to your theme, such as an imitation statue from a certain movie (for a movie theme), or pictures of baby animals (for a theme). Forest).
- Another idea is to hang tulle wraps along the walls, from floor to ceiling. This will produce a subtle effect that can transform an entire room into a prettier one. A series of chandeliers along the tulle will add an even greater effect.
Step 4. Prepare a table that can be the main concern
The table is at the heart of the whole event, so you have to put in extra effort to make it look good.
- Make sure the table is large enough for guests to feel comfortable sitting, cover it with a tablecloth and if possible add a contrasting cloth on top. Sprinkle baby shower confetti on the tablecloth.
- Place the pre-prepared cakes and desserts on the table in a buffet style. Use beautiful tiered cake containers to display cakes, scones, muffins, or other treats. A tiered cake stand set with frosted cupcakes would make a great centerpiece.
- Apart from food, you can also decorate the table with flowers and candles. Elaborate flower arrangements can be found in florists while simple arrangements can come from beautiful flower pieces from the garden, depending on the theme of the party and the time of the party.
- If you are serving hot food at a party, try to prepare the necessary additional condiments, such as mustard, mayonnaise, or salad dressing, to sweeten the display, you can put it in a baby bottle. Cut off the top of the teat to make it easier to pour the seasoning.
- Make sure you have enough plates, knives, forks, spoons, glasses and napkins. Polish silverware if needed. You can set the table formally, or stack them all in one area until needed.
Step 5. Make sure if the chair used by the mother-to-be is a special chair
Since the mother-to-be is the guest of honor, it is important to provide a position where she will be the center of attention and make sure she is comfortable.
- Give the mother-to-be a bigger, more comfortable chair -- it's best if it's a reclining chair or a chair with a footrest -- and provide as many pillows as she needs. The mother-to-be will really appreciate this, especially if she is heavily pregnant.
- Decorate the chair with ties or strings of ribbon around the legs of the chair and by tying some helium balloons to the armrests of the chair. If you want, you can put a baby blanket on the back of the chair.
- One thing that is often done at baby showers is to hang or set up an open umbrella above the chair of the mother-to-be. Then tie a strand of blue ribbon at the end of the umbrella to make a "rain".
Part 3 of 3: Adding the Finishing Touches
Step 1. Create the right atmosphere
In addition to the visual effect on the decor, it is very important to create a good atmosphere through sound and smell.
- Soft and soothing music is the best choice of music for a baby shower. Classical music is always a good choice, although some types of country music are also good choices. You can even purchase or download a CD of music specially selected for the baby shower from the Amazon site.
- However, you can also customize the music according to the theme of the baby shower event. For example, you can play the soundtrack of a movie for a movie-themed show. Or in addition to music you can play sound effects, such as animal sounds for a forest-themed event or the sound of waves and seagulls for a beach-themed event.
- You can create a pleasant scent by burning fragrant candles or incense, or using air freshener or air freshener. Try to match the scent to the theme of the party, whether by using exotic floral scents, seaside breezes, or freshly laundered cotton sheets.
Step 2. Make a cute party favor
Party favors are small gifts you can give your guests as a thank you for coming. This gift can be anything you like, how beautiful/expensive it is will depend on your budget and how many guests are present at the baby shower.
- If you are looking for more unique and creative party favors, you should start collecting mason jars before the event. Then you can fill each bottle with your choice of chocolate (preferably in pink or blue), wrap it with colored ribbon around the bottle cap and attach a label with the guest's name written in calligraphy or cursive.
- Instead of chocolate, you can fill the mason jar with colorful bath salts. Not only will it make a great gift, but it will also make the bottle look beautiful when it is on the table during the event.
- Another idea is to give each guest a beautiful bar of soap, wrapped in ribbon and attached a note that says “From our baby shower to you”. Funny shower word games will make guests feel happy.
Step 3. Decorate with toys
A good way to add focus to the baby shower theme is to decorate the room with toys and other baby accessories.
- Scatter objects such as rattles, plastic keys, toddler bottles and cups, pacifiers and biting rings around the room area. Not only give a cute impression, but these objects will be useful for mothers-to-be when the baby is born.
- You can also use things like alphabet blocks, toy trains, teddy bears and other stuffed animals that your baby will be able to use as they grow.
Step 4. Buy some disposable cameras
When you're busy organizing events, organizing games, managing giveaways and making sure everyone gets enough food and drink, you're going to have a hard time finding time to take photos.
- Therefore, it is a good idea to buy several disposable cameras and place them in strategic locations in the room. When the party starts, tell guests to freely take photos as they please.
- This is a great way to make sure all the guests are in the photo, while helping you out of the trouble of trying to catch up with all the guests. Since guests can't delete photos they don't like from this camera, you're sure to get some hilarious shots.
- After the event, you can collect cameras and print photos during the event. Choose the best and put it in the album. Give the album to the mom-to-be as a final gift, so she can keep the memories from the baby shower forever!
Step 5. Don't forget the diaper cake
The basic hallmark of a baby shower is a diaper cake -- a work of art made almost entirely of piles of diapers. This cake is not edible, but will definitely come in handy once the baby is born!
- You can buy diaper cakes online, but they are quite expensive. You can also make your own diaper cake - all you need are diapers, rubber bands, and some decorative ribbon. Learn how to make a diaper cake here.
- Another similar idea is to make a bouquet out of baby socks. This is done by rolling the baby's socks into small pieces, tying them with wire, and wrapping them in green tissue paper to form a "rose". Just like diaper cakes, these baby sock bouquets are not only pleasing to the eye, they can also be useful.
