Cool Ideas That Will Make Your Baby Shower Fun

I have a few ideas for how to make your baby shower fun! Who among us has not attended more than a few showers that lacked pizzazz? I don’t know about you, but there’s just so much polite conversation that can take place and then I want some entertainment and delicious snacks.

We want to be there for our friends and love to look at the pretty baby gifts, but shouldn’t our hostess make sure that there is something good to eat as well as some fun baby shower games for the parents to play? Nobody wants their party to be remembered as the most boring event of the decade, but hostess skills don’t come naturally to many of us; for most they are acquired with time and experience.

FUN COUPLES BABY SHOWER

Here are some tips for jazzing up the energy and making your baby shower fun and festive so that you know a few things before jumping in.

FUN BABY SHOWER INVITATIONS
Save the elegant, beautifully embossed invitations for a formal occasion like the baby’s baptism or christening party. At this stage of the game, the best baby shower fun ideas will be plain old fashioned common sense like stopping to think what makes you laugh? What makes your friends break loose and let their hair down? Would it be baby monkeys or a favorite cartoon character? Take it from me that diaper pins, rattles and baby bottles are sweet, but they won’t get a lot of laughs.

THE GUEST LIST
It’s not unusual for the expectant mother to have several showers each of which may include a particular group of friends from work, church, a club or relatives. If you want to make your shower fun for a certain group, you might want to find out where their sense of humor lies. Great-grandmothers who are stuck in their ways might be offended by your ideas of baby shower fun with games that include play diapers full of chocolate pudding. Remember that your job is to please and entertain your guests and gearing your party to what they will enjoy.

BABY SHOWER FUN FOR THE GUYS
I have seen friends shudder with dread over planning a Jack and Jill or couples baby shower. The assumption is that men only go to baby showers under threat of sleeping in the garage or worse. I’m not going to argue against the fact that it usually takes a little coaxing for some dads to get excited about going to a party where babies rather than Budweiser are the attraction. However, I will say that mixed guys and gals baby showers are some of the most fun that I’ve attended. The challenge is to involve the men in cooking or as partners in the baby shower games so that they can’t sneak off by themselves leaving the women to their own devices. Here’s a tip; drop hints on the invitation that the party will have great food.

LOCATIONS
Fun has a tendency to get messy. When your goal is to have a raucous good time, the preservation of fine crystal, linen napkins and tablecloths should not be a consideration. The games and activities it takes to make your baby shower fun might leave a stain or two. Choose a location where easy cleanup is a possibility.

TIMING
Expectant mothers (and occasionally fathers) want to take an active part in their baby showers. It’s not much fun to sit on the sidelines while friends play fun baby shower games no matter how much their goofy antics make you laugh. Don’t wait until the last months of the pregnancy when mom’s ankles may be swollen to schedule your festivities.

FUN BABY SHOWER FOOD
Active games and lively conversation lead to healthy appetites, so have plenty on hand for your friends to nibble on. Believe me when I tell you that this is not the time for cucumber sandwiches. If the daddy dudes will be there you can’t go too heavy on the meat budget. Hamburgers, steaks or sausages on the grill would be more in tune with their expectations. Have a mile high display of cute cupcakes that are decorated to compliment the rest of your fun baby shower ideas instead of an elaborate (expensive) cake that has to be sliced and juggled on a party plate. If you must invest in a cake for the sake of tradition, make or buy a big diaper cake to serve as a centerpiece and hostess gift combination.

Please return to Unique Baby Gear Ideas for more tips and ideas for how you can make your baby shower fun for yourself as well as your guest of honor.