When planning a baby shower it is sometimes difficult to know where to start. Before you decide on anything, it is important to make sure you have a unifying theme. Even if inspiration does not come to mind straight away, taking the time to choose the right baby shower theme will save you a lot of time – and a lot of headaches – when it comes to planning the finer details.
So what sort of things do you need to consider when choosing a theme?
The Sex of the Baby
About half of all parents want to know if their baby is a boy or girl before the big day. If you know the gender of the baby you’re hosting a shower for, this can help determine the shower’s theme. Unsurprisingly, a blue colour scheme is popular for boys and a pink colour scheme is popular for girls. You may also want to consider an occupation themed baby shower. Many dads and mums have occupations with associations that can be played up for a baby shower.
Of course, just as many parents choose not to know the gender of the baby. This in itself can make a good baby shower theme. An ‘it’s a…?’ party, whereby half of everything – from the cake to the decorations – is pink and the other half is blue, is a good example of this. You may want to keep it simpler. White and yellow are good neutral colours, while animal themes are suitable for both boys and girls too.
The Location of the Party
Most people host a baby shower at home as this allows complete control of the day. People tend to be more relaxed in a familiar environment too, which can help encourage them to participate in the fun and games.
One often neglected benefit associated with hosting at home, is that your house can help determine the theme of your shower. For example, if you live by the beach you could have a beach party theme; if you live on a farm you could have a farm animals theme. These themes are quite obvious, but the same logic applies to more subtle houses. For example, if you have wood flooring and furniture, you could easily transform your home in to an enchanted forest or woodland theme.
If you would prefer to not host the shower in your home, there are several good locations to choose from. Scout halls and community centres are usually very accommodating and allow a great deal of freedom when it comes to decorations and catering. Restaurants can be very convenient too. Italian restaurants make excellent venues for a dolce vita theme, while Chinese restaurants are suitable for Oriental themes.
You may also want to host your shower outdoors, especially if you expect a lot of guests. If you have a large garden, you can create a wonderful garden party theme with lots of light colours, especially greens, whites and yellows. Or how about a street party?
The Type of Shower
If this isn’t mum’s first baby shower, you should be careful not to choose the same theme as last time. If mum has already had a couple of kids, you may also want to change the theme to celebrate mum herself, not the baby. Mother Goose and Noah’s Ark themes are good examples of this type of shower. You may also want to consider a ‘mother blessing’ where there are no baby shower gifts or baby shower games, just a focus on spending time with mum-to-be.
The Wishes of the Mother-To-Be
If you are organising a baby shower on the behalf of mum-to-be, be sure to always keep her wishes in mind when choosing the baby shower theme. This is the most important consideration of them all when choosing baby shower themes. Would mum-to-be prefer to go out dressed up as a pirate, relax at a friend’s house, or go out for lunch with nearest and dearest? Be sure to consult partners, friends, family and even mum-to-be herself – unless it’s a surprise of course.