7 Baby Shower Planning Tips
If you have been tasked with planning a baby shower, you know that there are going to be a lot of things that you need to do in order to make the event successful. Planning a baby shower doesn’t have to be difficult, as long as you know what you are doing and you are organized. Ask others for help in order to make this a special day for the expectant mother. Here are some tips to help you plan the best baby showers.
1. Create a Checklist
One of the first things to do is create a checklist that shows everything that needs to be planned, and when each thing needs to be taken care of. Things to include are who will host, the budget, where and when to have the party, guest list, invitations, theme, menu, decorations, games, etc. Be sure to leave lots of time for shopping, cooking, setting up the area, etc.
2. Figure Out the Guest List
Next, you’ll want to figure out the guest list. If the shower is for a close friend, you likely already know everyone who should be invited. It is a good idea to talk to the expectant mother to find out who she would like to see at her party, in order to make sure that you don’t end up inviting people that she would rather not be there. You may also want to set up FaceTime or Skype for those who are unable to attend in person, to make sure everyone can send their best wishes.
3. Create the Invitations
Get creative and have fun with the baby shower invitations. One great idea is to make them look like library book slips, complete with the due date at the bottom. Make the cards out of coin envelopes. You can get everything you need at office supply stores, and you won’t have to spend a lot of money on having invitations printed.
4. Organize Adequate Seating
It may be that there won’t be enough chairs for all of the guests. This isn’t a problem when you are creative. If you don’t have extra chairs, or room for extra chairs, throw pillows are a great option for younger guests. Keep the gift-opening part of the party short (an hour or less), so people don’t have to sit for long periods of time and get bored or cramped up.
5. Buy Gifts
You will also need to find gifts, and perhaps the best way to shop for unique items is to buy baby shower gifts online. You can easily visit an online store, browse and shop. You can simply look through selections of great gift ideas, and then go shopping later once you know what you want to buy for your guest of honor.
6. Decorate Creatively
Instead of traditional crepe paper ribbons and balloons, try using other types of decorations. For instance, you can fill champagne glasses with candy (blue and pink are the colors to go with), create a diaper cake, tissue paper pom-poms, etc. Everyone will appreciate the added effort put into a party that is not the same old baby shower that everyone has been to a million times.
7. Prepare a Cleanup Pack
Baby showers can get messy, but you can keep the mess to a minimum with a cleanup pack. Place everything the expectant mother will need to keep gifts organized and the area around her tidy, including trash bags, scissors, stickers to identify gifts, and a pencil and paper to keep a record of who gave gifts so thank-you cards can be sent out later.
By following the tips above, you’ll be able to successfully plan a fun but organized baby shower for a friend or family member.
Featured photo credit: freestocks.org via unsplash.com
The post 7 Baby Shower Planning Tips appeared first on Lifehack.
from Lifehack http://www.lifehack.org/491064/7-baby-shower-planning-tips
via IFTTT