6 Tips for an Awesome Baby Shower

#This is a collaborative post

Finding out that one of your close friends or family is expecting a baby is a really exciting time, and whilst you luckily manage to swerve all the challenging parts like the night feeds, sleep deprivation and nappy changes, you get to be involved with all the fun stuff like planning the baby shower and those adorable newborn cuddles. I have hosted a fair few baby showers in my time (what can I say my friends like kids!) so here are my hints and tips for creating the ultimate baby shower!

1) Plan ahead – set a date that is towards the end of your friends pregnancy – but not too late! No body wants to see waters breaking in the middle of the buffet!! Joking aside, your mum to be will be in their third trimester and already feeling quite tired, so the last thing they want is to be worrying about how close they are to the hospital when they should be having fun.

2) Plan the guest list – invite her closest friends and ask for RSVP’s. Its important to have a rough idea of how many guests to expect so you can plan the food, but in my opinion smaller intimate affairs are best. This gives her the chance to get around and chat to everyone without any pressure. Trust me when I say that her social calendar may be a bit on the slim side once the baby makes an appearance, so giving her the opportunity to really talk and catch up with those that she loves is key.

3) Capture the moment – I go to so many social events where people are so busy having fun that they forget to capture the moment and take photos with their friends and family. I am ALL about the making of memories, and think it is so important that your Mum to be can look back at pictures in years to come. A photo booth is a fun way of encouraging guests to get their cameras out. Customizable backdrops help you remember valuable moments by not only being a beautiful background for your baby shower pics, but also record the date of the Mum to be or child too.

4) Games and entertainment – No baby shower would be complete without some form of game or activity, but please don’t do anything that will embarrass the mum to be. Simple games like gender and weight predictions, Dont say Baby, and match up the baby pics are easy to coordinate and fun to play, with out causing any overwhelm for the host or the guests!

5) Avoid the Pinterest fail – Pinterest is FULL of baby shower ideas with themes and insta worthy buffet spreads – but seriously – she will love it regardless. Don’t worry about trying to create perfection, and stick to simple easy to serve dishes that people can graze on in between chatting.

6) Send them away with a memory – I love the idea of a mini bag of popcorn or a mini bottle of champers to send away with guests as they leave, with the concept of “Pop it when she pops”. It’s a great way to mark the occasion and helps everyone celebrate when the big day finally arrives.

Have you been to any baby showers recently? What would your tips be for hosting a baby shower for friends and family?