Ten Tips for Planning a Unique Baby Shower

Have a wishing tree. This was first started at my shower with Ry. My mom used a funky, tall, thin lime green tree (think ?How the Grinch Stole Christmas? in a different shade of green) and had it set out on an end table. Cut up slips of white paper, placed in a basket with a pen or pencil, and have guests place a wish, piece of advice, favorite quote, etc. on the slip and set it on the tree. You could also hole punch the paper and place a piece of string through the hole to hang like an ornament. These are great to save and reflect on later on throughout your pregnancy and after your child has arrived. My favorite piece of advice? When nursing hurts so bad you can?t stand it, curl your toes and count to ten. Not only did I use this, but it worked!
Have an open house. My baby shower with Ry was huge. Between all of our family still living here and having many great friends, both young and old, the number of guests quickly grew. Plus, he was the first grandchild on my side! Although we didn?t do an open house, one of my good friends did for her shower this summer. This way people can stop by anytime between 2-6 (or whatever times work for you). It makes the shower a little less formal. You are also not sitting there for hours opening gifts in front of everyone and it makes for a more relaxed environment, if you have a lot of guests to invite.
Bring your favorite book. At my friend?s shower, guests were instructed to bring their favorite book, to build a library for the new baby. The book can be new or used, as long as it?s your favorite! It?s fun to see the diverse group of books that are given. Surprisingly, not everyone brings the same.
Pick a theme. Picking a theme can sometimes make the shower easier, from invitations, decorations, food, etc. If you know the gender, you can think in terms of color (pink or blue). Other fun ideas that are not limited to gender are polka dots, cupcakes, seasonal (summer, fall, winter, spring), etc.
Keep food simple. The food can be overwhelming sometimes, so it?s important to think about how much time and money you plan to invest into the food for the shower. Plan the times of the shower accordingly. For example, if you don?t want to serve a meal to your guests, do appetizers in the late morning, afternoon or early evening. Think in terms of veggie platter, fruit platter, chips and dip and a dessert. Don?t over due it because you don?t want to overwhelm yourself!
Know the baby?s name? Make a fun sign with the baby?s name, if you know it. If not, you could make a sign that says ?Welcome Baby!? Use bright colors, paper, fabric, markers, etc. Even better, if there is an older sibling, include them on the project, if it?s feasible! Photos. Set up a string somewhere in the vicinity of the shower, using clothespins to hang photos on the string of the mom- and dad-to-be when they were babies. Don?t have very many photos? Blow up one baby photo of the each of them and set them on the table or another central location. Decorate onesies. So when the mom-to-be requests no games, what does everyone do for a couple hours? Besides enjoy food, talking, opening presents and enjoying one another?s company, your guests can decorate onesies. Get a pack of white onesies and fabric paints or markers and set them out for guests to decorate at their leisure. While some may end up a bit scary, the mom-to-be is bound to end up with some very cute clothes for her new baby!Post-baby shower. Don?t know the gender of the baby? Think about hosting the shower after the baby is born. While this is not necessary, with the multitude of neutral items available on the market today, it?s still a fun alternative. While we knew the gender of Cove, we still had his shower after he was born for a couple reasons. First, he was the second child and while we needed nothing, we still wanted to do something to acknowledge him. We didn?t want the, ?but you didn?t do that for me, only Ry!? to start from birth! Second, we didn?t want to do something too big, but there were also a lot of people that wanted to meet our amazing new bundle of joy. Having a shower afterwards was a great way for a small, wonderful group of friends to get together and ooooh and awwwwe over him. 7 days of quilts! While this is a very big present, it is also a very meaningful, amazing gift. My mom and five of her great friends (my mom did two) each made a gorgeous quilt, with a theme for one day of the week- ie: Funky Monkey Monday, Tall Tale Tuesday, Wacky Wild Wednesday, Blueberry Thursday, Fish-On Friday, Silly Circle Saturday and Sweet Pea Sunday. The blankets don?t necessarily have to be quilts, they could be any type of blankets you want or know how to make. However you choose to do it, this is a priceless gift for the mom-to-be, ending up with seven gorgeous blankets!