Unique Baby Shower Ideas

If you or someone you know is expecting a new baby, a baby shower is the perfect way to celebrate. From these unique baby shower party tips, you’re bound to pull out some helpful ideas to set up your or your loved one’s baby shower.

Baby Shower Themes

If the couple in question has decided to keep the gender of their child a secret, or you’re just looking for something a little more unique than a pink or blue-themed shower, check out these unique baby shower decoration ideas:

Mommy to Bee

There’s plenty to do with this punny theme focused around cute bees. Having a bee-themed baby shower is a great gender-neutral party theme, and there are so many cute decorations and games you can play that go along with this theme. Small honey pots from locally-sourced beekeepers and gifts like beeswax lip balms and honey face masks will special this party. You can even coordinate the dress code to colors like yellow, black and white.

Into the Woods

Based on the popular musical, an Into the Woods theme can provide a whimsical, magical theme for a baby shower perfect for any fans of fairy tales, Broadway or woodland decor. Using decoratively placed branches and twigs from outside can provide a cost-effective, naturalistic touch to this theme. Other elements to include in your decor might be pinecones, fake leaves and tree trunk slices to display food and yummy baked goods.

You can model this theme after a boy or girl if you know the baby’s gender and the parents want to use that in the party. For a boy baby shower, you might want to focus on the woodland, rustic theme and include princes and castles. Meanwhile, a girl’s Into the Woods baby shower can have more princesses and fairy tale elements.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This Twinkle Twinkle Little Star theme is another excellent gender-neutral baby shower design idea modeled after the classic nursery rhyme song. Using stars everywhere, make this party shine with twinkling glitter decorations. You can choose a gold or silver color palette and use different sized cut-out stars to decorate the tables, walls and ceilings. Many bakeries even have edible glitter to decorate baked goods like cupcakes or cakes.

Cultural Baby Shower Themes

While the themes above present some great ideas for baby showers, many cultures and traditions have their own customs when welcoming a new baby into the family. The concept of a baby shower originated in ancient India with a celebration called seemantham. The mother-to-be was showered with dry fruits, sweets and other gifts. Music was an essential part of the ceremony, as it was known a baby’s ears could hear from the womb.

Other traditions that have specific rituals for baby showers include:

• Afghani parents celebrate their baby on the sixth night after birth, and guests come to enjoy food and celebrations. Since they know the baby’s gender, guests come with gifts they know the baby needs.
• Tibetan couples host a pang-sai after the baby’s birth, where the guests come and bring gits of clothes and food. The most honored guest has the privilege of naming the newborn child.
• Chinese couples with a newborn host a full moon celebration with a banquet and guests who bring red envelopes filled with money.
• Parents often wait a whole year to celebrate the baby at the first birthday party in the French tradition.

Games to Play at a Baby Shower

While having a fun theme and good food is essential, what makes a baby shower fun are the games you get to play. Try out these cute baby shower ideas for games to keep guests engaged and ensure the expecting parents have a great time at their showers:

• Guess the baby: Collect baby pictures from all the guests, including the expecting couple and have guests guess who is who. The person who chooses the most right answers gets a prize.
• Price is right: Gather images of the most popular items parents need, such as cribs, strollers and diapers and have guests guess their price. Whoever guesses the closest on all the items will win a prize. As a special treat, guests can all pitch in to buy one of the big-ticket items to surprise the expecting couple.
• Baby bucket list: Have guests write down fun activities for the family to do with the baby once it comes. Place them all in a bucket so the new family can have some ideas of exciting activities to do together.
• Baby project runway: Find a few life-size baby dolls and collect scraps of clothing, buttons and other random assortments of crafting materials. Then, challenge groups of guests — this will work best with groups of two or three — to create a fashion-forward outfit from the materials provided. The expecting couple can then rate each group’s creation on a scale of 1-10.
• Diaper change: Using life-size baby dolls, host a diaper change crash course for all the guests, so they’re ready to help out the expecting parents when the baby comes. Afterward, hand out five to 10 newborn diapers per person so each guest can write encouraging messages or jokes on the diapers to make the first weeks of diaper changes more fun.
• Gender reveal surprise: Another game you can plan is to reveal the gender of the baby, should the couple choose to do so. Usually, the gender is kept secret from the couple, and they do a game or activity during the baby shower to reveal what gender their baby is.

Craft Ideas for Baby Showers

To have an extra creative baby shower, arrange crafts and activities for guests to do during the celebrations. You can make these a set part of the day’s agenda or have a station for people to participate in crafting throughout the shower.

• Diaper Da Vinci: If your guests have a competitive streak in them, have them participate in an art contest at the baby shower. With a diaper as their canvas, have guests draw their best portraits of the expecting couple. Then, the couple can choose the winner. As a bonus, the couple can keep the diapers to use once the baby comes.
• Onesie decorating: Collect as many white onesies as there are guests and have each person decorate them using baby- and fabric-safe paint or pens.
• Letter-a-week: Have each guest decorate and write a letter to the new parents. Assign each person a particular week to send their letter, so the new parents will get an extra boost of encouragement, advice or humor in the weeks after the baby comes.
• Cupcake decorating: Combine crafting and dessert with cupcake decorating if your guests have a sweet tooth. Using different colored icing, sprinkles and even edible glitter, have guests decorate their own cupcakes. The best part? Eating your delicious creation afterward!

Photo Ops for Baby Showers

Having friends and family together for a special occasion like a baby shower is the perfect opportunity to snap some photos for everyone to enjoy and look back on. The expecting couple, in particular, will appreciate any commemoration of their special day. Check out these adorable photo opportunity ideas:

Portable Photo Booth

To add an extra fun flair to your party, you can hire a portable photo booth for the party. With a portable photo booth, guests can pose for photos with a special backdrop, and the photography equipment can print photos for guests to take home with them. The company can often compile an entire website for guests to look at all the pictures from the whole event.

You can choose from actual booths that guests can enter or have a station with a backdrop, lights and camera. Sometimes, companies also send assistants to help with the operation of the camera machinery, which means your guests can focus on having a good time.

DIY Photo Backdrops

If you want a do-it-yourself (DIY) solution for photos, consider making your own backdrop and using polaroid cameras to take photos. If guests have a polaroid camera, you can request to borrow them to save some money. You can also purchase one or two inexpensive polaroid cameras for the special occasion. Just be sure to have plenty of film on hand, no matter which option you choose.

First, choose a color that corresponds to the baby shower’s theme or decor to make the backdrop. You can get large rolls of paper from a local craft store or use a flat sheet. Then, add elements like banners, designs and balloons to accentuate the background of your photos.

A great idea if you choose this route is to have a photobook out so guests can add their photos and write special messages. Then, gift the completed scrapbook to the expecting couple at the end of the baby shower.

Hire a Professional Photographer

To ensure you get the best photos from your baby shower, you can hire a professional photographer to capture special moments. While having a friend or loved one take photos at the event is great if you’re on a budget, professional photographers have training on things like lighting, angles and editing. When you hire a professional, you’re sure to get the very best quality photos, as long as you do your research.

Take a look at the photographer’s other work, and ask to see pictures from similar events. Talk to them about their rates, and provide food and drinks for them while they are working the event.

Choosing the Food and Drink for the Baby Shower

No party is complete without at least something for guests to snack on. There are various food choices you can select for your baby shower.

Snacks

Snacks are an essential part of party planning. If you’re hosting your own baby shower, offer unique snacks to delight and satisfy your guests. Some popular, tasty snacks might include:

• Charcuterie board: A charcuterie board is essentially a collection of cheeses, crackers and other toppings. Many include meats like salami, ham, sausage, and smoked salmon, but you can also have a vegetarian charcuterie board. Adding spreads, jams, fruit and nuts make this option a complete meal.
• Popcorn bar: While most people are used to the standard microwave popcorn, you can put a gourmet twist on this classic snack by providing a popcorn bar. Select sweet and savory flavors, like caramel or cheddar and provide toppings. For sweet popcorn, have chocolate sauce and sprinkles, and savory popcorn can get additions like pretzels and chips.
• Soft pretzels: A warm, soft pretzel with a yummy dipping sauce is a perfect snack for a baby shower. Beer cheese, mustards, ranch or chocolate sauce are the ideal dips for salty or cinnamon pretzels.
• Fruit and veggies with dip: An assortment of chopped fruit and vegetables with dips is another great snack that’s always a popular option.

Cocktails

There are many creative cocktail ideas for baby showers. You can theme them by color in correspondence to the baby’s gender or follow the shower’s theme. For example, select strawberry flavored cocktails for a girl and blue cocktail syrup for a boy. Even if you choose classic drinks like wine and beer, you can use themed glassware to make them more exciting.

If you want to make your baby shower extra special and host it at a venue, make sure you’re choosing somewhere with a premium selection of cocktails, wine and beer. While not everyone will drink, having a venue that provides wine, beer and even cocktails will make your guests happy and ensure everyone has a great time.

Perfect Venues for a Baby Shower

Many couples choose to host their baby shower with family and friends in their homes. Doing so can keep costs down and provide a cozy atmosphere for a small group of guests. However, you might want to host a baby shower for more than just a few members of your family and friends. In that case, you’ll want to outsource your venue.

Parks

You can always host your baby shower at a local park to save money. In most cases, hosting an event at a park is free, though you may need to reserve a space in advance. If you choose the park, you’ll need to bring everything you need, which might include:

• Tables
• Chairs
• Canopy tent
• Food
• Drinks
• Coolers
• Plates
• Silverware

Country Clubs

Rather than go through the hassle of bringing all your gear to the park or whittling down your guest list to include only the friends and family that can fit in your house or apartment, choose a location that’s sure to have the amenities, space and refreshments. A country club is a perfect venue for your baby shower.

With gorgeous grounds, plenty of space to invite as many guests as you’d like and delicious food and drink options. Country clubs also have expert event planning staff, so you can be sure to have support every step of the way. These venues have options for every budget and party size.

Hosting a Baby Shower at Colonial Golf and Tennis Club

In Harrisburg, there’s a beautiful and functional venue perfect for baby showers, weddings, anniversary parties and much more — Colonial Golf and Tennis Club. Here, you can choose from various amenities and options that will fulfill your vision for the dream baby shower.

In addition to our beautiful grounds and indoor venues, we have a Catering Director who can work with you to customize a menu, whether you’re looking for a full luncheon or simple hors-d’oeuvres. If you’re planning a baby shower, choose Colonial Golf and Tennis Club as the perfect venue to celebrate and get ready to welcome a new addition to the family.

Contact the Colonial Golf and Tennis team to get started planning your baby shower.