Nothing is as cuddly as a new baby or a teddy bear. Combine the two for a shower that will leave guests feeling warm and fuzzy!
menu ideas: Anything goes! For desserts serve bear-shaped cookies and candies.
gift ideas: Challenge guests to give gifts that either are 'bare' essentials/necessities or 'bear' related, such as a sleeper with a bear motif, teddy bear for the baby or a sexy 'teddy' for the mom-to-be.
decorations: Tie a bunch of balloons around a big teddy bear and set in a chair. Use smaller teddy bears and put diapers on them and position around the room. Buy paper plates and napkins with teddy bears on them.
game: TEDDY BEAR GAME - Invite guests to bring a favorite teddy bear. As an ice breaker, have each guest tell a story about her bear. Award prizes for the funniest bear names or stories.
For a Time of Day Shower, assign each guest a particular time of day (morning, afternoon, nap time, lunchtime, bath time, bedtime, etc.) For a Room Shower, assign a particular room to each guest.
menu ideas: For the Time of Day cake, you could have a clock and phrase stating, "It's almost time for the baby to be here!" along with baby type items on the cake. For the Room Shower theme have a cake that states, "Make Room for Baby!"
gift ideas: Time of Day Shower: Have each buy a gift that corresponds with the activity that happens at that given time. Room Shower: Have guests give a gift for the room they are assigned to (rubber duckies for the bathroom, playpen for the living room, linens for the nursery, etc.)
decorations: Anything goes with this theme!
game: TIME CAPSULE - Have guests bring items appropriate to the present time (newspapers, popular music or books, pictures, TV Guides, etc.) to put into the time capsule and have Mommy bury (or store in the attic or basement!) the time capsule for the baby to open when he or she is older. For a more personal time capsule, guests each write a letter to the baby to be read years from the day of the shower.
If the sex of the child is known, there is no going wrong with this theme.
menu ideas: Serve foods that are blue (blueberry flavored treats, blue corn chips, blue punch, blue candies.) For a girl shower -- all pink!
gift ideas: The ideas are endless for a boy/girl shower. Specifying certain needs such as clothing, necessity items, bedding, etc. could be mentioned on the shower invitation.
decorations: For a boy decorate in all blue or all pink for a girl Have guests wear blue or pink!
game: WHO'S WHO? Before the shower, ask each guest to provide you with a baby photo of themselves. Arrange all of the pictures on a large piece of poster board or on a bulletin board (be careful not to pierce them with pins or use tape as some guest may want them back) and hang the display for all guests to see. Sometime during the shower, distribute paper and pens and have your guest match each baby picture to the correct grown-up.
BABY SCAVENGER HUNT: Before your guests arrive, hide a bunch of baby related items for your guests to hunt for throughout the shower. Hide items of all sizes, from diapers and rubber duckies to safety pins and pacifiers. The guest who finds the most items by the end of the shower wins a prize!
menu ideas: Depending on the predominate nursery rhyme used for the theme cater your menu as such. For example, green eggs and ham would make a great morning shower theme and menu!
gift ideas: Have your guests purchase a favorite nursery rhyme or other children's book to accompany their baby shower gift.
decorations: Look through children's books and magazines for illustrations or nursery rhymes that match the theme of your shower. You can make a collage that displays the nursery characters or rhymes and place it on the main table for a unique centerpiece.
game: SCRAMBLED NURSERY RHYMES: Shuffle the letters in the titles of well-known (or not so well-known) nursery rhymes and list them. Distribute the lists to your guests -- she who unscrambles the most rhymes wins! To make the game a bit more challenging, offer bonus prizes to those who can recite a nursery rhyme completely and correctly!
Host a shower where guests come ready to decorate the baby's new room!
menu ideas: Something simple that won't make much of a mess due to the fact that this shower is geared around helping the mother-to-be! Order pizza or have a 6 foot sub! Finger foods and snacks are great as well! Have a cake that states, "Make Room for Baby!"
gift ideas: Ask guests to bring gifts that coordinate with the baby's room: bedding, stuffed animals, picture frames, etc.
decorations: No need to decorate -- that's what the guests are coming for!! Have guests work on an aspect of the decoration that might be difficult for the mother-to-be to complete on her own: painting the walls, hanging wallpaper or border or moving furniture.
game: BABY BINGO: Purchase bingo sheets from Studio Invitations and have each guest fill in each square with a shower gift they guess that the mother will receive. As Mom opens her gifts, guests keep track of their cards until one yells, "Baby Bingo!"
Get ready to give baby a bath and to pamper the mother-to-be!
menu ideas: Anything goes!
gift ideas: Have guests bring bath items for the baby AND the mother-to-be!
decorations: For a centerpiece, fill a washtub with small white or clear balloons to simulate bubbles. Add rubber duckies, a washcloth and a bar of soap and place it on a towel on the main table.
game: DIRTY DIAPER: Take a paper napkin (one per guest), fold the napkins so they resemble a diaper and secure with a diaper pin seal (Studio Invitations provides the napkins and diaper pin seals). Attach the diaper to the bottom of each guest's seat in advance. Place mustard or melted chocolate in one. Have everyone at some point during the party reach under their chairs. The one with the "dirty" diaper wins a prize!
What new mom wouldn't delight in a little pampering for herself? This theme is especially nice if the shower is not mom's first or if the baby has already been born.
menu ideas: Provide extravagant finger foods and decadent desserts!
gift ideas: Gather the girls and give the mom-to-be a foot massage, facial, herbal hair rinse, manicure or pedicure gift certificates! A day of indulgence makes a great gift for mom if she already has everything she needs for her baby.
decorations: Light some candles, burn some incense, pamper her with the scent of lavender and create a relaxing shower that will not be forgotten!
game: MOMMY TRIVIA: Have Mommy leave the room (or not) and ask questions about her such as, does she want a boy or a girl? What names has she picked out for the baby? When/How did she and Daddy meet? You can also include a bunch of "True or False" statements such as things she did (or didn't do) when she was little. Whichever guest knows Mommy best wins!
Each guest has a theme for her gift basket. It's fun to see what everybody comes up with!
menu ideas: Serve meals in little baskets! Finger sandwiches with grapes and other small not-so-mess foods that can go into baskets!
gift ideas: Guests can use anything from baby bathtubs as their 'basket' to toy bins or even laundry baskets. Some themes include meal/nursing basket, a nursery basket, bath basket, diaper basket, toy basket, etc.
decorations: Use the gifts to be displayed throughout the room along with other baskets filled with snacks for the guests!
game: MYSTERY BABY CUISINE: Take the labels off 15 jars of baby food. Be careful to document what is in each jar. Put masking tape with an assigned number on each jar. Take a piece of paper and number it 1 to 15. Put all the numbered jars of baby food on a TV tray in the middle of the room. Pass out photocopied game sheets to each guest. Have each guest taste the food in each jar and have them write what they think the food is. The guest with the most correct answers wins.
Write out a famous Mom name on a piece of paper for each guest and put it on the back of the guest at the beginning of the party and the first one to guess right wins, of course they will have to ask others descriptive questions throughout to win.
Write down each letter of the alphabet on an index card and everyone has to name something that has to do with a baby, or baby item the person who gets them right gets to collect the cards at the end of the game. Whoever has the most cards wins a prize.
Compile a list of proper names of baby animals, like fawn, gosling, kid, etc... Use a dictionary or a kids book; they usually have the oddest ones. And the odder the better! Make a list of 15 to 20 names, and the guests have to name who the mom is like goose, deer, goat, etc... whoever has the most correct names wins!
Each guest receives a paper plate and a crayon. Placing the plate atop their heads, each guest must draw a "baby". When all guests are done, vote for the best picture.
Take about five baby items and place in a paper bag. Staple the bags shut and number them. Pass out paper and pencil to the guests. Then pass the bags around and have them right down their answers. After all have finished the one who gets the most right wins. Get some easy items like diaper pins, pacifiers, rattles, and a few harder items like bow holders for the babies shoes; a fingernail clippers.
Buy eight jars of baby food - cereal, fruit, veggies, and meat. Cover the jars with foil and write a number on the side of each jar. Pass out plastic spoons, paper plates, and paper and pencil for each player. Ask players to write the numbers 1 through 8 around the outside of the plate. Pass around each jar of baby food and have players drop a spoonful next to each number. They must taste the globs and try to identify each flavor. Remove the foil to reveal the answers. Whoever has the most correct answers wins a prize. You'll get some funny faces during the tasting so keep the camera handy!
Take the baby's name and put at the top of a piece of paper. Make copies and give one to every guest. Give the guests a minute or to to make as many words out of the baby's name as they can
In the center of the room, place a pile of (separated) 10-15 pairs of baby socks (solids, patterned, and different sizes). Each guest gets 10 seconds to match them. The guest with most pairs of matching socks wins a prize. (* the more patterned socks, the harder).
Also, you may want to ask each guest via their invitation to bring in a pair of baby socks to save on party costs). At the end, the mother-to-be takes home all the socks.
Hostess buys small baby items and keeps a list of what each item costs. Then makes a list of each item for every guest without the prices on the guest lists. Guests write what they think each item cost and total all items. Closest one to the correct cost wins.
You will need 10 or so diapers for this one. In each diaper put drops of different scents (vanilla extract, baby lotion, chocolate, root beer, etc). Give each guest a pen and paper and pass the little diapers around and have each guest sniff them and write down each scent. Whoever guesses the most correctly wins.
Each person is given a clothes pin at the beginning of the shower. Everyone is then instructed not to say the word "baby." If you slip and say "baby", then the first person who catches you gets all of your clothes pins. The person who has the most at the end of the shower, or a set time (say 1 or 2 hours into the shower), wins!
This is game is really more fun to watch when its just for the guys, for those of you having a shower where everyone is invited! Fill as many 4 oz. (or smaller) baby bottles as you will need with water or juice (something they won't mind drinking), one for each male at the shower...fill the bottles equally so its fair for all! Time the guys with a stopwatch (or watch with a second hand) to see who can "empty that bottle" the fastest! This game is really fun! Its a hoot watching grown men suck from a baby bottle! Make sure you have a "manly" prize for the winner!
Take the first and last name of mom and dad to be and put it down the side of a piece of paper. Have the guest write down names that begin with each letter. Then have the guest read out loud the name they choose. If anyone else has that name written down the name is crossed off. The winner is the person with the most names left.
This game is fun to play at a shower for those mom's having multiples! It's like hot potato... You will need 2 baby dolls, music that can be turned off & on, and a person who controls the music. Have guests stand in a big circle. Pass two baby dolls (or however many babies mom's expecting) around as the music plays. Whenever the music stops, the person holding a doll is out of the game.
Best to have the dolls apart from each other so the game moves quickly and people are constantly having to pass a baby. When it comes to the last two people, use just one doll or have 2 winners!
I made this game up for my daughter in laws baby shower, since our family had several baby showers during one year, we were all tired of the same old games. I made a list of TV sitcoms with family themes. Wonder Years, Bewitched, Walton's, Family Ties, the Nanny, Brady Bunch, are just a few I listed. Beside the name of the show, I listed the number of children's names needed. At the bottom of the page I wrote all the names of the children characters to choose from. I had the guests play in teams of two or three. Everyone at three showers loved playing this game, it appeals to a wide range of ages since older shows are being shown on cable and more current shows are regular viewing. This game seems to be a great "ice breaker". We made sure that everyone won a "prize".
Generously grease casserole dish with butter. Layer bread cubes and cheese in dish. Combine eggs, milk and seasonings, pour over bread and cheese. Top with extra grated cheese. Let stand for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
3 cupcakes per 1 booties (prepare cupcakes as you prefer)
frosting (either pink or blue)
thin tipped pastry tube
Prepare cupcakes as you prefer, either from scratch or by using a box recipe. You will need 3 cupcakes to make one pair of booties. Slice one cupcake in half, horizontally. Slice off part of the curved section of both to create a flat edge on both circles. Spread a bit of frosting on the flat edge of one circle and attach to a whole cupcake. You have now created the bootie and can continue doing so with the remaining pieces and whole cupcakes. Frost the booties with either pink or blue (or both) icing. Using a thin tipped pastry tube, decorate with icing to create shoelaces.
Prepare any type of sandwiches you prefer and cut each diagonally. Trim the top corners and position small safety pins on those corners. Keep in mind that many bakeries can provide pink and blue tinted breads for you - a unique touch that guests and mom will surely delight in!
Take one animal cracker, frost with frosting and top with another identical animal cracker to make a sandwich cookie. Repeat until you have a full plate. Serve cookies by themselves or with ice cream!
String pieces of fruit on skewers and time blue and/or pink bows on the ends. NOTE: Canned or frozen fruit can be substituted if fresh is not available or if hostess wants to save time. Different kinds of fruit, such as, mandarin oranges, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, pineapple, cantaloupe or honey dew can be used, just be sure to vary colors and sizes of the fruit pieces.
Pour mixture into ungreased bundt pan and spread evenly; cover and freeze. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving, loosen mold from pan and invert onto a serving plate. NOTE: If serving appearance is not important, a 9 X 13 covered cake pan can be used to freeze as well as serve the salad.
Mix both cartons of orange juice, 7-Up and ginger ale. Slice oranges and place slices all the way around the bottom of the Jello mold ring, slightly overlapping them. Fill mold with punch mixture and freeze overnight. Refrigerate remaining mixture in covered container so it doesn't go flat. One hour before the shower, take the sherbet out of the freezer to soften. Prior to serving, add softened sherbet to punch bowl. Take mold out of the freezer and place bottom in warm water for a few seconds until ring separates from mold. Float ring in punch (orange slices up) to keep it cold and to serve as a garnish.
