Someone emailed me with the question: What is a baby shower and how do you plan one?

I was thinking, who hasn’t been to a baby shower? So let’s take it from the top: A baby shower is a celebration of the impending birth of a first-born child, traditionally attended by women only.

The celebration usually includes food, games and the opening of gifts. They can be small or large, in a private home or hosted in an elaborate venue. The main responsibility of planning the baby shower usually falls on the close friends or family of the expectant mother.

This celebration is intended to shower the new mother with love and advice as well as gifts to help prepare for the new arrival. Traditions have changed slightly, and now baby showers are thrown for second-born children and even the 10th baby. Men want to be invited, and games are sometimes passed on. Baby showers don’t have a season, so here are some simple tips to keep you baby-shower ready.

Step away from the pink and blue. The time of the pink or blue baby shower color schemes has passed. With more and more couples opting to wait to find out the gender of their unborn children, planners must be creative when picking themes for baby showers. Unisex themes like wild kingdom or color schemes of greens, browns and oranges are growing in popularity.

Location, Location, Location. Showers can range in size for a handful of people to guests lists with lengths similar to a wedding. For smaller showers, the dining room of a friend’s home may work well, but when planning for larger groups, look to restaurants or unusual venues, such as teashop or botanical garden with comfy seating. At showers, everyone needs seating to comfortably play games and participate in crafts, so don’t squeeze guests into tight spaces where they may be required to stand.

Invite the Boys. Who said the father can’t come? A shower is supposed to provide love and guidance for the expectant mother, but coed showers are becoming more popular. The father is excited too… He wants to play games and open gifts. Coed showers can become interesting when you play games that pit the guys against the girls, like diaper-changing relays…

Don’t forget the favors. Favors are a special way to say “thank you” to guests for sharing in this special celebration. Done correctly, they can create ways for guests to always remember the event. When picking a favor, try to give something useful and related to either the new birth -- like a personalized frame for pics of the new baby -- or related to the mother’s tastes, like her favorite cookies or bubble bath.

Baby showers can be as unique as any other celebration and deserve the same planning and coordination as a dinner party or birthday celebration, especially for someone who may have had a tough time getting pregnant or a rough pregnancy. Shower that new mother with love, light and energy for the new role she is about to take on!
 

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