- Celebrate the mom-to-be at well-planned baby shower.pregnant girl on meadow 3 image by Pavel Losevsky from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
Remove the stress from hosting baby shower by creating a plan for the event. Choose invitations and decorations that suit the mother-to-be's tastes and organize activities that allow her to socialize with guests. Select a gendered theme if the parents know the baby's sex. Or, use a gender-neutral color scheme of yellow and green for the surprise baby. Careful planning help the even come off smoothly and show the mom-to-be how much you care. - Set the tone for your baby shower by using invitations that reflect your theme. For example, if the mom-to-be is having a baby girl, choose a pink invitation to match your decorations. Decorate your venue, often a home, to create a festive, baby-themed atmosphere. Drape tables in pastel linens, like pink, blue or yellow. Create themed centerpieces by using baby bottles as vases. Create a clothesline along one wall where you can hang onesies that the guest of honor can take home for her little one. Send guests home with a thematic favor such as a sugar cookie decorated like a baby rattle. Wrap it in cellophane, and add a label to it for an easy-to-create place card.
- Keep your baby shower moving by planning activities for your guests. Give the mom-to-be time to mingle with her guests when the shower begins. Then play a few games to get guests talking and lighten the mood. Challenge guests to guess the size of the mom's baby bump by asking them to cut a string that will wrap around the bump. If the parents have chosen a name for their baby, ask guests to list all of the words they can make out of letters in the baby's name. For example, the name Tyler Michael includes the words "hail," "eat" and "yell." The guest who lists the most words wins a small prize, like a scented candle. Also, allow the guest of honor to open gifts at the end of the shower. Her guests will enjoy seeing her reaction to the gifts, and everyone will enjoy the adorable baby items.
- Baby shower fare should be light and diverse. However, the food you serve depends on the time of the shower. A late-morning shower can include pastries, bagels, fruit salad and a breakfast casserole. For lunch, offer a deli tray, deviled eggs and chicken salad. If you throw a mid- to late-afternoon baby shower, guests will not expect a full meal, so serve beverages such as tea and lemonade and scones, fruit or finger sandwiches. Regardless of the time of your baby shower, honor the little one and her mom with a cake. A simple white sheet cake with "Congratulations" on it will suffice.
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