Congratulations — a baby shower is coming! We’ve noticed that the best ones aren’t necessarily the fanciest, they’re the ones with a few genuinely thoughtful details that guests actually talk about afterward. Here are eight ideas we love, plus a few planning tips to make the day easier on you.
1. Pick a theme that’s about the parents, not just “pastel and balloons”
We love a classic pastel palette as much as anyone, but we think the showers that stand out lean into something specific to the parents-to-be — their favorite book as kids, a travel theme if they love adventure, even just a color they genuinely love rather than “default baby shower pink.”
2. Get the food planning right — this trips people up more than you’d think
Figuring out how much food to order is genuinely one of the hardest parts of hosting, and we built our baby shower food planner specifically because we watched too many showers either run out of food or throw half of it away. Set your guest count, add your menu, and it calculates servings needed automatically.
3. A guest book that isn’t just a guest book
Instead of a plain sign-in sheet, we love seeing guests write advice for the parents, or predictions for the baby (due date, weight, first word). It becomes something the parents actually want to keep.
4. Games that don’t make anyone squirm
We know “baby shower games” can be a little divisive — some people love them, some dread them. Our take: keep it optional, keep it short, and pick one or two rather than five. A simple “guess the baby food flavor” or a diaper raffle tends to land well without eating up the whole afternoon.
5. A gift table that’s actually organized
This one’s practical, but it matters — nothing’s worse than the parents trying to remember who gave what, weeks later, while writing thank-you notes. Our gift tracker keeps a running list of every gift and who it’s from, with a simple checkbox for when the thank-you’s been sent.
6. A “just because” moment for the parent-to-be
Whether it’s a quiet toast, a letter read aloud, or just a moment where everyone goes around and says one thing they’re excited about for the baby, we think every shower benefits from at least one moment that isn’t a game or gift-opening.
7. Food stations over one big buffet
We’re seeing more showers set up small stations — a mimosa or mocktail bar, a build-your-own dessert table — instead of one long buffet line. It spreads guests out and gives people something to do besides sit and wait for gift-opening.
8. Send a genuinely accurate headcount to your venue or caterer
This sounds obvious, but RSVPs change right up until the week of. Keep your baby shower guest list tool updated as responses come in so your final headcount — and your food order — is actually accurate.
Where to start planning
Whether you’re the host or the parent-to-be helping quietly from the sidelines, our whole Baby Shower planning hub is free to start and built around exactly this kind of planning. Congratulations again — this is such a fun one to plan.