How to Plan a Baby Shower

How to plan a baby shower is a process that starts with figuring out the date and time of the party itself then going through all those other nitty gritty details like who's invited(boss or best bud), what kind of decorations will be hanging, will the guest of honor want a theme, and on and on.

Planning a baby shower can seem daunting, but it can also be a lot of fun. When people start gathering for whatever reason including not just birthdays but Christmas eve parties too these traditional get togethers become a joy to plan as well.

The mommy to be is the guest of honor and in most cases, she gets to choose the games, pick out the decorations, and have a say in what's served. By the time the shower is over she should feel loved, spoiled, and definitely ready to take on motherhood with everything she's got.

Here is a quick guide to help you out.

1. Figure out the date and time of the party. This may sound silly right now considering you are at this moment probably searching online trying to figure this one out because you have no clue, but it's good to have an idea so you can start planning everything else.

This is important because you need to give guests enough notice, but also allow time for the guest of honor to finish up any necessary preparations for the arrival of the baby. It's a good idea to have at least six months notice for a shower, although some people do it as early as three months To help you plan the shower, we've put together some general guidelines.

2. Decide who is invited. Again, another seemingly simple task but there are a few things you should keep in mind when sending out those invites. First, think about the guest of honor and her circle of friends. If it's a close friend or relative, chances are you want to invite everyone she knows. On that note you don't really need someone having two showers so don't overload your friend's days leading up to the baby's arrival with too many events. I would keep things under five because anything past that becomes overwhelming anyway (unless they ask for something especially elaborate).

Also, think about including people who will be able to help out during the shower. A cousin with a bridal shop, your aunt who can do hair and make-up, or the mom of one of the bride's friends can be really helpful in pulling off a shower with no drama.

3. Choose a theme, if applicable. If the guest of honor wants a themed shower, great! If not, that's okay too. It wouldn't hurt however if they had some input into making decisions regarding what type/theme - such as colors etc. And remember their budget - some themes cost more than others! Some popular baby shower themes include: green and yellow elephants (for a boy), pink and brown cupcakes (for a girl), Floral arrangements, books about baby, and diaper showers.

4. Decide on the location. If you're having the shower at someone's house, great! If you're not, then start thinking about possible locations and reserve the space. Depending on the number of people attending, you may want to go with a small location or two and have a big party or vice versa.

5. Send out the invites! This is probably the most fun part - picking out what you want to say and who to send them too. Here are just some ideas on how: "You've heard from several dozen people already through gifts since becoming preggo, so hurry up and come to this shower to show everyone you truly mean it!" or "Bring a gift or not, we still want to shower our favorite person with some love!"

Now that you've got the basics, start planning and have fun with it!