31 Tips and Tricks to Make Your Baby Shower Shine

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Whether you're looking for creative, noncheesy shower baby shower games or simple ways to dress up your sweets, there's a unique idea to suit any party style. Get the inspiration started by checking out these 31 tips and tricks to make your baby shower special for both you and your guests. Happy showers!

01
Wooden Baby Block Invitation
Sideshow Press

Wooden Baby Block Invitation

Request guests' company with a wooden block invitation, like this screenprinted pick made by Sideshow Press. It's an invitation and favor in one!

02
Breakfast Baby Shower
Jesi Haack Design

Breakfast Baby Shower

Baby showers tend to be afternoon affairs, but wedding planner Jesi Haack threw a breakfast baby shower for a friend. Complete with an omelet bar and kid-friendly foods, an early morning shower is an unexpected idea and a great way to start the day.

03
Guess the Baby Game
Après Fete

Guess the Baby Game

Get guests involved by asking them to participate in a Guess the Baby game. Ask each person to bring a photo of herself as a baby, then display them at the shower and offer a prize to the guest who can identify the most people.

04
Drink Decanters
Allyson Wiley for A Little Savvy Event

Drink Decanters

Using gorgeous glass decanters for drinks is a simple way to step up the display and add a bit of sophistication to your party sips.

05
Headband-Making Station
Gabriel Ryan Photographers for Hostess With the Mostess

Headband-Making Station

For a lil girl's baby shower, set up a DIY headband-making station inviting guests to get crafty throughout the day.

06
Baby Bucket List
Etsy | RCDillow

Baby Bucket List

Gather the advice of friends and family by asking them to contribute to a baby bucket list. Set out a cute paint can so guests can toss in their suggestions for making baby's first year extraspecial.

07
Book-Inspired Cupcakes
Hostess With the Mostess

Book-Inspired Cupcakes

To create clever sweets like these Goodnight Moon cupcakes, top plain vanilla cupcakes with themed flags. Add a few props to the display to make it even more eye-catching.

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Retro Invitations
Etsy | Le Partie Sugar

Retro Invitations

Hoping for a more casual get-together? Try a "Backyard Baby-Q" theme with these retro-inspired invitations by Le Partie Sugar. For $95, you'll receive 25 invitations, envelopes fully addressed, envelope stickers, and the cards will even be mailed directly to guests!

09
Bubbly All Around
Etsy | Le Partie Sugar

Bubbly All Around

Establish a beautiful bubbly bar to add some sparkle to the party. Pair a sparkling rosé with nonalcoholic Italian soda, then toss in fresh raspberries as a stylish, tasty accent.

10
Reveal the Gender
Sweet Kiera

Reveal the Gender

Make it a shower and gender reveal party all in one by baking a simple gender reveal cake. Guests will love to be part of that special moment, and it's sure to perk up the party.

11
Popcorn Bar
Etsy | Le Partie Sugar

Popcorn Bar

Simple to set up and easy for guests to navigate, a popcorn bar is a great grab-and-go snack for friends to enjoy throughout the shower — or as a favor.

12
Bib-Decorating Contest
Rebecca Watkins for Pure Joy Events

Bib-Decorating Contest

Let guests flex their creativity by putting together a bib-decorating contest. Even better? The parents-to-be will have plenty of options once the baby arrives.

13
Unique Dessert Display
Rebecca Watkins for Pure Joy Events

Unique Dessert Display

Skip the standard bowls and dress up your sweets table with a unique dessert display like these pistachio macaron pops made by 6 Bittersweets, which were held in glasses with origami stars from Trinkets by Dana.

14
"I'm Bored" Jar
Jesi Haack Design

"I'm Bored" Jar

Pass around an "I'm Bored" jar and ask guests to fill out a card with fun, kid-friendly activities to try when their baby needs to be entertained.

15
Gender-Neutral Sweets
Flickr user clevercupcakes

Gender-Neutral Sweets

Are the parents-to-be keeping the gender of their baby a secret? Whip up some gender-neutral cupcakes by using white and yellow frosting plus pink, blue, and multicolored toppers.

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Wishes For the Baby
Etsy | saralukecreative

Wishes For the Baby

With these chevron printable cards ($10), guests can offer their best wishes for the baby — a special way for friends and family to give some heartfelt advice.

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Striped Straw Cake Pop Sticks
Seriously Daisies

Striped Straw Cake Pop Sticks

Step up your standard sweets by using striped straws as cake pop sticks. Mix and match colors to keep things fresh, then tie a coordinating ribbon for a sweet, simple touch.

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Baby-Themed Cookie Cutters
Coppergifts.com

Baby-Themed Cookie Cutters

Keep costs down by purchasing festive baby shower cookie cutters and making your own desserts.

19
Decorative Muffin Tin Liners
Sara Westbrook

Decorative Muffin Tin Liners

Easy but effective: Spoon fresh berries into patterned muffin tin liners for a sweet treat that's delicious, decorative, and budget-friendly.

20
Sweet Thank You Notes
Etsy shop graciegirlnotes

Sweet Thank You Notes

Pick up some adorable baby shower thank you notes, like these sweet side-fold cards from Gracie Girl Notes made with 100 percent recycled kraft stock.

21
Create a Sweet Sculpture
Elizabeth Messina

Create a Sweet Sculpture

While this outrageous centerpiece made from 2,500 mini cupcakes is certainly over the top (it was made to celebrate mom-to-be Katherine Kallinis, the cofounder of Georgetown Cupcakes), a smaller sweet sculpture is sure to wow shower guests.

22
Make Headlines
Tara Rochelle for Layla Grayce

Make Headlines

A headline-making invitation introduced guests to this vintage newsprint-inspired shower, and the theme was carried through the event with a typewritten welcome note, "Extra! Extra!" thank you cards, and vintage newspapers, which sat on each guest's plate and featured a baby-themed crossword puzzle and cleverly worded headlines.

23
Onesie Decorating Activity
Katrina Louise Photography

Onesie Decorating Activity

"I loved all the onesies that guests created for us. They got really creative," Katie Vowels of Katrina Louise Photography told us. "We've loved taking photos of baby Rowan in the onesies and sending them on to the guests as another thank you. Each person put their name on the tag on the onesie, so we get to think of them every time she wears one."

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Celebrate the Mom-to-Be's Heritage
Achor & Eden

Celebrate the Mom-to-Be's Heritage

For a British mom-to-be, the Union Jack made a perfect theme. Union Jack-covered boxes held tea bags, while an Edible Details fondant topper showed an iconic London telephone booth.

25
A Long-Distance Baby Shower
Après Fete

A Long-Distance Baby Shower

If hundreds of miles or expensive flights have ever kept you from celebrating a friend's special occasion, you're likely to love this Baby Shower in a Box concept as much as we do.

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A Nontraditional Dessert Table
Rebecca Watkins Photography for Pure Joy Events

A Nontraditional Dessert Table

You don't have to use the dining room table to hold your food selections. For a lullaby-themed shower, Pure Joy events converted a crib into a table. "To carry out the theme, a sleigh crib with a coordinating crib skirt was used as the dessert table," Christine said. "White canopy netting, pom-pom clouds, and two dozen sky-blue balloons created a dreamy effect."

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What Does Mom Crave Most?
Karson Butler Events

What Does Mom Crave Most?

Why not make mom's cravings the focus of a shower? Guests can guess the mom-to-be's biggest craving.

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Hanging Umbrellas
Karson Butler Events

Hanging Umbrellas

It is a shower after all, isn't it? We love this idea of hanging vintage umbrellas from Bella Umbrella upside down for decor.

29
A Veggie Centerpiece
HRM Photography Inc.

A Veggie Centerpiece

Proof that flowers aren't the only way to go when it comes to creating a beautiful centerpiece! A veggie-filled pot or bowl is a welcome change from flowers and sweets.

30
Personalized Touches
Charlotte Jenks Lewis

Personalized Touches

Scour Etsy, and you're sure to find someone who can create just about anything for you. For a woodland-forest-themed shower, Martha Stewart Weddings's Darcy Miller wanted to give the party some unique touches that would set it apart from all the other baby showers they've seen through the years. One way they did so was with custom soaps created from images that Darcy sketched. As a big believer in custom goods, Darcy suggests going to the source to get exactly what you want for the party. She says, "Etsy is filled with vendors who will tailor products to your specifications."

31
An Evening Shower
Richelle Dante Photography

An Evening Shower

With so many baby showers taking place during brunch and lunch, an evening affair is a fun way to shake things up. For this "Off to Neverland" shower, an evening sky provided some needed darkness. "We figured doing it at night would help the effect be more prominent," Aasim of Sugar & Fluff said. "It turned out to be a hit, and everyone loved the idea of having a shower at nighttime!"

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