Baby showers are held to cheer up the expectant mother before the birth of her first child. At a time when she is feeling bit jittery and does not know what to expect, somebody close to her holds such a shower and invites only her intimate friends and relatives to reassure her and to give her some gifts that she will need once the baby is born. It is generally an informal affair.



The party is normally held in the evening and the hostess can ask some one else to pool in to reduce the costs. The d'cor is all about the baby. If the couple has revealed the sex of their child the décor can also disclose it. You can have baby shower foil balloons to decorate the venue. These come in a variety of shapes and colors to complement any theme. Apart from balloons try decorating the venue with little booties or other small items that the mother-to-be can then take with her as her gifts.

If you are not very keen on diapers and feeding bottles, you can use cuddly little animals to decorate the house. Choose those that the babies generally love to play with once they become few months older. You can also use Mexico as the theme. The Mexican theme is in fashion now and finding the Mexican party supplies is no problem at all. Get fiesta sombrero foil balloons, fiesta party candles for a strong impact. A Mexican star piñata will be an added attraction. If you have decided on a Mexican menu, use sombrero-serving tray for serving nachos and salsa. Pour the salsa in the center of the sombrero.

Like in all other traditional celebrations, cutting of cake is an integral part of the baby shower. Use Mexican party serving trays for serving the pieces of cakes. For serving other snacks, get some sectional serving platter with Mexican designs on them. For authentic Mexican look, use chilli pepper lantern garlands or a metallic chilli pepper foil garlands while decorating the eating area. Inflatable, cutouts in Mexican themes add to the atmosphere. Do not forget little things like themed party napkins or themed confetti.

You can tell your friends to gift her baby items with the Mexican theme as well. This means that the nursery will look like Mexico. However, before this, please do consult your friend about her ideas for the nursery.

Baby showers also involve some traditional games, which may sound bit too crude to the modern mom. Nevertheless, they are most entertaining and should be taken in the right spirit. One of the games involves guessing the waist size of the mother-to-be. It is crude but hilarious, especially if it is only a girly affair. Line up some more games like this.

Today baby showers are no longer an all women affair. Men, especially the would be dad is also invited to grace the event. However, that depends solely on you. If you wish, you can call men. Do take note how your guest of honor feels about it.

If young children are included in the party, make special arrangements for them. It is not a bad idea to get a baby sitter for them. Let them play their own games in another part of the house under the vigil of the baby sitter. Young mothers will be happy to be free of their responsibilities for a while

Though a baby shower is a small affair; it can involve detailed planning if you want it to be a grand affair. List all things you need to complete. Remember to order the supplies well in advance. You can incorporate some help if you feel you cannot do it all by yourself. At least have some one to pick up the baby shower cake on time.

Use a spreadsheet to make list of all that you need. You can also put in the due date and the cost involved in each case in the adjacent cells for convenience. Spreadsheets enable you to keep track of every aspect of the party. It is also easier to make correction on such sheets.

For the sake of economy, if for nothing else, order most of your supplies over the net. You will definitely get discounts at online stores. The only problem is that you have to put an order for the supplies early enough to counter the time lost in shipping.

On the big day, be prepared and relaxed. Listen to some pleasant music and greet everyone, especially the mother-to-be, with a big smile. Your party is bound to be a success because of all your careful planning and attention to details.