Baby shower checklists can be long and intimidating. Staring at the list of materials you need to throw a baby shower can feel like a rite of passage instead of what it’s supposed to be — a celebration of the mom-to-be and her little one!
Mustela is here to help during all stages of pregnancy and motherhood, including a baby’s shower! In this article, we'll talk about what you need on your ultimate baby shower checklist, as well as some cute ideas for what to do to get the party started.
Baby Shower Basics
An undeniable fact of life: babies need a lot of stuff. And the mom-to-be will need some serious fun to deal with the aches and pains of pregnancy, especially in the later trimesters.
Plus, let’s be honest, is there ever a reason not to throw a good party? Baby showers combine practicality and festivity.
Guests will come and “shower” the mom and her growing baby in love, attention, and the essentials she’ll need for the arrival of her little one. Diaper essentials for baby and skin care for Mom are always a big hit!
Shower her with our Certified Organic Bath And Body Gift Set to gently cleanse and hydrate delicate skin and our Certified Organic Cotton Wipes With Water to soothe, soften, and freshen her little one’s diaper area.
Traditionally, baby showers are hosted by a close family member or friend.
Note: if you’re a mom looking for tips, ask someone to host who is reliable, will be involved in your and your baby’s new life, and knows how to have a good time!
Mom deserves to be pampered — and so does her baby! As you mark off things on your baby shower checklist, keep in mind that the main goal is to commemorate the mom-to-be, her little one, and all the people who love and support them both.
A Note About Virtual Baby Showers
So many things in the world are changing right before your eyes, and there’s no shame in orchestrating an event for your friends, family, and loved ones to spread a little joy — even if that event is done online!
Virtual baby showers can follow the same guidelines as traditional showers, or not! Most of the tips in this article are the same whether you’re hosting an in-person or virtual shower. Simply tweak as needed!
For example, instead of choosing a venue for the event, you can try out different online platforms and decide which one will best accommodate your celebration. And there’s no need to come up with a menu or prepare food.
But some things will remain the same. You’ll still need to create a guest list and make sure the mom-to-be sets up her registry, for instance. And you’ll want to adapt traditional baby shower games to the online realm so your guests still get the fun baby-shower experience!
With all of that in mind, here are some things to consider as you prepare for the big day.
Baby Shower Checklist
Eight To 10 Weeks Before The Baby Shower
This is when preliminary planning should begin. Give yourself at least two months to get the shower organized.
It’s important to manage stress levels for mothers-to-be, so keep that in mind when you begin brainstorming. As the host, remind the guest of honor to let you do the worrying.
Sharing the responsibilities of planning a shower will make the festivities go much smoother. You can work with the mom-to-be to check off these first few tasks in the eight to 10 weeks before the shower date:
- Selecting a date for the shower
- Choosing a venue for the shower
- Creating a guest list
Six Weeks Before The Baby Shower
This is the time to start imagining what you want the big day to look like.
Many baby showers follow a theme of some kind. Which theme you choose can be decided with the mom-to-be, or it can be a complete surprise for her!
Seasonal holidays are a great way to pick a theme. For example, pastel colors tend to be popular in spring baby showers. Stores will have tons of leftover Easter decorations once the holiday passes, which could be perfect for a springtime shower (baby bunnies, anyone?)!
Summer baby showers could go for a 4th of July theme with a grill-out, BBQ sandwiches, and yard games. Fall showers might keep it spooky with a Halloween-based theme, while winter baby showers can become a winter wonderland (plus, the family might already be in town!)
Make the time of year work for you and the growing baby shower checklist. The more boxes you can tick the better! Think of it as changing two diapers with one hand.
In addition to coming up with a theme, these six weeks before the baby shower are a good time to take care of a few more things:
- Think of a menu for your guests (keep it simple!)
- Create baby shower favors for guests
- Send out invitations to guests
- Order or make thank-you cards
- Remind the parents-to-be to set up a registry
This last tip is super important! Baby registries make it easier for your baby shower guests to know what necessities the mom still needs.
Include their registry site(s) on the invitations –– this will help ensure that the new parents don’t end up with 15 bottle brushes!
A Month Before The Baby Shower
As the exciting date draws closer, you and the mom you’re celebrating should start chipping away at the larger details of the shower. These include:
- Reaching out to family and friends for help
- Sending out video-chat invitations with the link for guests if the shower is virtual
- Ordering a cake or cupcakes (if you’re buying instead of making)
- Putting in a catering order (if you’re buying instead of making)
- Planning some games for your guests
Speaking of games, this activity has become a little controversial in the world of baby showers. Should you include them on your baby shower checklist?
The answer depends on what kind of shower you’re going for, how many people will be attending, and how familiar your guests are with one another.
Games can be a great way to break the ice for a large party of guests who may not know each other very well. But they can be just as great for families full of pranksters!
Not all games are created equal, either. We’ve compiled a list of game suggestions to add to your baby shower checklist that ranges from belly-laugh-inducing to heart-warming activities.
For more traditional games:
- The classic, sometimes cringy melted-candy-bar-in-a-diaper game. Can your guests identify what candy bar is in the soiled diaper?
- The price is right! Assemble a basket of random items for the little one. Have your guests guess the price of each one and let the hilarity ensue (we bet the teenage niece will be shocked at the price of a pack of diapers).
- Have the guests send over their own baby pictures before the day of the baby shower. Make a game out of matching the baby picture to the right adult!
Like most traditional games, whoever gains the most points wins a prize!
Quick tip: all of the games above can be adjusted for virtual showers, too. As the host, simply hold the object in front of the camera for everyone to see, and let your guests type their answers into the video-call software’s chat box.
For sentimental treasures and keepsakes:
- Set up a onesie-decorating station with newborn through toddler sizes. Let your guests decorate the onesies with stamps, fabric markers, and dyes. These onesies will bring a smile to the mom’s face, and she can save them for years!
- Include a “parenting advice” section in the RSVPs of your invitations. This way everyone, even those who can’t make it, can share their advice and well wishes with the new parents.
- Put out some blank banners for your guests to write on with funny, cute, or hopeful messages to the baby. String them together to make a bunting for the little one’s room!
- Print out pages for the baby’s first alphabet book. Guests can pick a letter and design it! That way, the little one’s first book is personalized by all the people who love and care about them.
The last game we want to mention isn’t really a game, but a raffle. Have guests bring in a pack of diapers in exchange for a raffle ticket. At the end of your baby shower, raffle off a prize to the lucky winner.
They win a special something, and Mom wins the baby lottery –– a mountain of diapers!
Two Weeks Before The Baby Shower
You and the mom-to-be should be nearly ready for the big day! There’s not much left to do on your baby shower checklist.
At this point, it’s a good idea to send out some friendly reminders to the people who agreed to lend a hand while setting up the baby shower.
Also, make sure to call and confirm with the vendors who are catering and making your cake that everything is on track (if you went for those options). You can also follow up with invitees who might not have RSVP’d yet.
Otherwise, sit back, relax, and prepare to have fun!
The Big Day
You survived! And now you and the mom-to-be get to reap the benefits of all of your hard work and planning. Your baby shower checklist should be complete.
With the decorations hung, your games prepared, and your sweet treats waiting to be gobbled up, you can hang out with your guests and enjoy the reason you all gathered together –– to celebrate Mom and baby!
And don’t forget to gift the new parents everything they’ll need to care for their little one’s skin, like our Newborn Arrival Gift Set! This set includes four plant-based skincare products specially designed for a newborn’s delicate skin.
We hope Mom walks away from the baby shower feeling refreshed, celebrated, and ready for the next most important day in her baby’s life –– their birth date!