Fun (And Practical) Baby Shower Ideas

Baby showers are a great time to celebrate a mom-to-be, especially if it’s to celebrate her first baby. But, they are also a time for new parents to get the things they need for the baby, while celebrating together with family and friends. If you’re planning a baby shower for a loved one, I’ve put together some baby shower ideas to get you started!

Baby shower ideas can be hard to come up with, especially if you are trying to think of unique baby shower themes. And sure, there are many different fun baby shower games you can play to pass the time, especially classic ones like a baby pool to guess the day the baby will be born, or even a cute baby shower theme can make things a little different. Here is a list of the best baby shower venues to consider.

But, if you’re like me and like practicality, there are also many baby shower ideas you should take advantage of to help make welcoming your new little bundle of joy that much easier.

Fun (And Practical) Baby Shower Ideas

Whether you’re doing a themed baby shower, something gender-neutral, or the perfect baby shower theme isn’t important to you, all baby showers are great when there is food, fun, and in my opinion, activities that give a little more than just gifts.

Don’t Put Baby Clothes On Your Registry

People will most likely bring you baby clothes when they came and visit your baby for the first time. It is one of the most common things that they bring anyway, making it redundant baby shower gift to put on a registry. Plus, there are tons of baby clothes that are cheap.

Places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack all have baby clothes for less. Places like Gap, Old Navy, and Target frequently put baby clothes on sale. Save the registry items for bigger purchases, like a carriage and all of the attachments, linens, rockers, and so on.

Have a Corner Where Guests Can Make Their Own Onesies

One thing I have learned from watching all my best friends with babies — you really can never have too many onesies.

Having bulk allows you to simply throw out a onesie if your baby has an explosion (whether it be from up top or down low) rather than spending so much time and energy trying to clean it and get the stains out.

This is one of the most fun and practical “games” to have at a baby shower is a corner of blank, white onesies with fabric markers where guests can design their own onesie for the baby. You can pay a multi-pack of these onesies for fairly cheap. And, it allows the guests to be able to give your baby something personal, while allowing them to let their creativity flow!

If the parents-to-be don’t know the baby’s gender, it might be a fun idea to have some gender neutral examples of onesie designs. You could even do this with organic baby pajamas, especially if the parents-to-be are conscious consumers!

Have a Diaper Raffle 

People like winning prizes, which is why games at baby showers still remain popular. But what does the mom-to-be really get from this? Nothing. Because of this, have a diaper raffle instead!

On the invitation to the baby shower, ask guests to bring with them a box of diapers of any size. For each box of diapers they bring, they will be entered into a raffle to win a prize. The more boxes of diapers, the more entries they will have.

This is a great way for the future parents to have a bulk of diapers from the get-go, which is super practical. You can also include baby wipes in this scenario as well, as that is also something that will most definitely be needed!

Have Everyone Bring a Book Instead of a Card 

This has become more popular in recent years — subbing out a traditional card for a children’s book. Each guest includes a children’s book with their gift with a sweet little message for the baby inside. This is a great idea because it will not only add to the baby’s library, but it is a special keepsake as well.

Once the baby is older and can read, they will have all of these sweet messages that they can enjoy and be reminded of how loved and cared for they are.

You can sign your name and also write a birthday quote inside that they can revisit in the future.

Opening Gifts Can Be a Do or Don’t 

When it comes to opening gifts at a baby shower, this is all personal preference of the mom-to-be. Ask her if she wants to open them or not. This is the traditional baby shower thing to do, but now with registries online, there really is not much surprise left when it comes to opening gifts.

Some even see it as a waste of time. However, do not just assume you have to do it or you can just skip it. Make sure the mom-to-be is OK with the decision.

If you do decide to skip the opening gifts portion, include on the initiation to have the gifts wrapped in clear cellophane. This will allow the gifts to be on display on a table, so if guests do want to see what the mom-to-be got, like new baby shoes for example, they can, without her needing to open every single gift in front of everyone.

But if she does want to open gifts, that’s OK too, just make sure you have planned time for it! What matters is the guest of honor and her new arrival are comfortable, and everyone has different preferences for the level of attention on them.

If the expectant parents don’t have family and friends living close by, or if you want to have an extra-safe shower during these pandemic times, a virtual baby shower can be arranged with all the above activities, you just need a little extra time to plan ahead and send out craft bundles to the virtual guests to either make during the video-party or to have ready ahead to show the new parents and then mail them!

Baby showers are a fun time for the mom-to-be and for the guests. But it can also be a practical one too, to help the future mom get all of the items she needs to make her life just that much easier post baby. It’s an exciting time, to little girls and little boys into the world, and it’s so much fun to do it with the ones you love.

What are some of your favorite baby shower ideas that you have seen? Have you ever thrown a baby shower? Tell us your experiences!

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