Faster Pc for You

Need to plan a baby shower, but don’t want the stress? With proper planning, and some help from a few friends or family, you can create a very special day for the mother-to-be.

Baby showers are an opportunity to “shower” the mother with love, affection, and joy, while helping her (and her mate) prepare for the challenges of parenting. Whether it be the mother’s first baby, or her fifth, each new child brings new parenting challenges.

There are three basic tips I would share to help you plan the perfect shower. Select a theme, create a task list, and beg, borrow, and bride help from friends and family.

A great way to find a theme for your baby shower is to look at suppliers of baby shower decorations to see what is available commercially. These suppliers have patterns, also known as themes, that can assist you in the planning of your shower. These themes can provide a basis for decorating your event, and can add a professional flair to the style you exhibit for the guest of honor. They don’t only benefit the host of the shower, but also the guests by creating a festive atmosphere for the celebration.

Matching a theme to the guest of honor is easy when you look at the variety of decorating patterns available. Think about the guest of honor - is she expecting twins? Is the child a boy or a girl? Do they not know the gender of the baby yet? Is the mom traditional? Are you trying to have a quite, or boisterous event. Pick a theme that matches your situation.

Next, you need to create your checklist for the shower. Around six weeks in advance, you should be selecting a location, confirming the date (make sure the date works for the guest of honor!), and developing a guest list. A budget will be extremely helpful in determining the type of event you want to host. Wonderful showers can be held on a limited budget if you plan carefully. Think about the cost(s) for your decorations, invitations, food, games, activities, and party favors. A sample set of task and budget worksheets and a variety of other planning tools are available in the baby shower planning section of many party supply websites.

Next, you can give thought to your food menu, the guest list, and possible activities. Try to get friends and family members of the guest of honor involved - you’ll find everyone wants to help “shower some love” on the expectant mother. As the host, you can develop a set of small tasks for friends to select from. Examples might be picking out a cake, filling out invitations, or picking up catering. To avoid confusion, try to be clear with everyone who is helping about any dietary issues, budget constrains, or timing requirements.

Five weeks in advance, purchase your invitations. Most places that sell baby shower decorations also sell other decorations including tableware (paper plates and napkins), balloons, banners, and games that match the theme for your event, that way you can order baby shower invitations that match your theme!

Four weeks out, make sure all your decorations, favors, centerpieces are ordered. This will give you time for them to be delivered. This is also a good time to check your pantry for your serving supplies. Put out the word to friends and family members who will be attending if you need to borrow any critical items (such as serving platters, punch bowls, tables, etc.)

Around 3 weeks before the big day, review your task list, and any items you have assigned to volunteers. If you need to take something over yourself, this will give you enough time to get things done.

Around two weeks before the event is a good time to order your cake, and purchase any non-perishable food items. This is also a good time to finalize any activities or games, and review your check list for any items that still need to be purchased.

The week before the shower is a great time to prepare in advance any food you are cooking, so long as it can be easily frozen and then thawed, heated and served the day of the event. Review the RSVP list to finalize the amount of food, drinks, etc., you will need.

A couple days before the shower, you might want to start the set-up of the location. Get furniture, chairs, tables, etc., arranged the way you want them.

On the day before the shower, remember to thaw any previously cooked and frozen items if they need it. Decorate the room, tables, and such.

On the day of the shower itself, purchase your fresh flowers, fill your balloons with helium, prepare any remaining food items, and take pictures of everything BEFORE the guests arrive so you and the guest of honor can remember everything in it’s perfect form. Take full advantage of your helpers by getting them to run errands that need to be run (such as getting balloons filled, or picking up catering items.)

The only thing left is to have FUN!