4 Simple Steps For Hosting the Perfect Baby Shower

No need to go overboard on the upcoming baby shower you are hosting! Just follow these simple steps, and you will be off and running towards baby shower success!

Free Baby Shower Game Ideas:
*Scoop It Up! For this game, open up a bag of cotton balls and place them in a large bowl. Set an empty bowl beside it. Instruct the guests that they are to scoop as many cotton balls as possible from one to the other while blindfolded. Hand the first player a wooden spoon and blindfold them. Give them 30 seconds to scoop up as many cotton balls as possible and place them in the second bowl. This is challenging because the balls are so light that you have no idea how many cotton balls you have, if any. Count the cotton balls after each guest plays. The guest with the most wins! Fun and simple!

*Ice Cube Game! Buy a package of tiny plastic babies (found at craft stores) and freeze them in ice cubes. Give each guest a cup with water and an ice cube with a baby in it. The first one whose baby is ‘born’ wins!

*Don’t Say Baby! The object of this game is to NOT say the word ‘baby.’ When guests arrive, hand everyone a clothespin or safety pin. If someone catches you saying ‘baby’ during the course of the shower, she gets your pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the baby shower wins a prize.

*When Will The Baby Come! Take a page or two from a calendar and have it enlarged on a copy machine (at your local copy shop). Pin the page(s) up on the wall at the baby shower and have guests sign their name on the date they think the baby will be born along with what time he/she will be born. You can either have each guest pay a dollar to place a bet and give the winner the money, or you can have everyone play for free and the winner gets a prize. The prize will have to be given after the shower so you might want to get phone numbers to call the winner.

Baby Shower Decoration Ideas:
* For a great baby shower decoration idea, and to avoid having to pass all of the presents around the room: hang a clothesline (heavy yarn or string) across the room and put clothespins on it, every time the mom-to-be opens a cute outfit, receiving blanket, socks, or a bib, hang it up on the clothesline, so everyone can see it. Very cute!
* Sprinkle baby-themed confetti all around countertops and tables
* Fill empty baby food jars with jelly beans and top with a t-lite candle
*Decorate tables with baby bottle vases! Fill baby bottles with water and put daisies in them!
*Use teething rings and baby key rings as napkin rings
*For a baby shower centerpiece, fill a baby bath or mini red wagon with tons of baby good! Socks, onesies, bibs, stuffed animals, you get the idea…then give it to the mom-to-be as your gift to her!

Baby Shower Cake/Invitation Wording Ideas:
* Oh Baby!
* Happy Labor Day!
* True Blue!
* A Giggle, A Curl, A Sweet Little Girl!

Baby Shower Punch Recipes:
Serve some festive baby shower punch and float cute little rubber duckies in them! Be sure tto make blue punch for a boy and pink for a girl!

Blue Baby Shower Punch Recipe:
* 1 package blue, berry flavored unsweetened drink mix
* 1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored soda
* 1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle white cranberry juice
* 8 scoops vanilla ice cream
* 1 cup white sugar, or to taste
In a large punch bowl, stir together the drink mix, lemon-lime soda, and white cranberry juice. Taste, and stir in sugar to your liking. (I like to add the whole cup.) Float scoops of ice cream on the top. The ice cream melts somewhat and turns the punch a beautiful baby blue color with frothy white clouds floating on the top.

Perfect Pink Baby Shower Punch:
* 1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 1 pint raspberry sherbet
* 1 cup orange juice
* 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
* 28 ounces ginger ale, chilled
Combine the first four ingredients in a punch bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Spoon in sherbet. Pour ginger ale over all.

Serve some simple baby shower snacks such as croissants with ham and cheese, a veggie platter, some strawberries and a bowl of mixed nuts.

Now that you’re all set, remember to relax and have fun! This baby shower is going to be a blast!

Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Amy Cordray

Shop for: Baby Shower Gifts

Cute Baby Shower Ideas For Hosting the Perfect Baby Shower
By Amy Cordray

One of your best girlfriends is about to welcome a new baby into their lives and you get the privilege of giving her a baby shower! Relax…hosting a baby shower doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. Be inspired! You are about to be armed with the cutest baby shower ideas for throwing an incredible baby shower!

Make it one to remember by following these simple steps:

1) Meet with the mom-to-be for coffee (she’ll be having decaf of course!)

*Come up with a guest list/addresses

*Decide on a good date/time to have the shower (usually 2-3 months before she is due)

*Find out if she is registered at any baby stores

2) Make or Buy Invitations: Send invitations out about 3 weeks before the shower. Some clever invitation ideas are to type out shower details on the computer using a cute font. Print out on decorative paper or vellum. Decorate with cute embellishments (found at craft stores) such as little pacifiers, bottle, or baby feet. Scrapbook magazines always have great ideas for making invitations.

Be sure to include: *Who the baby shower is for

*Date and time

*Where it will be held

*Given by

*RSVP

*If the mom-to-be is registered anywhere

*Directions

3) Theme: Add some pizazz to the shower by giving it a hip theme! Some cute baby shower ideas for themes are:

*Bun in the Oven: Serve cinnamon rolls (buns) and hand out cinnamon roll candles for favors (found online or at candle shops.)

*Decorate in Ducks: Have rubber duckies floating in the punch bowl. Serve water in wine glasses with mini-ducks in them. Have blue and yellow balloons and some duck shaped mylar balloons floating around the room! For party favors, hand out little ducky soaps wrapped in cellophane and tied with a cute bow!

*Choose a Jazzy Color: Maybe the color of the nursery, or the mom-to-be’s favorite color. We’ll use red as an example. Decorate with red balloons, red plates, napkins, tableware. For the centerpiece, use a small red wagon and fill with stuffed animals, baby toys, lotions, pacifiers and give to the mom to take home at the end of the shower! Serve chocolate dipped strawberries, red finger jello cut into baby-themed shapes and a red velvet chocolate cake!

*All About Baby: Use receiving blankets as tablecloths, baby bottles for vases, empty baby food jars for tealite holders and toy key rings as napkin holders!

*Survivor Theme: This works great for an outdoor baby shower! Decorate with tiki torches. Serve mock Mai Tai’s and play survivor style music. Play the “food challenge” game where blindfolded guests have to guess which type of baby food they are eating. Hand out “survivor bandanas” (like they receive on thew show) as favors.

4) Is it a Good Idea to Play Games? Some people love to play games at showers, and others cringe at the thought of it. Games are a great way to loosen the guests up a bit. Not everyone always knows each other at a shower and games tend to break the ice. Play it safe by picking only a couple of games.

*Take a Mint: As guests come through the door offer them some mints (or any small candy in a bowl.) After everyone has arrived, go around the room and have each person tell an interesting fact (or facts) about themselves. How ever many mints they have taken is the amount of interesting facts they have to divulge.

* What’s in a Purse: Make a list of about 8 random items (spoon, ultity bill, gum, etc.) Things normally not found in a purse. (You would be suprised what some women have in their purse.) Call each item out and the first person who shouts out “I’ve got that”, wins! You have a winner for each item.

Some cute prize ideas are: candles, lotions, nail polish, coffee shop gift card, decorative soaps

5) Baby Shower Ideas for Food and Drinks: Let’s face it, it’s all about the food! People love to eat, so be sure to feed them some fabulous fixin’s! There are many avenues you can take when planning your baby shower menu. The best advice is to keep it simple. You don’t want to be cooking all day. Nor will you have the time for it. A few fabulous appetizers, some drinks and a cake will be perfect!

Try these scrumptious recipes:

Mini Chicken Salad Croissants 1 1/2 c. cooked chicken breast, minced 1/4 c. mayonnaise 1/2 c. minced celery 1/4 c. cashews, broken into bits Combine ingredients and scoop onto mini croissants. Also delicious on baguette slices, crackers or mini pitas!

Raspberry Punch 2- 2 liters of lemon-lime soda 1/2 gallon raspberry sherbet Place ingredients in a punch bowl, let melt a bit and serve! So simple and yummy!

Not everyone drinks punch so it is a good idea to have bottled water, coffee and wine available.

6) Picking the Perfect Cake: Baby shower cakes have moved to new levels of cuteness! Whether you order from a baker or choose to make your own, the options are adorable! If you choose to make your own, check out your local craft or kitchen supply store for cute cake pans. They have pans shaped as baby bottles, feet, rattles, you name it! Wilton.com has a great variety of supplies and cute cake pictures.

Some cute sayings to put on the cake are: *Happy Labor Day *Oh, Baby! *Baby Cakes!

Relax and have fun! Amy Cordray runs a website filled to the rim with cute baby shower ideas! Visit http://www.cutest-baby-shower-ideas.com for baby shower craft ideas, FREE printable invitations, baby shower poems and more!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Cordray