This past Saturday was my baby shower and I’m feeling those happy pregnancy hormones in a big way following the celebration for baby and me! A HUGE thank you to all my friends and family (present and afar) that have been so supportive and loving throughout this exciting time. Grant and I love you and am so grateful for you!
The day was absolutely perfect and included people from all facets of my life — family from both sides, work colleagues, and friends from various social groups. Each person in attendance holds a special place in my heart and has been an influential piece to where I’ve landed in life. Their support and prayers over the years, especially in the most trying of times, has been instrumental in the success of this pregnancy. It was important to me to make the shower comfortable and welcoming to show our gratitude.
However, baby showers can quickly become expensive. And with a little one of the way, I had to be as thrifty as possible in my planning. So, if you’re looking for baby shower ideas — from baby shower decorations to baby shower games — I’m here to share all the details of my woodland baby shower that met my budget requirements!
Common Baby Shower Questions
When do I have a baby shower? Be mindful of how you’re feeling once you pass the 20-week mark and plan accordingly. You want to enjoy your shower! And ensure your little one isn’t present… so while there is no “right” time to have a baby shower, it is common to throw the shower from one to three months before your due date.
I decided to host my shower at 31 weeks and felt comfortable doing so. I was pretty swollen, especially in my feet and face, but I had enough energy to get through the day. I also wanted to ensure I had enough time following the shower to organize all my gifts, write thank you notes, wash new clothes/sheets/blankets, and shop for anything I did not receive.
Who hosts a baby shower? There is no hard and fast rule about who should host the shower. Typically, a sister, mother, mother-in-law, or close friend hosts. However, several people can team up to put on a beautiful day. I hosted my shower with the help of my cousin and grandma.
Who do I invite to my baby shower? Again, there is no rule on who you can invite to your shower. You should invite those who have supported your pregnancy and who want to celebrate this new phase into motherhood. That could mean family members, close friends, and even work colleagues. Showers can be as intimate or as large as you would like — just be mindful that the more people invited may equate to a heftier shower budget.
Developing my guest list, Grant and I decided it was worth a larger shower for a number of reasons. First, the baby shower had been a long-time coming. With our struggles to get pregnant, we were ready to celebrate little Dean. Secondly, our support systems were vast. We had to cut corners somewhere, but for the most part, we tried to include our key support groups into the celebration. This meant a guest list of just under 80 people (including children). We ended up having 65 people RSVP and attend the shower.
What do I wear to my baby shower? You may want to dress up a bit for your shower. It is a celebration of you and your baby after all! Consider the weather and if the event is outdoors or indoors. Usually a dress and comfortable shoes are the ideal wardrobe for the mama-to-be.
I chose a maternity dress from PinkBlush’s maternity collection. Having the shower in Michigan in February, I knew I wanted something with full coverage that was flattering. My dress was a mauve chiffon maxi dress with gold metallic threading throughout it. The dress featured long, cuffed sleeves with buttons, pleated details, and a v-neckline. Plus it was double-lined to prevent sheerness, making it exceptional for all the pictures being taken. I wore a 1X and had plenty of room to be comfortable for the entire day. The exact color of my dress is not available (as of writing this post), but other colors are — you can find them HERE.
Baby Shower Details & Decorations
I found most of my inspiration on Pinterest and Etsy for my DIY, budget-friendly woodland baby shower.
Woodland Invites & Signage:
Baby Shower Games & Activities
Food & Activity Tables:
- Linens, Crates, Baskets, Jars, Greenery, Garland (Borrowed or Already Owned)
- Birch Cupcake Stands (Borrowed)
- Watercolor Woodland Animal on Popsicle Stick (Etsy)
- Themed Scrapbook Paper 12×12 Square (DIY)
- Ceramic Mushrooms, Wooden Letters, Picture Frames (Dollar Store)
- Woodland Cupcake Toppers (Amazon)
- Kids’ Activity – Woodland Creature Stickers (Amazon) — highly recommend having something for little ones to do while their mom enjoys the shower’s festivities. These sticker sheets were a huge hit!
My baby shower began at 1:00pm, so we did not anticipate feeding a large meal to everyone. Instead, we opted for a light lunch. On the menu was a chicken salad croissant sandwich, turkey pinwheels, potato salad, pasta salad, individual chip bags, veggie and fruit trays, and cupcakes. Though I did not eat anything at the shower, I heard only compliments for everything offered. (Particularly how delicious the cupcakes were!) Want to know the best part? Everything, minus the potato and pasta salads, came from Sam’s Club! Talk about easy! We kept drinks simple too — we offered bottles of water and lemonade or sweet tea.
As for baby shower games, I knew there were some options I just simply did not want to do. (Like subjecting anyone to smelling a “dirty diaper” and trying to guess the candy bar. Yuck!)
It took me awhile to narrow my choices, but I ultimately settled on a few games that everyone seemed to enjoy. I loved the options with these Editable Woodland Baby Shower Games found on Etsy. I did not want to take too much time with games as I thought it was more important to mingle and interact with my guests, but we did play these few:
- Who Knows Mommy Best? – A well-known shower game that asks questions pertaining to mom. There were a couple of people who tied, so we included a best 3 out of 5 tiebreaker questions as well.
- Baby Trivia – G and I used to play on a weekly trivia team, so this game fit! There were several baby-related questions and many guests learned at least one new thing by the end of the game.
- Don’t Say Baby! – Every attendee received a baby pin when they arrived. If someone caught them saying “baby” throughout the shower, that person could take their pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the shower won!
- Baby Bingo – Guests were asked to fill out a Bingo card at their table with items they thought would be gifted. As I opened gifts, they tracked items on their card. First five to a traditional Bingo won a prize.
Prizes for the games were well-received as well. I found a great candle sale after Christmas and wrapped a large candle for each game winner. There were eight winners in total; five for Bingo and one for each other game.
Along with the invitations, I asked those willing to bring diapers and/or baby wipes to be included in a diaper raffle. At the end of the shower, two numbers were drawn from the raffle and two winners received a raffle basket. These baskets included a blanket, small candle, chocolates, fuzzy socks, mug with hot chocolate packets, and a $15 gift card to Starbucks.
Sample Baby Shower Schedule
A baby shower can be held at any time of the day. I’ve attended a breakfast shower in the morning as well as an evening shower that offered light hors d’oeuvres. My shower was on a Saturday starting at 1:00pm. While we didn’t have a set end time on the invitation, our expectation was for it to last until about 4:00pm. Here is a sample of my baby shower itinerary:
1:00-1:45pm – Guests arrive. Give guests time to arrive and mingle for about an hour or so. This provided ample time to welcome everyone, explain some of the basic day’s activities and games, and allow people to chat.
1:45-2:30pm – Eat! We offered a communal sandwich spread that allowed guests to eat as they wished and continue to converse.
2:30-3:00pm – Games for 30 minutes.
3:00-4:00pm – Open gifts, play Bingo, draw diaper raffle winners, and say good-bye.
There you have it! My woodland baby shower that perfectly fit the aesthetic I wanted and budget I needed. I hope this gives you some baby shower ideas! And please share some of your own experiences below — I’d love to hear others’ hacks and inspiration.
Thank you to everyone who made my baby shower possible and to each person who attended. It was absolutely perfect in every way.
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