After years of trying for a baby and finally getting pregnant, I’ve been extremely excited to have a baby shower. Many of my close friends moved away the past few years. So, it’s the perfect time to reunite our friends, family and some of my mom’s best friends to celebrate Baby Champion. Baby showers are a longstanding tradition. But, that doesn’t mean you have to do the status quo! The whole “blue for boys” and “pink for girls” baby shower theme is no more. Of course, if you like that, you can do that! But, these days a baby shower can be whatever the mom-to-be wants it to be (and that’s how it should be!).
I had a vision for my baby shower and brought it to life with a handful of vendors and my best friends, complete with balloon garlands and over-the-top florals. Of course, a stunning baby shower dress was necessary too! Today’s post includes my roundup of baby shower decor ideas that you can use for inspiration.
Baby Shower Decor Ideas
Planning a baby shower is sort of like planning a wedding. There’s the guest list to consider, invitations, and the color scheme and what theme you might follow (if you have one). Then, there are the cocktails, appetizers and food, table linens, chair rentals, signage, games, party favors and more. You’ll also need to start planning your baby registry so guests can shop the gifts and items you need most. Often, the places you’re registered will be included on your invitations. It can be overwhelming, so enlist help! If you have friends who are hosting the event, ask them to assist with certain items. Or, ask you mom or mother-in-law to help! From the start, you’ll want to have an idea of your budget. That will determine if you contract vendors for specific items or if you’ll take the DIY path. Either can result in beautiful baby shower decorations!
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Planning a Baby Shower
Perhaps you’ve found out the sex of your baby. Or, maybe you’re waiting and it’s still a secret! The theme and your baby shower decorations can be gender neutral if you prefer. Below are various baby shower ideas that I considered as we planned our party!
Themed Baby Shower Ideas
The first place to start is to decide if you want a theme to your baby shower. For little girls, a mermaid theme is very popular right now! Or, for little boys bowties are always a cute idea. Then, there is the baby in bloom theme or winter wonderland theme if you’re having a winter baby. Ultimately, I used a stars and moons baby shower theme to match the nursery decor.
Baby Shower Invitations
You’ve locked in your date and venue! So, now it’s time to get the invitations out the door. This will set the tone for your baby shower. Places like Target have pre-printed invitations that are very stylish. Or, you can find a design on Etsy or Minted and get them printed at your local Staples or Fedex. We used this design and then incorporated signage, party favor tags and more with the same design from the Etsy shop.
Balloon Arches and Balloon Garlands
One of the most popular trends at baby showers (and parties in general) are balloon arches or balloon garlands. For my shower, the team at Poppy & Posh crafted the design of the installations by the backdrop, the chair where I opened gifts and around the cake table (pictured above and below). They are pros in the South Florida area if you live nearby! You can certainly DIY this part of your shower decor. The balloon kits on Etsy come in a variety of designs and colors (love this kit and this one). Just be warned the construction can be time consuming.
Baby Shower Florals
I’ve always loved beautiful flowers. So, splurging on gorgeous baby shower florals for the centerpieces and custom backdrops was a no brainer for me. You can find incredible local florists by searching on Instagram (that’s how I found Sam’s Blooms). There are also some very pretty options on Etsy. Or, you can purchase flowers from a local flower market or the grocery store and put the arrangements together yourself.
Themed Welcome Sign
If you’ve decided on a baby shower theme, there are certain elements where you might want to carry out that theme – namely in the welcome sign. Normally, wherever you get your invitations will have signage options as well!
Baby Shower Games
One of the best parts of any shower are the baby shower games! And, they don’t have to be dirty (hello… guess the baby food in the baby diaper game… gross!). My co-hosts planned the games and got this set. I also love the games in this bundle too.
Custom Backdrops
For our stars and moon baby shower theme I knew I wanted to set up a few different areas around the room. The photo op (Instagram-worthy) moment used an oversized moon custom backdrop with the balloon garland and smaller cloud backdrops from The Styled Kind. For anyone planning a baby shower in South Florida, the team is amazingly professional and affordable! We also rented the gold round metal arch (similar here) for behind the cake table too.
Create a Momosa Bar
The mom-to-be may not be drinking (I treated myself to a mom-osa!), but creating a fun mom-osa bar is a nice to-to for guests. Grab a fun sign like this one (or this one), some OJ, prosecco or champagne and some frozen berries at the store to set up your display.
Large Baby Blocks
One of my favorite baby shower decorations were these large baby blocks we rented from The Styled Kind. Originally, I looked to purchase something similar like these. But, they charge per letter! For a similar, less expensive look you can opt for something like these boxes. Flanking them with florals adds a feminine touch.
Dessert Table
Another focal point can be your dessert table. Draped with a simple linen and fun gold sequin runner, the themed cake and cake pops take center stage! CurlySu Cakes in South Florida is insanely talented and recreated this cloud and stars cake from a Pinterest photo! Also, her cakes not only look like perfection – they taste like it too. This two-tier cake had dulce de leche flavor on the bottom and red velvet on top.
Custom Cookies
Another baby shower trend right now are custom cookies that match your theme or have the babies name (if you’re sharing!). The cookies above are by Bake My Day, a local baker in South Florida. Her cookies are incredible! The vanilla almond flavor is standard and you can ask for plain vanilla too (which is what I did). Since they come individually wrapped, they’d also make a wonderful party favor.
Table Decorations
You may have florals on the cake table and in other places. But, I highly recommend your shower centerpieces be a pretty floral arrangement. This is another area where you can save and make arrangements yourself. Personally, I think the florals are what make your shower stand out! Sam from Sam’s Blooms is a mastermind! She created all of our florals, including our table centerpieces which were housed in gold mercury vases.
Table Linens
Your venue may only offer plastic folding tables and that’s okay! There are great options for affordable table linens that will match your color scheme. Pro tip – steam theme before the shower! Three of our tables used a simple beige linen and the other two had a secondary lace linen overlay.
Chair Rental
It’s hard to imagine, but something as simple as chairs can really elevate your baby shower decor. I originally wanted to rent french rattan dining chairs. But, they were super expensive! So, we instead rented cross-back chairs like these and they were far more affordable.
Paper Goods
One area where we saved in the budget was on our paper goods for the lunch. You can find tons of expensive-looking plates and cutlery that won’t break the bank. There are countless napkin options too (we used these).
Baby Shower Banners
You’ll likely want to drape a few baby shower banners that match your decor in areas like the present table or near the entry. Party city has lots to choose from. Or, you can grab a custom banner in advance from Etsy.
Baby Shower Clothesline Decorations
Another alternative to a baby shower banner is something more decorative like a clothesline with onesies! These are easy to DIY with a few premie onesies, some yarn and a few clothespins. Or, you can grab something like this from Etsy as well.
Catered Lunch
One of your final decisions to make is whether you serve food at your baby shower. If it’s held during lunch, I highly recommend providing at least appetizers and dessert. Or, if you have guests flying in, consider catering lunch. We went with an Italian theme from Hellenic Republic and I still have people asking me for their information! All of the dishes, from the charcuterie to the chicken parmesan and the pastas – it all tasted incredible.
Customized Party Favors
Who doesn’t love a party favor?! It’s always a nice touch to leave your guests with a parting gift. This can be anything from mini bottles of Prosecco to custom cookies. We got chocolates from a local store and then used a matching favor tag for our theme as an added touch. Guests will love it!
Baby Shower Thank You Cards
The shower may be over, but you can’t forget one of the most important parts – the thank you cards! You’ll want to thank your guests for their thoughtful gifts. You can stay on theme with a matching thank you card you can print locally. Or, places like Target have amazing options as well.
There are so many details that go into your baby shower. Whether you’re picking a specific baby shower theme or going gender neutral, hopefully this post has inspired you. If you can set the budget and prioritize your baby shower decorations, it makes the whole planning process easier! If you have any questions on vendors or costs, please leave a comment below. Or, you can message me on Instagram!
