Baby showers are the perfect reason to celebrate for the mom-to-be, with her close friends and family to welcome the bundle of joy. In Indian households, the baby shower or ‘godhbharai‘ ritual is organised by the senior members of the family. The celebration begins with a havan or puja followed by other activities. The ceremony is basically for women, but to everyone’s pleasant surprise, nowadays men also attend them. The pregnant woman is dressed up in traditional attire because this is a special day for her. She wears accessories matching her attire. Some women also dress up like a bride in the ceremony. Family members come together to bless her and give her presents.
Actor Mohit Marwah‘s wife Antara Marwah‘s baby shower on 18th August, 2021 was the best example of how being surrounded by loved ones on your special celebration makes it grand. The star-studded affair had the entire Kapoor clan in attendance including Sonam, Rhea, Anshula, Arjun, Shanaya and Khushi.
However, these days baby shower celebrations go beyond traditional, they have more fun activities included. If you’re hosting a baby shower ceremony for a loved one, you have a lot to do. To ensure that the would-be-mom and guests have a good and memorable time; it’s always useful to have a checklist ready. However, do not forget to include the new to-be-mom in the planning, since this is her special day!
Tips To Plan A Great Baby Shower
1. Select The Right Date And Time
Baby showers are typically held in the 7th month of pregnancy as both the mother and infant are believed to be in the safest phase. This also gives you enough time to choose baby shower return gifts. Hence, be ahead of time and plan in advance!
2. Deciding The Guest List/Venue And Budget
Once the date has been decided, the next part is fixing a budget. One can go overboard with the expenses when it comes to planning an event that’s so special. But avoid doing that. Budget can be determined once the venue and number of guests are taken into account. Choose the venue wisely, depending on the number of people attending the ceremony.
The sites can be decided based on the season and holding the baby shower in your living room, or an open-door garden is always cheaper and intimate. But, this is possible only with a limited number of guests, and if the people joining you are more in number, then a banquet hall or restaurant would be a good idea.
3. Baby Shower Invitations
Once the guest list has been finalised, we now have to get down to giving out the baby shower invitations. You can set the mood for the party by creating an invite that reflects your joy and has information about the event along with the venue, date and time. The baby shower invitations should have all the particulars about the customs, whether it’s a ladies only party or not. Many baby showers today have a BYOB, ‘bring your own baby’ theme so this will account for tiny guests as well. You can also list down the activities planned for the day so that guests can manage their schedule accordingly.
4. Baby Shower Props And Decoration Ideas
Once baby shower invitations are on their way, baby shower decorations need to be decided. Decorations can be selected for walls, tables and the terrace, or the restaurant. They could include balloons, candles, flowers, lanterns, cut-outs or centrepieces. Designs for baby shower decorations can be based on the age of the guests and can vary between being classy and funky.
5. Food
Any party is incomplete without food and drinks. You can decide if you need to keep the menu simple or want a lavish spread. The mom-to-be needs to be consulted here since you can have a significant part of the menu with her favourites. It is her day to enjoy and celebrate, after all! Along with food, hygiene also needs to be taken care of.
For drinks, try cocktails for the adults and mocktails for all age groups. You can keep only finger foods or a desert party depending on the invited crowd. Pre-order the cake and align it with the theme of the momentous occasion. Always keep a bin to dispose of the plates and cups so that cleanliness is maintained.
6. Gifts
Once the food, decoration have been planned, next on the list are the gifts. Do pick out the baby showers’ return gifts. As for the baby shower gifts for mom, plan everything in advance to avoid chaos later. Create a registry where the guests can look for gifts the mom-to-be needs. She can use the registry to get products for her baby and none of the gifts will be duplicated.
As a host, you even need to give return gifts to the attendees. This can be a beautiful photo frame, scented candles or coffee mugs. Even gift cards are appreciated by many. Homemade sweets can be a better option when it comes to giving return gifts.
7. Photography
Now, no celebration can end without creating an album of memories. The would-be-mom would always appreciate pictures and videos of her special day. She will forever treasure them.
4 Quirky Baby Shower Decoration & Themes You Can Choose From
Since it is a celebration for the arrival of a baby, baby shower themes should be perfect.
1. Bakery Baby Shower Theme
You can serve your guests with an assortment of tempting cakes, pastries and desserts. Coffee-flavoured drinks can be served to uplift the atmosphere, and this would make for one of the best bakery baby shower themes. As desserts are available in all colours of blue, pink and brown, you can decorate the walls with shades of white and brown, and also have white and coffee coloured crockery on the table.
2. Floral Theme
Flowers form a significant part of every celebration, and decoration with a variety of different coloured flowers look fabulous. Decorations can be done with roses, lilies and carnations to make it look colourful. To match the décor, guests can have a dress code floral clothing. Flowers are elegance personified, and a great way to welcome an auspicious occasion.
3. Pink & Blue Theme
Mostly, the to-be-parents can’t plan a gender based baby shower theme due to obvious reasons. Therefore, gender-neutral baby showers are super-important. This theme ensures that no matter what the gender, the setting is equally ideal according to both sexes. A mix of pink and blue coloured props will do the trick. You can give the option of pink or blue outfits for the guests. And serve people the same coloured drinks and foods. Accessories like caps and boarding passes can be provided to the guests to make the idea more meaningful and of course, fun!
4. Pastel Theme
Pastel shades are quite refreshing. They give a soft and sweet look, just perfect for the newborn on its way. Having a baby shower in pastel shades ensures that the atmosphere is refreshing, soothing, calm and cool. You can keep pastel-coloured cakes, decorations on the walls, tables, upholstery, napkins and cutlery. Desserts like cupcakes, dry cakes and cookies can also be of the same colour. The dress code can be this category of colours, and everybody can be given a pastel floral bouquet as a baby shower return gift!
Fun Games That Can Be A Part Of Your Baby Shower Party
1. Ribbon Game
Distribute the ribbons to your guests, and they have to guess the circumference of your tummy. The person with the right guess will win the game. Lots of laughter ensues in this game!
2. Guess The Cravings
The guests have to think about five things the mom-to-be craved during her pregnancy phase. The person who guessed it right wins the game. Be ready for some really crazy answers!
3. The Diaper Challenge
In this game, you have to divide the guests into two teams and provide a dressed-up doll to them. The teams have to remove the clothes and diaper and dress-up the doll again right from scratch. The twist? Well, the task needs to be performed by a single hand. The team who manages to do it first will be declared as the winner. Await a lot of goof-ups here!
4. Guess The Picture
We can have a game where every guest gets their childhood snap and we need to guess who’s who. This one is a comedy of errors, for sure!
How To Avoid Stress For “Mom-To-Be” On The Ceremony Day
- The mom-to-be requires proper rest before the ceremony starts as it’s going to be a long and hectic day
- She needs to wear light and impressive attire. Heavy jewellery and clothing might make her uncomfortable after some time.
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Keep in mind to drink water, or consume juice to keep you energized the whole day.
- Eat well and eat in small quantities.
- You must be excited for this day. Make a complete list of songs that are to be played on this occasion.
- Make all the arrangements beforehand so that you don’t have to worry about the things.
- Take small breaks in the middle of the ceremony.
