Ideas or suggestions for a baby shower

[LHath6]

Believe it or not but I cannot remember the last time I was at a baby shower! My DD is due in September and I am going to be planning the baby shower. Any suggestions or websites that will help? I am at a loss! I have the place set up already. It is being held at my church where there is a full kitchen if I need it. This is her first baby and she is so excited. I just want to make it a memorable experience for her.

[blossomed]

I had 4 SHOWERS!! So I feel relatively the expert...

Do you know what she is having? What is your budget and how many people will be there?

I love games and we played them at most of my showers - I like present bingo cause it gets boring watching someone open gift after gift.

I have bajillion ideas on how to do it more frugally. Two people made me diaper cakes which at the time I thought were silly but once I realized how expensive diapers are I thought they were nice gifts. I returned a lot of the clothes - which gave me a decent store credit to then buy the car seat.

As for making it special... at one of my showers there were 3 little girls there, two of which I had babysat for and 1 of them wrote I was going to be a great mommy! it meant a lot to me that she thought that since I had actually "mommied" her.

Encourage people to do things for your dd after the baby comes. The people that knew how hard that first month is are the ones that are really dear to my heart. Things like grocery shopping are just stressful the first month of being a new mom.

[LHath6]

She is having a boy. Her list consists of 10 people and our church is invited so it is probably going to be a decent crowd. My DH said as cheap as possible. I want to keep it under $100. She wants me to make a cake so that part is taken care of even though I do not know what shape I am going to make the cake. All I know on that so far is she wants marble cake. A diaper cake sounds good. Those things are expensive! Thankfully she is set on a crib (her MIL), stroller and car seat (her SIL), a pack and play (her grandma), and high chair (me). I am taking her shopping on Friday to teach her how to coupon because she has realized how much baby stuff is going to take over her budget!

[blossomed]

Will the church ladies bring food? if not I just think cake and coffee would be sufficient menu. If you want to have finger foods, the cheapest things to make it pasta salad, deviled eggs, and finger sandwiches (cheap or free bread) filled with tuna salad (free or cheap), ham salad, and egg salad.

For decorations, start looking for streamers in shades of blues... I made flowers out of balloons that I happen to think were the cutest thing ever invented. Five around the outside and one in the middle - no helium necessary so a BIG decoration for a little price tag. Hobby lobby (you know my forum) has the best balloon prices.

Check your stockpile for body wash etc and then wrap it and that will make cute favors or prizes.

Baby showers have not changed much, eat, chat a few games open gifts head home!

There are probably 3000 websites out there - but to know what you want, you sort of need some direction. A theme?

OOh I just googled and someone made a diaper cake out of the jean diapers so it was blue - that is cute!

There are so many great cupcake ideas out there. could you incorporate one of those.

I would seriously consider getting the baby stuff used! Other than the high chair (which is so dirty) and the car seat again because once they are older they get dirty everything can be found used and CHEAP. My area has children only consignment sales - and you can get everything for half of retail - or less!

[Kulis]

I don't know if it's ended yet, but it will soon. Bath and Body Works had 75% off practically everything. Someone in line in front of me bought 125 personal hand sanitizers and 125 holders to use as shower favors. I know the sanitizers were less than $1 each, not sure about the holders.

I'm not a big fan of games at showers, but I love the passing on of advice. Maybe have a book or a large poster board or something where guests can write their best advice for new parents.
Maybe something were guests can make predictions, too. Not the usual birthdate/birthweight/etc, but maybe something like
- what color eyes the baby will have
- what his favorite baby food will be
- when he'll start sleeping through the night
or maybe something really outlandish like
- what he'll be when he grows up
- what his first girlfriend's name will be