Our cousins across the pond have been hosting baby showers for years and years. They’ve been making nappy cakes, organising baby-themed games and generally being far better at cutesy stuff than us Brits.
But, its nearly 2018 and we’ve definitely made an effort to catch up. Baby showers have grown in popularity and are now a common rite of passage for the expectant mum. After all, what better reason to celebrate than the imminent arrival of a mini me?
At Anges De Sucre, we love a good baby shower and although they might not be everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, they’re definitely a great way of getting people together and having one last hurrah before sleepless nights and dirty nappies become a way of life.
Whether you’re planning a shower for a loved one or you’ve got a bun in the oven (geddit?) and are throwing your own knees up, we’re sure you’ll enjoy our guide to planning a banging baby shower.
GET THE TIMING RIGHT
When to hold a baby shower is a very personal decision. For first time families, they may prefer holding off till the final trimester so they can feel more comfortable that all is going well with the pregnancy. If however you’re holding a shower for someone with children already, it might just be about when they can actually find the time!
Traditionally, baby showers are thrown later on in a pregnancy, around the seven to eight-and-a-half-month stage. This means you’ve got plenty of time to plan and get all the finer details ready for the big day.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
If you’re holding a party for someone else, it’s probably kinder not to host it in their home. With a huge belly and aching back, not many pregnant ladies are going to love the idea of cleaning up after a house-full of guests, no matter how fun the party was. So make sure you find another willing party host! Depending on the number of people attending, a home-based baby shower feels comfortable and chilled out.
If the mum to be likes to be out and about or you’ve got a fair few people coming along, hiring a venue is always an option. The top tip here is to read the room. Who is the party for? What do you think they would prefer? After all, it’s all about them and their little munchkin so you want to plan something they’ll love.
One of our favourite baby showers was held at the ultra-gorgeous Savoy Hotel in London for the lovely Laura and Michael. We went to town with a pink-themed dessert table adorned with macarons and a tower of mini cakes. This was definitely one of the biggest baby showers we’ve been to and was just a stunning day all round.
THE INVITE LIST
Is this a modern mama or a more traditional mum-to be? Do you invite the dad-to-be and his pals? Or is it more a ‘ladies who lunch’ sort of affair? Baby showers are typically associated with females. But come on kids, we’re in a whole new world. Why not break away from tradition and get everyone involved, boys, girls, aunts, uncles, granddads and the lads. After all, it takes two to tango so why not celebrate both sides of the gene pool?
TO THEME OR NOT TO THEME?
Who doesn’t love a themed party (well quite a lot of people, but anyway)? As it’s a baby shower, it’s pretty obvious that cute kid stuff should feature somewhere in the decorations, but how cutesy you go depends entirely on the mum to be. You could go for the traditional pink or blue colour themes if you know the sex of the baby, or yellow if you’re leaving the sex as a surprise for the big birth day.
For full on baby decorations, we found some great stuff at Babyshower Host. You could also go all out with personalised favours or napkins from Confetti.
GENDER REVEAL PARTIES
If you’re the parents-to-be and planning your own pre-baby do, you might fancy the latest American craze. A gender reveal party combines elements of a traditional baby shower but the big moment is when everyone finds out the sex of your baby. (TIP: if you’re planning a baby shower for another person, make sure you’ve got their permission before you plot any gender reveal activities).
Many couples choose to reveal the gender of their little one through cake and we can’t think of anything more fabulous (obvs!). The cake sponge is either pink or blue and all is revealed once the parents cut into it. At Anges De Sucre we’ve helped to reveal the gender of many little munchkins through the delights of our baby shower cakes. Just let us know the plan when you order and we’ll do all the rest.
FUN & GAMES
If you’re having a classy afternoon tea, you might want to skip this option, but if you fancy getting everyone involved, baby shower games can be a lot of fun (and a bit gross).
The dirty nappy game is particularly disgusting but very funny. Choose a selection of your favourite chocolates and get them nice and warm so that they are ready to melt, place them in the nappy and fold up. Guests then have to guess which chocolate is in which nappy. The person who gets the most correct answers wins! For more game and activity ideas check out this article in BabyList.
CATERING
Think of a baby shower like a kid’s party. There’s no need to make a three course sit down meal, go for some nicely laid out finger foods instead. We suggest a simple menu with posh sandwiches, salads, pastries, cheeses and crackers. These ideas are filling and take minimum preparation time.
In terms of drinks, it depends on the type of crowd that’s coming. A huge pub crawl might not be the best option (as the pregnant mama might get jealous) and hard liquor might be better for an after party! Wine, champagne, prosecco and such like are perfectly acceptable.
For a mum-to-be who is missing her booze, why not make some fun mocktails so she can get in the party spirit? We love this cheeky selection of baby shower mocktails, especially the Preggers Punch!
For a more sedate affair, get some freshly prepared fruit juices ready and make sure you’ve got a good selection of teas on offer.
GIFT ETIQUETTE
Now this subject can get a little bit touchy. There’s definitely no obligation for guests to bring gifts but they generally do. The sensitive bit comes with the gift list, normal for a wedding but controversial for a baby shower. Some people don’t think gift lists are a big deal but you may find that others find them a little bit presumptuous. By setting up a gift list, you’re sending out a message that guests must buy a gift, whether they planned to or not. It’s definitely your choice, but sometimes a little bit of subtlety goes a long way.
It can be a nice idea to dedicate part of the shower to opening the presents, so everyone can ooooh and aaahhh together. (Warning: make sure the mama can hide her disappointment when she receives that hand knitted monstrosity for someone who means well but should have just gone to Mothercare!)
BABY SHOWER CAKE
As with any party, there should be a yummy cake on offer to mark the occasion. As stated, it might be an extra special gender reveal cake, with a pink or blue sponge to wow the crowd. Or with boy/girl specific decorations like our Blue Baby Shoe cake.
At Anges de Sucre, we’ve made plenty of baby shower cakes and love adding those precious little details to make the event extra special. You can order one directly from our great selection of baby shower cakes or contact us to create a customised sweet treat for you and your guests.
Best of all, you can order your cake online for convenience and we can deliver to various locations around London. For more delivery options, click here.
FAVOURS
A going home gift is a nice way to round off the main event. Who doesn’t love a little jar filled with sweets? Or a yummy mini caketo enjoy? If the guest list isn’t too big, personalising the going home gift is a lovely way to say thank you and always goes down well. You might also want to send people home with a beautiful cupcake made especially for the baby shower and keeping with the theme.
TOP TIP
If you’re planning a baby shower for a friend or loved one, make sure you are 100% sure that the expectant parents will be happy with you doing so. While this is a popular American tradition, us Brits are not always up for a cutesy party and may prefer going for a Sunday Roast in a relaxed pub setting instead.
At Anges De Sucre, we always love to party, whether to welcome a new baby, celebrate a wedding or a birthday. But it’s always a good idea to make your plans based on the guest of honour. So, if you know they hate the idea of a baby shower and find it all a bit cringe, don’t do it! Go down a more subtle route instead. For example, if you want to do something special for your baby shower hating bestie, organise a fun treat day; manicures, pedicures, pregnancy massage and all that jazz will have her relaxed and ready for the first few months of baby chaos. Or treat her to a spa-day. Make it calm and easy instead of inviting the whole clan.
Happy baby shower!
