Step by Step Guide and Checklist to a Great Baby Shower

The first step is to decide if you want a big party or a smaller intimate gathering, and make a guest list. Break down your guests into categories such as Family, Friends and Colleagues to make it easier.

The first step is to decide if you want a big party or a smaller intimate gathering, and make a guest list. Break down your guests into categories such as Family, Friends and Colleagues to make it easier.

Consider renting a venue such as a hall, hotel function room, restaurant or café if you don’t want to hold your shower at home. If you’re planning a more casual party, cafés make a great venue, and many are happy to let you decorate the place. Another alternative for a small, casual gathering is a picnic-style party in the park.

Now you have some idea of what kind of party you want, set a budget. Decide on how much you want to spend on renting a venue, food or catering, decorations, games and favours. Set a maximum amount that you are willing to spend- and stick to it!

Get creative, save money and make your own invites! Or perhaps you want to save paper and email or SMS your invitations instead. Be sure to send your invites 3-4 weeks before the event.

If the last thing you want to do as new parents is cook up a feast for many people, consider catering. There are baby shower packages available from a range of caterers, and they will deliver straight to your location- and the best thing is you don’t have to worry about cleaning up! Buffet-style catering includes a great variety of delicious traditional and modern dishes, plus desserts and drinks and even comes with set-up, tables, plates and cutlery. To be safe, order your catering at least 1-2 weeks before the event. If you decide to home-cook, plan a menu and a grocery list, and ask friends and family to help out.

Think about providing little gifts for your guests to take home. Something like a small bag of chocolate and sweets with a Thank You note is inexpensive but thoughtful. Another baby shower tradition is the cake for your guests to take home- if you’re catering, most caterers can provide these for you too.

Decide if you want to follow baby shower traditions and have items such as red eggs (representing fertility and new life) and ang ku kueh (a symbol of good fortune and longevity). Caterers can provide all these items for you, so you don’t have to worry about buying them. Maybe you’d even like to base your party around this and have a vintage theme!

Find decorations and props to suit your theme, or keep things simple with some balloons and flowers. A banner spelling out the baby’s name makes a great personalized decoration and is simple to make yourself. If you’re ordering catering, caterers can provide decorations upon your request- one less thing for you to worry about.

No one likes a boring party- so provide some fun for your guests.

A game such as ‘Pin the Pacifier on the Baby’ or 'Bingo' is great for involving everyone and easy to set up. Another fun idea is to get everyone to bring a baby photo of themselves and have a ‘Guess the Baby’ game. If there are going to be children at the party, organize some entertainment for them, perhaps one that suits your theme. For example, hire a balloon man or a clown for a circus theme, a face painter for a zoo theme, or a photobooth that everyone can enjoy.

Make sure everything is ready to go - confirm the guest list and the catering order, send out a quick reminder to your guests, and have your decorations, games and favours prepared.