It used to be that a baby shower was a mostly stiff and formal affair, for just the mother-to-be and her closest female relatives, who drank tea and exchanged parenting tips. While some of that is still the same – we still love to give parenting tips - there are many creative ideas for baby showers now!

Creative Baby Shower Ideas

One big change to the baby shower “etiquette” is whether or not to invite male guests. In many circles, now couples are invited to a shower together. While the girls can’t be quite as “giggly” and “girly” as when just the women at the party, the guys can add a fun dynamic to the event.

One baby shower idea for a couples shower is to divide the games along gender lines, with the men and women on opposite teams. It would also work to have games designed around sports themes, such as “changing a baby while watching football on TV” or “quickly changing baby’s clothes”. While many men are wonderful at changing diapers and dressing a baby, it is definitely a skill that men acquire – most are not born with it, and don’t mind playing with it a bit.

Another creative baby shower idea is for the mother-to-be who likes crafts or scrapbooking. The host can plan a craft party or scrapbooking party. If the guests create scrapbooking pages that the mother can later add photos to, or if they complete a creative project that the mother-to-be wanted done (maybe decorating the baby’s playroom or making a quilt for the baby), the mother-to-be would appreciate it.

Additional Successful Baby Shower Ideas

A few things that are good to keep in mind while planning a baby shower include having a comfortable seat chosen for the mother-to-be to sit in. She’ll want one where she can be the “star of the show” and everyone can see her open presents, but also one that is comfortable for her pregnant body. It helps if the seating is in a circle so that presents can be passed around for everyone to “ooh and aah” about. Circular seating arrangement can facilitate games, as well.

Another baby shower idea is to have someone assigned to write down all gifts and who they came from. That way, if the present gets separated from the card, the mother has a way to still thank the appropriate giver. Have people help the mother-to-be get the gifts to her car. Sometimes the father-to-be comes and helps her with this, but if not, be sure she isn’t doing it alone while everyone else is still eating cake and drinking punch. Remember, she’s the guest of honor – treat her that way!

A great idea for a baby shower that the mother-to-be will love is to considering “showering” the mother-to-be with a few presents to pamper her – like bubble bath, slippers, candles, or a nice “new mother” CD. Great lullaby music can help both her and the new baby relax and sleep when that is what they need most.

Unique Baby Shower Gifts

If you know the new mother's tastes and preferences and you are not afraid to use your imagination, you can come up with lots of ideas for perfectly unique baby shower gifts that she will appreciate.

Food at the Shower

Food plays a very important part in a baby shower theme but it can also be used as an idea for unique baby shower gifts. All you need to do is host a pot-luck baby shower where you invite all of the guests to bring along their favorite healthy dish and its recipe. Then you can out all of the recipes into a binder for the new mother to take home with her. The new mother will be grateful for the simple, healthy meals that she can make for her family.