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When this is all over (#pandemiclife), there will be babies and there will be baby showers. I suspect, in particular, there will be a “boom” in baby showers right around October, November and December of this year. I’m pretty sure.

In the name of getting back to (a new) normal, and in honor of all those precious littles to come, here’s a baby shower easy enough for the masses and sweet enough for each and every rock-a-bye baby!

VENUE

Traditionally, a baby shower is thrown in a home. It could be the home of the mother-to-be, the new grandparents, or a friend who is happy to help. This is a nice option to keep things comfy and cozy (popular features for the very pregnant among us).

But it can be fun to switch things up a bit! Depending on her interests, the mom-to-be might love a couple hours at an art studio (ceramics, water-color, beading), an afternoon lounging in a bakery or chocolate shop, or she might have a connection to a classroom or library space.

No matter where it takes place, guests and mama alike should feel at ease and eager to celebrate this new little life entering our world. That’s what it’s all about!

INVITATION SUITE

What better way to celebrate a fresh new baby than with the classics? It’s Nursery Rhyme
Time! All the cute characters we know and love in playful, cheery pastels. These fresh and fun designs have just the right nostalgic touch for any mom’s style; the invitations come in sweet and subtle pink and blue versions.

These are editable and print as 5x7” invitations and include a 4x6” insert AND an optional 3x4” extra card. Optional backsides are included for all sizes!

Plus, this comes with an envelope liner and BONUS 7 different patterned papers. Whimsical and adorable, use them for anything from decorations to scrapbooking.

Go get ’em in my Shop!

FREEBIE patterned paper when you order the invitation suite!

Children’s books are a natural match for some yummy menu items!

FOOD & DRINK

The nursery rhyme theme lends itself well to all the beloved story books that can double as decorations and food labels. For example, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, is a perfect match for a fruit ’n veggie tray. BEWARE! While it’s a super cute idea to serve charmingly named foods, remember it’s more important to serve good food than to have clever names for it. With that in mind, we settled on a classic lunchy/appetizery menu and then set out to find the book titles to complement them. This is a long list! No need to include everything on your menu; these are just ideas to get you thinking.

First, set out your plates and utensils with Hey Diddle Diddle, by Thomas Nelson, because you know, “the dish ran away with the spoon”!

DRINKS

bottled waters – Jack and Jill, by Charles Reasoner

sparkling apple cider – The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

iced tea – Tea Rex, by Molly Idle

APPS

muffins & jam – If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff

fruit tray – The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

veggie cups – The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss

cheese ’n crackers – Cheese Louise!, by David Michael Slater

LUNCH

meatballs – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett

sandwiches (a variety) – Sam’s Sandwich, by David Pelham

deviled eggs – Humpty Dumpty (Indestructibles), by Amy Pixton
FYI, Indestructibles books are an incredible innovation in children’s literature!
“Chew-proof, rip-proof, and drool-proof”, they are “built for the way babies ‘read’: with their hands and mouths. Every child should have these. Over 30 titles to choose from! Check ’em out.
https://www.workman.com/brands/indestructibles#books

pickles on the side – Pandas Love Pickles, by Liz Lynch

DESSERT

trail mix – Mix it Up, by Herve Tullet

alphabet crackers – Alphabet Under Construction, by Denise Fleming

cookies – If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff

donut holes – If You Give a Dog a Donut, by Laura Numeroff

Labels are great. But it’s extra fun if you display the books that inspire each dish. If you don’t own them, try the library. You can set them out with each food item or group the books all together on a shelf.

Check out my Reading Rocks! party for even more books/food ideas!

DECORATIONS

A baby shower is one of those events where we get to use what we have! Many baby items can be repurposed, even temporarily, or upcycled completely to spruce up the place. BONUS tip: All your decorations double as nursery décor for the little one!

WELCOME AREA

BASSINET: If there is a new (or hand-me-down) bassinet for the mom-to-be, the welcome area is a great place for it at the shower. Whether out on the porch, inside the entryway, or even somewhere else, it serves as a cute spot to collect gifts, diapers for the raffle, or to stash favors for guests on their way out.

WREATH: For this, I upcycled inexpensive children’s books from the local thrift shop and yard sales. Although it feels disrespectful, remember that we are showcasing these storybook pages and giving them new life as artful decoration! So go ahead and tear out the pages you want to use. Make “cones” from each page by wrapping each around itself at an angle and stapling in place. Once you have all your “cones”, lay them out loosely how you want them to end up. Then start hot-gluing the outer circle of cones to the edge of a cardboard circle. (This will be covered in the end, so don’t worry about how it looks now.) Then, in front of that circle of cones, hot-glue the next round inside, so that the first layer still shows. Repeat if you have another layer of cones to add. To finish it off, cover the inner circle with a paper circle cut from another book page or patterned paper. I used a doily. I also added a “mini” Golden Book fashioned from a discarded spine and a little print out for its cover. Voilà!

PENNANT BANNERS

UPCYCLED: Here too, upcycling is so easy! Cut pages from those children’s books into pennant shapes and string together. You can layer them with other pages or patterned paper, or letters (pre-cut or punched) to spell out your signage.

PRINTABLE: My printable pennant banner is designed to match the invitation suite. The same whimsical, classic pastels are used for each piece. You edit the letters to spell out your own message. Print, cut and hang for instant shower décor. (Coming soon!)

TABLE COVERS

No need to purchase tablecloths for this shower! And save yourself (and the environment) the waste when it’s all over. Use any baby blankets, wraps or even crib sheets to cover tables. Sweet and suitable!

UMBRELLA

If you have a little umbrella in a light color, then by all means, use it! Note: this project does result in some “pin prick” holes made in the umbrella, so probably best if it’s done being used in the rain. I didn’t have one that fit the bill, so I ordered one like this on Amazon. White is always a good match!

HOW-TO: Again, I took advantage of the inexpensive children’s books from the thrift shop. The idea is that you cut your “raindrops” from the book pages, and any colored paper you want to use. I used my Silhouette cutter, but you could use a paper punch or recruit a crafty kid to freehand cut them. To string them together, I used my sewing machine. It worked just fine and I could leave as much “space” between drops as I wanted. If you don’t want to bother with any of all that, try pre-assembled raindrop garland. (In any case, beware the potential for tangling!)

Then I used simple safety pins to attach each string to the inside of the open umbrella. I also used a safety pin as a “hook” near the top of the outside of the umbrella. A removable 3M hook was all that was needed to hang the whole thing from the ceiling, since it was so light weight.

{IMAGE: grid of activities}

ACTIVITIES

Baby showers are the boss when it comes to party activities! Even if you are holding a shower at a venue which includes activities, it’s still fun to offer a couple other options in addition to the main attraction. Check out these that are tried and true.

PRINTABLE ACTIVITY PAGES: It’s always nice to have a little activity that can be done individually, anytime during the shower, or even taken home to enjoy later. This set of four activities includes a word search, Lullaby Libs, Whatchamacallit Matching, and Name that Nursery Rhyme. These are designed to print back-2-back on legal (11x14”) paper and folded in half. Plus, you get the Libs cheat sheet and lullaby lyrics insert! Go get ’em in my shop!

DON’T SAY “BABY”: A classic game for a classic themed shower. Clothes pins work great, but feel free to switch it up and use something else if it floats mom’s boat! (e.g. jelly bracelets, diaper pins, scarves, barrettes) The object of the game is to collect as many “pins” as possible. Every time you catch someone saying “baby”, you take their pin. Careful you don’t get caught when you have a bunch! FREEBIE: get my matching signage for this game, including directions and labels. (coming soon)

LIL’ LIBRARY: It seems that rather than finding a greeting card, guests actually prefer to pick out and gift a little book for baby. In some cases, the cost is pretty comparable. Again, look around and use what you already have. You’ll need a box or basket in which to collect the books. You can ask guests to write a little message and sign their names directly in their books, or you can offer library cards and pockets to use instead. Either way, good quality, fine tip, permanent markers are best. FREEBIE: included in the printable activities bundle, you get the matching signage for the Lil’ Library activity.

GUESS HOW MANY: This is another one that can be played while guests are mingling. The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, is a sweet story for boys and girls alike. Set the book out next to a jar of Hershey’s kisses (count them ahead of time) and little guess cards. Each guest will guess how many kisses there are, without going over. Make sure everyone puts their name on their guess. We used an empty baby wipes container as the receptacle for the guess cards. The winner is announced once you’re sure everyone has had a chance to play. Matching printable instructions are included in the activities bundle in my shop, as well as shippable custom guess cards and labels for the kisses themselves! (coming soon)

GIFTO (BINGO): It is customary for the new mom to open gifts at the shower so everyone can enjoy all the precious (and clever!) baby stuff. GIFTO is a good game to keep guests interested and engaged while mom opens her gifts. This is part of the printable activities bundle available in my shop, and includes the game cards with directions. Basically, each guest fills out their grid with all the baby gifts they think mom will receive. As she opens her gifts, guests mark their squares accordingly. You can have winners for any/all BINGO categories: across, down, diagonal, and blackout.

Pro Tip: Find and gather all the “Little Golden Books” you can (I scored a bunch on eBay) and use them as writing surfaces. Add them to the Lil’ Library after the shower!

DIAPER RAFFLE: If you ask guests to bring diapers or wipes for a chance at a prize, you’ll want to have a designated spot for them to drop off, along with raffle tickets to fill out and deposit. Use a roll of raffle tickets like these or get the matching custom tickets available in my shop (coming soon). An empty wipes container works great for this too! Since this game takes some investment to play (diapers and wipes are not cheap!), we like to give a “higher end” prize for this one. It could be a nice bottle of wine, a beautiful bouquet, or family pack of movie tickets.

Prizes for any other game or activity are absolutely optional. Small items are a nice gesture and let guests know you are glad they came. We gave out candles and mani/pedi goodies. The tags are included in the activities bundle. FREEBIE: Here is a matching sign, à la Old MacDonald had a Farm, for the spot where you keep the prizes until they are won. A little incentive for partygoers to play!

GUEST “BOOK”: I love the idea of some kind of keepsake for the family. Something the little one can forever look back on and be reminded of all the people who loved and cared about him or her even before their arrival! This instant download, available in my Shop, (coming soon) is an original illustration of a book lover’s dream; stacks and stacks of books with spines waiting for guests to write in their names. (For anyone not in attendance, keep the print out so folks can sign later, like when they come visit the baby.)

At the shower, tape it (carefully) on TOP of the glass of an 11x14” frame. This is a safe and solid surface for signing, and guests can see how it will turn out. Again, good, fine tip, archival quality pens are best. I like this set of 16 colors.

FAVORS

First published in 1947, Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, is a beloved beacon of childhood bedtime stories. Just what we need for a nostalgic and tasty treat. Since 1917, Moon Pies, with their graham cookies filled with marshmallow covered in chocolate have been a classic. Sometimes I can find these at the local dollar store, but of course they are available on Amazon here. Or go gourmet and make your own! Yum!

FREEBIE tags: Goodnight Moon Pies + sign

Babies are blessings, no matter when they arrive. But after this traumatic pandemic, I think we’ll be even more delighted to welcome a new generation into the world. Nothing too fancy; just good, classic, nursery rhyme fun!

Nursery Rhyme Time BABY SHOWER