You are about to have a baby, but no one has said they’re going to throw you a baby shower. You really need baby gear but are afraid that throwing your own baby shower would look tacky and be embarrassing

There’s no need to feel embarrassed by throwing your own baby shower! Throwing your own baby shower is becoming increasingly more common and can be a fun way to celebrate your new baby!

Here are some tips for throwing your own baby shower without looking tacky or feeling awkward.

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Table of Contents

What is a Baby Shower?

A baby shower is a party that is usually thrown for the mother-to-be, and it’s an opportunity for friends and family to celebrate the new life coming into this world. Traditionally, everyone will bring gifts (specifically ones for the baby), but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s more of a ‘get together’ or even just a ‘dinner’.

Who Should Throw a Baby Shower?

Typically a baby shower is thrown by someone’s friends or family. But sometimes you don’t have friends or family that are able to throw one, so the mother-to-be may throw her own baby shower.

Back in the day, hosting your own baby shower used to not be common but nowadays throwing your own baby shower is more common since many friends and families live far away from each other.

Can I Throw My Own Baby Shower?

Absolutely! Anyone can throw a baby shower, including the mother-to-be. In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of planning your own baby shower, and what you should consider before planning one.

Benefits of Throwing Your Own Baby Shower

Here are a few of the benefits of planning your own shower:

Get exactly what you want – you can control what gift registry is sent to guests , what food will be served, and any other detail you might change to make the event ‘perfect’ for you.

More personal and special than a baby shower thrown by someone else – Since you’re in charge, you can make it exactly how you want.

Can customize the guest list, activities, gifts, etc. to fit your exact needs or wants – You can decide on who can attend, what theme you have, what activities and games you play.

Drawbacks of Throwing Your Own Baby Shower

There are a few disadvantages to planning your own baby shower:

Stress of Planning a Shower – By planning your own baby shower, you’ll be the one in charge of every detail. This can lead to a large amount of stress and pressure, especially if this is your first child.

Cost of the Shower – Depending on how big the shower will be and what’s included, throwing your own baby shower could end up costing you more than a baby shower thrown by someone else.

Alternatives to a Baby Shower

If you’re still on the fence about throwing your own baby shower, here are some other alternative types of parties you can host for the new baby.

Sip and See – A party that’s thrown after the baby is born for the parents to introduce their new addition to friends and family.

Casual BBQ or Dinner– You could do this before or after the baby arrives and invite friends and family over to have dinner just to celebrate the new arrival.

How to Plan Your Own Baby Shower

Ready to plan your own baby shower? Here’s our step-by-step guide to how to throw your own baby shower.

Choose a Date, Time, and Venue – Be sure to schedule it at least 6-8 weeks in advance to allow time for RSVPs. Make sure this date is convenient for you, your friends, family members, and guests.

Set the Budget – Before planning anything else, figure out how much you want to spend on this baby shower. Be sure to include your guest list and don’t forget other costs like food, decorations, activities, gifts for guests, etc.

Decide on the Invitation – Decide who you want to invite: attendees, any siblings of the baby, future in-laws, or grandparents? You can either send out invitations by mail or email. We love to order invitations off Etsy because they have instant download invitations so you can do a mix of both printed and e-mail invitations.

Decide on the Theme – Decide what theme will be for your baby shower. Think about what type of food will be included, what games or activities will be at the party. This is also a good time to think if you want to have a virtual shower option for those that might not live nearby.

Get Your Registry Ready – Start thinking about what gifts you would like to register for and where you will be registering. You can either include a gift registry link on your invitation or tell guests to look at the website for information. Our favorite places to make a registry are Amazon, Target and Buy Buy Baby. Make sure to have gifts for all budgets!

Decide on Your Baby Shower Activities, Games and Decorations – Decide what games or activities will be at the shower. This is also a good time to think about prizes for any winning guests and order your baby shower favors! Here are 15 of our favorite baby shower games!

Plan Your Menu – Decide on what you’re going to make for the shower. Make sure to think about any possible dietary restrictions your guests may have, as well as what type of drinks you will be serving. If you have the budget, this is something you could also have done for you by a catering company or local restaurant.

Enjoy the Shower! – On the day of the shower, make sure you give yourself enough time to set everything up (or ask for help from friends and family!)

Send Thank You Cards – After the shower, be sure to thank guests for coming by sending out thank you cards. Most registries will also have lists of which gifts each guest purchased so you know who to thank.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this article has helped you to figure out if throwing your own baby shower is right for you and these tips will help you throw a successful baby shower!