We wanted to celebrate our new little guy, due on October 28th, with a safari-themed shower. We thought it would be fun to use the same theme for the baby room. The safari theme was great because it used the same neutral colors that we are using in his nursery. We had a variety of tan colors with white and used green as the accent.
My mom hosted and planned the baby shower with me for mid-August in Utah. If you have a baby shower in the same state where you are living, I recommend using the same theme as the baby nursery so you can use all of the cute decorations after the baby shower. (I wish I could have brought home some of the decorations we used at the baby shower, but there was no way I could fit everything in my luggage.)
Welcome signs and stickers
We placed welcome signs at the entrance of my parents' neighborhood, the front of their gate, and at the entrance to their basement door. They live in front of a marina, so we received permission to have guests park in the marina parking lot.
My dad owns a sign company, and we were able to use his talent to create and print the signs. Every sign had a safari theme. We had him design the welcome signs, stickers for the cups and ice cream cups, and the thank you for coming treats.
Invitations
I am a big fan of Pinterest. I went there for inspiration for the theme, decor, games for the baby shower, and invitations. I created the save the dates, invitations, and thank you cards using Canva.
Decor
- (links: transparent baby box, jungle theme party balloons, greenery,
My mom and I created the balloon arch as the focal point. We used a balloon arch kit from Etsy that made the setup quick and easy. If you throw parties often, I would recommend purchasing a balloon pump. It was a lifesaver when putting the balloon arch together. The focal point is where guests could take pictures and where you could open gifts.
My mom found greenery and a wooden giraffe that fit the theme perfectly. And she can easily use the fake plants in her own home.
Additional Links: Gold Baby Boxes, Wicker Chair, Giraffe
Guests
I tried my best to greet every guest as they walked through the door. Even if there is not enough time to greet or speak to every guest, do not stress. All your guests are there because they love and care for you and your little one.
I made a strong effort to greet and speak to guests I do not see regularly and those who traveled quite a distance to be at the baby shower.
Food
We considered making more of a brunch table for the food served. However, I knew there could be guests who could only stop by briefly. And I want them to be able to enjoy the food as well. We decided to switch gears to a dessert table. We decided to push back the time, thinking more friends may be able to make it later in the day. Instead of an early afternoon for brunch, we decided on 1 pm.
We thought a sundae bar would be perfect with soft serve ice cream. We decided to rent an ice cream machine, which had two flavors—chocolate and vanilla. We had many options for toppings: Oreo crumbs, m & ms, nuts, cherries, chocolate, caramel, marshmallow syrup, etc.
With the ice cream, we had a second table of desserts. The dessert table included cookies, brownies, and DONUTS! To showcase the donuts, my dad was super creative and added a wooden cylinder to the candle holders. As you can see above, this is how we showcased the donuts on the dessert table.
Utensils
We placed drink and ice cream cups on a shelf my mom already had in her basement. All of the cups had Safari stickers that my dad created. We kept the extras in the cupboard. We refilled them as the baby shower progressed.
Additional links: (similar) Shelf, Straws, Plates, Napkins
Games
We had three different games going on during the duration of the baby shower. We chose baby shower games that guests could complete if someone were to drop by and fill out their papers. As a reward for winning, we had $5 Swig gift cards. (Anyone from Utah should know what that is!) If a guest won and left early, I could mail the gift card to them with their thank you note.
1st Game: Guess How Many Animal Crackers are in the Jar
What is a shower without a guessing jar game? The perfect way to engage with your guests and test their guessing abilities. This game only took the guests a few minutes to participate.
2nd Game: Guess who? Mom, Dad, or Both
This game is a great way to see who knows the future parents best and to get to know the parents even better!
3rd Game: Baby Price is Right
You will guess the price of each baby item and add up the total at the end. The person closest to the totaled amount wins.
Bonus Games: Name that Baby & What Dad Said
Zach and I have yet to name our baby boy, so we added name suggestion cards that anyone could fill out to give us ideas before he arrives.
My mom reached out to my husband ahead of time to get answers to questions for ‘What Dad Said.' She read the questions to see how I would answer before sharing his answers. This was a great way to have the husband involved.
Gift Bags
We had a 'Thank You for Coming' sticker on a small bag of animal crackers that guests could pick up as they left.
Conclusion
There you have it! The baby shower was a success! You now have ideas for decorations, favors, party supplies, menu ideas, games, and invitations. Hopefully, this blog post has given you ideas and examples to use if you plan a baby shower in the future.
Here you can find my baby shower board on Pinterest if you need more ideas.
xx
M’Taya