Ten Steps to a Well Planned and Original Baby Shower

I had rave reviews on the last baby shower I hosted, and many commented on how much fun they had. Baby showers are a celebration of the arrival of new life, and the guests should enjoy themselves as much as the expectant mother. With an eye toward detail and some imagination, your shower can be fantastic!

1. Get with the expectant mother and choose two dates that would work with her. Saturday afternoons are a perfect time for most people who work outside the home and also for getting babysitters. We had our shower on a Saturday at 2 PM.

2. Decide where the shower will be held, and who will be willing to help you with it. Both of these can affect the date, so with two possible dates, you will have options. If it seems overwhelming to have the shower at your home, or if you don't have room for a large gathering, consider community clubhouses, local community centers, restaurants with party rooms. Reserve your location for the entire afternoon, in case there are stragglers who stay to chat, and also so you will have time to clean up afterward.

3. Make a list of the menu you plan to serve, what decorations you plan to use, games and activities, and guest lists. Keep a running shopping list of things you need and check them off when purchased. We decided to invite husbands to our shower, so our menu consisted of more substantial foods. We had punch, petit fours (small individual cakes decorated with booties or rattles made of icing and available at your local bakery), nuts, mints, rolled sandwiches, sweet and sour meatballs, a chicken spread with crackers, a layered mexican dip with tortilla chips, cream puffs, and a fruit platter. Excellent recipes can be found on recipezaar.com or recipesource.com for appetizers and punch. Decide who will be responsible for buying the ingredients and preparing each dish.