Planning a Budget Concious Baby Shower

One of my favorite things that I got at my shower was books. On the invitation it said bring a book for the new baby and everyone signed in it. It is really neat when I am reading her a book I always see the messages from family and friends.

on the invite mention that anyone who brigns a pack of diapers will recieve a raffle ticket for a suprise gift. My niece did this and her daughter is three months old and still has no had to buy diapers. the prize could be a gift card for blockbuster for $10.00 in a basket with micro popcorn and coco. play dough babies everyone has to make a baby out of playdough and who ever has the best wins. As for food and decorations have the shower at a time when a meal would not be included and offer chips and dip, bowls of assorted nuts, candy, may be a veggie tray and a Cake. A bowl of punch.If you have the time go to oriental trading company they have cheap decorations and themed packs of decorating. Good luck

Utilize the Dollar Tree as much as possible also here are a few things- a cute cake- http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50100 & http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50214 something every mom needs- http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDis... mobile- http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDis... cute- http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDis... Games- http://www.babyshower101.com/baby_shower_games.html http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/ http://www.creative-baby-shower-ideas.com/ Google and you will find more. Good Luck!

I threw a baby shower for my friend in May. The most memorable thing about it was an album I made for her with photos and inspiring words from all the women that attended it. We were all mothers of daughters and my friend was expecting a girl, so we all selected candid photos of ourselves with our daughters (or mothers) and words specifically related to the mother/daughter relationship. I had everyone email me the photos and poems/writings and I printed the pics and formatted the writings and then created a small artistic album for the expectant mum to carry around with her and bring along to labour and delivery. She was very touched by the gesture and carried it in her purse so she could look at it whenever she felt the need for encouragement and support.

As for food, it was a brunch shower and so I made mini frittatas, a few salads, and almond cake with fresh berries and creme fraiche. We had mimosas and iced tea.

Good luck. A lovely and memorable shower does not have to break the bank.

K. in EC.

First, I'd go to freecycle.org and ask for freebies, you never know what people have that they are willing to give away. Another good thing is to have a raffle. Every pack of diapers gets a raffle ticket, then the winner gets a prize. That way she'll get stocked up ahead of time, those are expensive. Great job doing this for your friend! C.

The internet can be your friend. I find all of my shower games online, so they only cost is printing them out on paper. Also for food, go simple. Carrots and other veggies, with some fruit. No one is going to expect more than that. For dessert brownies work well, because you can get a box for about a dollar. The 99cents store has a great baby section if you need some simple things to use for a game or something. Good luck!

Hi K.,

How sweet of you to do this for your friend. At my shower, my hostess did a buffet sytle tea party. She made egg salad, tuna, and cucumber sandwiches - cut the bread into four pieces, made a fruit salad, green salad, and assorted cookies for the tea. Her display was beautiful. She had layered all the different plates and dishes at different heights on the table and used a vase of flowers from her garden for the centerpiece. (I don't even remember if there was a cake!)

The games included: Cutting a piece of yarn to the size you think the expectants mom tummy is....Remembe the baby items (Items on a tray for all to look at and then take the tray away and have everyone write down as much as they remember....and then all the items go to the new mom)... and then we played How well do you know the mother game. All of these should be inexpensive, and prizes can be found a the dollar stores. I've seen some really cute stationery/pens, candles.

Hope this helps.

J.

A terrific resource is www.freecycle.org
It is basically an online message posting board (by region) where people who have extra things, or things that they no longer need post them. Likewise, people who are looking for things can post as well. Everything on the Freecycle boards is free.

It's a terrific place to get outgrown baby clothes, larger baby items like bath/bouncer/swing, etc. Sometimes you can even find free diapers, when someone's child grows into the next size of diaper or becomes potty trained and no longer needs them.

Since you are only allowed 5 "requests" per month, it is good to be as general as possible when making a "Wanted" request. Wanted: New Mom Needs All Baby Items - Clothes, bath, etc...

email me if you want me to send you some baby shower word games I found online.

I would do a nice dessert shower. Have it at a time when lunch is not expected ie: 2:00 and put on your invitation that dessert will be served (save on invites by doing an e-vite). You can make cupcakes yourself from a mix and add an edible flower, like a pansy, to the top to make them look pretty. Make a batch or two of cookies and you are set. Serve coffee and make a pitcher of ice-water with citrus slices. I decorated for my friend's shower with vases of flowers and pretty leafy branches from my yard. You can find inexpensive, small, clear glass vases at Dollar Tree and Wal Mart. Instead of games, I bought packs of 10 plain bibs at Target (about $9) and some fabric pens/paint (you can even ask everyone to bring one fabric pen) and we decorated the bibs for the baby. We did the same with cloth diapers at another shower to make burp cloths. Favors can be packets of seeds. Just punch a small hole in the top of the package and tie with a thin ribbon and a tag to say thanks from mom and baby. You can find spools of thin ribbon for about $1 at Michaels and a page or two of pretty paper from the scrapbook section should be enough for the tags. Hope this helps. Have fun!

You could have a baby shower tea: get some assorted tea flavors and serve with little cakes or cookies rather than a meal. Another possibility is to do a soup and salad bar. You can get delicious gourmet soups, and if you're lucky it'll be cool on the day of the shower! Quiche is another economical food, and good any time of day for snacks.

There was a game at my shower that was just for fun: no prizes, but it made everyone laugh. Each guest gets 2 index cards. On one they write a baby/parenting question, and on the other they write the answer. Collect all the cards and mix them up (kept in one pile of questions, one of answers). Then at transition times or between presents, you read one from each pile. Some of the comments were hilarious: Example: What's the best way to burp the baby? Answer: Keep it clean and dry and try to keep clothing from rubbing it. (The answer was to the question how to care for the umbilical cord before it falls off). If you scatter the readings, then the ones that aren't so funny together can go by with just a comment. The internet will have tons of ideas (as others have already suggested).

If your friend is worth her salt, she will be touched that you are having a shower at all without your working extra hard to make it "special". You're very sweet for taking the time to throw a shower: best wishes!

Try making cupcakes in the color sceme you want instead of purchasing a cake and if the mom-to-be knows what she is having and has a baby name picked out you could spell his/her name out on the cupcakes. I also had people at the shower I threw for a friend decorate onsies for the baby...puff paints and fabric glue w/ribbon etc would give the baby things to wear and every time the mom-to-be looks at the onsie she will remember her friends. It doesn't hurt to ask some of the friends to help with the games...small house plants with the pots wrapped in baby paper make great gifts...(Lowe's has some very inexpensive ones)

I wouldn't worry about the games or prizes. I have 4 children and just enjoy getting together with family friends and catching up. I just went to another shower and they didn't do games and it was so much fun, women can always have fun just chatting with eachother. I think the raffle idea is great. Diapers a huge expense, and she would get help for a while from the diapers that people brought her from her shower. For lunch I would do Costco. Just get some salads, some of those turkey rolls, maybe some fruit, some spinach dip with bread. For drinks just do water and some fruit punch. I think that your friend will appreciate the fact that you are just willing to do this for her. Four kids later I don't have any of the favors that were given out and the one thing that I do cherish are the pictures. Keep it simple and it will great.

usually the person thats plan the shower plans it with other people, and for instance you may povide the location where it is located as someone wlse will prepare the food, another person may be responsible for something else, etc. I notice you are a stay at home mom, can you share with me how I may become a stay at home mom, im six months preg, and cant find a job, and have learned that all web sites for stay at home mom are mostly fraud

Winco has fried chicken that is really good and you can get 50 pieces for $35. Add some potato salad and regular salad or costco has pizzas for $10 each that are really good too. Good luck. S.

I threw several showers when I was younger, but recently helped with my daughter's shower. I would suggest the Dollar Tree for paper plates, cups and tableware. You may also be able to find decorations there. Mix and match your colors even if mom knows what she is having too much pink or blue can be too much. If you just use crape paper streamers and baloons that should do it, you can make everything else. If you set the time for the party at 2-4 no one will expect a meal then you can have a vegie plate $16 at Costco and make some cookies (up to 3-days ahead)and a simple sheet cake with decorations from a party store. There are some great party game ideas online and if you pick ones that use household items or things that you can pick-up at the Dollar Tree that can saave you a bunch. Everybody will be there to support the mom-to-be and will not be judging your party especially since you have little ones of your own so have fun with it.

Hi K.

Get all decorations and prizes at the dollar stores and or 99 cent only stores and have little cesars pizza or maybe El Pollo loco its 130.00 for a complete meal everytthing included even plates and utensils and salsa for 25 ppl.
get a cake at Costco or bake goodies yourself. I can always throw a great party for around 25 ppl for less than 200 everything included!!! (except liquor of course)
also, have a piggy bank if its a big party for guests to drop a few "coins" into for babys first bank!Good LUck

C.

I just had a low budget and green baby shower.
We used 6 pack nursery plants and separated them and put in extra small paper bags as favors.
we used real plates and cups and served 'flavored' water with mint and cucumbers ... punch, tea. My grandma stayed and washed all the dishes.
Decorations were my moms gift to me (clothes) and some cloth diapers I bought and a little crape paper (from the dollar store).
prizes were hand made cards or you an gt 8 for $1 from the dollar store.

we served lunch but you can have it 2-4 and serve finger food and snacks.

Hi K.,

One way to cut down on costs is the food. If you throw a mid-morning or mid-afternoon shower you will not need to serve a meal, just some munchies and snack stuff. I usally do a veggie tray and a fruit tray in addition to some other snack type stuff. If you buy the fruit and veggies yourself and cut it up it will be cheaper than buying precut and pre-arrainged. I have always done minimal decorations because most people just don't even notice.

You can get some cute prizes at the Dollar Tree (or other type dollar store). They ususally have cute paper plates and napkins too.

I hope this helps. Good luck,

J.

This isn't a game idea, but if anyone is stuck for an affordable gift, I always recommend a gift certificate for safeway.com. Most new moms have a tough time getting out of the house, and delivered groceries are a nice luxury. It fits any budget too. :)

A great way to have great food is to have it potluck style. Everyone brings a dish. Since you are the host, you do the cake or cupcake tower and provide punch, tea, water.

Games can be real easy.
1. Have yarn or string and have everyone cut it to the size they think the moms belly is and the closest when wrapped around wins.
2. See how fast they can list baby names using each letter of the alphabet. Use a timer and set it for 1-2 min. It's great to hear the different names people come up with when there is a time limit.
3. Make up a list of questions about the mom to be and have everyone answer them to see how well they really know her. Examples... fav. color, fav. music, what's her middle name etc.

Prizes could be scented candles, stationary, gift certs. since it's getting cold maybe a cute scarf and glove set. fun socks or slippers.

Hope this helps.
Renee'

I planned my own baby shower with a friend of mine & we were on a very tight budget. I really did not need any stuffed animanls or cutie items for my baby. I needed diapers! We sent out a little poem asking people to bring a box of diapers to the shower & that would enter them into a raffle for a prize. We made small prizes to hand out & it was great. Guests brought a gift for the baby & diapers to be entered into the contest. Everyone had fun & I had enough diapers to last me for months. I will try to find that for you & send it.
A.

If you want to do lunch, I did a bridal shower with tortelinni (sp?) and pesto sauce from Costco. Makes a nice big bowl. Toss some veggies (again Costco) and it looks and tastes great. Doesn't cost too much. You could also to tuna, egg salad or chicken salad sandwiches (buy a whole chicken from Costco and just shred it up for the salad. Add cut up apples and some mayo. You could use sliced bread or buy pita and cut in half for them to fill with the sandwich fixins and some shredded lettuce. A Costco cake isn't too expensive either. If you live near Oakland, head to Chinatown and find a place you like for take out. You could order ahead and get 5 pounds of chicken chow mein or fried rice. Make a salad and you're set. I read some other entries and like the one about gently used clothes, etc. You could have each guest bring what they can and never need to see again and have the expectant mom go through the items. It they aren't expected back you could then donate the remainder to Goodwill. There were lots of good ideas for party games and definitely hit the Dollar Store for little gifts. Wrap in tissue from the Dollar store and you're set. Have fun.

The Dollar Store is a great place to start for decorations, party prizes and maybe some food/beverage items. You might even find a few baby gifts. There is a cute game where you put about 20 small baby related items on a tray covered with a cloth diaper and then show it for 30 seconds to the guests and then cover it again. Have them list all the items they can remember, whoever lists the most wins a prize. Give those small tray items to the new mom (nail clippers, mitts, baby powder, diaper rash cream, nose suction bulb, baby shampoo-getting small sizes is great for travel, so you don't have to spend a lot). My second favorite game is covering the labels of some baby food and have everyone guess the contents. Give the new mom the baby food. If you have a Big Lots store, shop there too, lots of great baby stuff that's affordable, food and prizes, too. Give your table decorations as prizes, so look for candles or buy flowers or small potted plants, so you have double use of these items. Reheat premade, homemade quiches and salad is fine for lunch, and then get a cake at Costco for dessert served with coffee...should not cost too much but people will enjoy it.

Good idea to concentrait on being green saves money

Do a potluck surrounding a theme, maybe Mexican or whatever food your friend loves. Have the baker in the group make a cake. Don't feel bad about having a potluck, people love contributing to make a party special. Go to the dollar store for decorations, or ask friends if they have leftover decorations from a previous party. I always recycle my party decorations! Good luck!

I have a group of friends that get together a lot. We always do potluck. The last baby shower we decided who was going to bring which food and who had extra accessories to offer (we did a tea party theme, some brought their nice silverware, tablecloths, tea cups, etc)and together we were able to put together a really nice virtually "no cost" shower.
One thing I always do when throwing a party for someone is take pictures (or have other people do it). When the pictures develop I get an inexpensive small photo book and fill it with memories of their shower.
Freecycle is also a very great resource. I have gotten some wonderful items off there. Let them know you are trying to throw a low cost shower and people will want to help you...may even have extra party favors, streamers, etc. for you.
The other thing I do is have everyone bring any hand-me-downs they don't need. Some may offer to have them 'borrow' the item and return it when they are done. I handed down about 40 cloth diapers and breast pads to be returned when finished.
Another thing I did was put together a coupon book of babysitting hours (which might not be applied until the baby is older or can be applied to other siblings). Everyone voluneteer x hours of babysitting in 2 or 3 hour increments and give coupon book with all the hours in there.
Also I printed out a blank calendar for 2 months. Have people sign up to bring food to the new mother. Our new mother wanted meals on Tue, Thur & Sat (as each meal often had leftovers...so every other day worked well). This is usually the holy grail of gifts. Not having to cook. Because it was only 3 days a week, we were able to rotate for 3 months. Make sure you have people's phone numbers and call to remind them when their day is.

Hope these ideas help. They have made for very low cost showers for me and involves everyone instead of just you.

Jenny

One game that is fun -- and free -- have each person send you a baby pic of themselves in advance. Then post them on a board along with a number. Each guest has to guess which baby pic belongs to which grown up. Fun to see what everyone looked like when they were babies.

Another game that can serve as a gift for the mom-to-be, buy a gift basket and fill with a number of baby items (go to Target and buy a bunch of small stuff ... pacifier, baby socks, etc). Give the guests 30 seconds to a minute to look at it, take it away and then have people write down as many things as they can remember. Because it is a gift, you could ask one of the guests to bring it as her gift / game.

On favors / prizes, I don't think anyone really expects or needs them. However, an inexpensive idea is candy. Sounds silly but everyone likes a little sweet now and then. Just get a few clear glass bowls or vases from your own kitchen, fill with a few favorite sweets (bulk gummy bears, m&ms, etc) and have clear bags and twist ties so that everyone can make their own goody bag to take home. If you have a little extra $$, you can order M&Ms in blue and pink to fit in with the theme, otherwise a Costco bag of regular ones will do just fine. The candy looks pretty and festive on a table too so it serves as a decoration.

The best thing we did at my baby shower was to ask everyone to share a special tradition from their childhood that they really loved or made them feel special. Then we took a group photo and had everyone write in metallic ink on the matting that goes around the picture a brief wish for my baby based on the tradition they shared. It is a great memento and there were so many wonderful ideas that I wanted to make happen for my son. Good luck!
J.

I would go to your local .98 store - they have a lot of party items all for .98 each! Have a great time!

At my shower everyone got in a circle and passed a ball of yard around-- each person wraping it around their wrist before passing. Then when we were all connected we talked about the circle of support me and my baby had. Each person cut the yard and tied it around their wrist- not to be cut off until I had my baby. It was fun to see my friends around town with their yarn braclets on.

Marie C. already gave you my idea. I love having and going to potlucks. Other friends probably will be willing to contribute with other things too. I've found that's been the case in my life. Have fun & give lots of hugs to the mommy to be.

One thing I did at my baby shower which worked great. Write on the invitation...Bring a pack of diapers and receive a raffle ticket. The prize can be a $15 starbucks card or you can have 3 $10 starbucks cards. It worked great, I did not have to purchase diapers for months and I had twins.

I also went to Costco and purchased trays of turkey roll ups, veggies and fruit. Spinah dips and a salad. Make some punch and have waters. I not big into cake so you can make cupcakes, I used a cupcake stand for decorations.

Games - Toilet paper around the tummy to measure or string
Take a paper and a pencil and have them draw a baby behind their backs or on top of their heads and have the mommy to be pick the one that looks like a baby.

If you need more ideas you can e-mail I will be more than happy to help you. I like to plan parties.

Have a great day,
Monica

You can do finger sandwiches and fruit kabobs with a sherbet punch. Buy some gifts at the dollar store as prizes. We did a baby food taste contest and took newborn diapers where we broke pieces of candy bar in them and melted it then the people had to try to guess what kind of candyu bar it was.

Hi K.,
One of my friends threw me a wonderful and economical baby shower and a great time was had by all. Rather have a full meal available, she just had desserts. It was at around 2pm and it was fabulous. She had help with the desserts from two other people so there was a huge variety and everything tasted delicious. It was decadent to say the least. As far as beverages, there was ice tea, lemonade, and water. It was all very simple, but very elegant as she made it look so nice. Imagine a table full of desserts on pretty plates, etc. Someone also gave me a journal she had passed around to all the attendees. Each person wrote some advice or memory of being a mom. It was such a great gift I ended up taking it to the other two showers too. I look into the book often and treasure what was written.

Hope all goes well.

Hi K.,

What a great friend you are!! You might try a small lunch. Costco has a great Chinese Chicken Salad kit that isn't too expensive, which has enough stuff to make 2 good size salads. You just need to buy the lettuce, which I also get at Costco. Then you can just have cupcakes, cookies, pound cake, or something like that for a sweet treat.

Make sure someone takes many, many pictures for the new mommy. It's the one thing I appreciate most. I love looking back at those. Also, my sis had asked guests on the invite to bring a book for my little one's library. I love to read to him and say this book was given to you by so-and-so.

Good luck and try not to stress too much. Anything you do will be appreciated by the mom to be. Have fun!!!

N.

Go to Costco and get cheap food, and don't spend money on prizes and decorations.

After 50 years I have lightened up about this kind of thing. No one should expect you to waste a lot of money on trinkets -- a baby shower is about people who care about this woman coming together to start her out on her journey, not a bunch of silly, money-wasting trinkets. Put on some good music, play some games with no prizes, and talk and laugh and eat some Costco appetizers. Don't go broke over this. If you absolutely feel you have to have prizes, go to Goodwill and get some weird, funny stuff to give out.

No need to serve a meal, just do simple, inexpensive munchies (veges/fruit & dip, etc.) and punch. A few small dishes with candy and nuts is always nice, too.
The dollar store is a great place for paper goods, and sometimes you can even find cute prizes/favors there.
I also really like the idea of putting together an album with everyone's photo along with each person's "words of wisdom" for the new mom.
I'm sure you can get lots of game ideas online.
Good luck, and have fun!!!

Hi K.

Since money is so tight you might ask the new mother if you can put the word out that she (in a kind way) doesn't have any things for the baby yet so if your guests have hand me downs you could suggest they bring them along with a new gift. Just a way to help her get started.

D.

one of the most special things we can give our friends that doesn't cost a fortune is memories. Some fun games can involve having guests provide baby pictures (themselves or if they have children, their babies) and have everyone guess who's who. Have each guest write a special parenting thought/wish on pretty paper or notecards to put in an album or box. Another shower activity that I thought was really sweet - all the guests took a number from one to however many guests there were, and then each guest was given a little card to write a birthday wish for the baby-to-be for that year (ie, if your number was 3, you'd write a "Happy 3rd birthday" card).

Hi K.,

I am sure we can all relate to being frugal these days! Regarding prizes - I would recommend The Dollar Tree. This is THE best dollar store you will ever shop at. You can get some great prizes (that are not totally obvious that you got them for a dollar!) at this store. Their best location is in San Jose on Campbell Ave. and San Tomas Aquino.

Regarding food, I would recommend a bunch of finger foods. Go the Safeway or Lucky's and get some of their deli meats on sale. Lucky's always has some sort of turkey or ham on special. Get some buns and cheese for a deli tray. Veggie trays are ALWAYS inexpensive and well received. Make some Ranch dressing from scratch. It's cheaper and tastes WAY better too. Maybe make some mini-quiches. Those are good and don't cost much. Scan the weekly specials when they come out to find the best deals. Good planning can save $$!

Good luck and have fun at the shower!
A.

The Dollar Tree is a great suggestion - have the baby shower during a non-meal time, say 2-4pm, then you could serve homeade cake or a specialty homemade dessert and fresh fruit, with ice water and ice tea in pictures with fresh citrus slices - this would really keep costs down, you could also purchase some nuts/mints at the dollar store. I loved some of the game suggestions as well - another fun game is to have people write a list of names they love and then share them with the Mama to Be.

The only thing I remember from my baby shower (6+ yrs ago) is the yarn game where people had to cut it the length they thought would fit around my belly. My husband got it right (he was there) and it was hilarious to see how BIG some of them drew the string out to be! ugh! I dont go to showers (and in fact sometimes avoid them because I dont want to play the silly games) so mainly it is a time to get together and visit and celebrate the new arrival. PHOTOS - not too many but a few fun shots, a group shot of the guests, etc. (And they don't ALL have to have the mom to be in there. I hated the way I looked at my shower and threw them out, but cherish the ones of my friends who were there.)

I dont remember the food at all! slices of lemon in plain water is great! But since food is what makes it a party, use some simple colorful foods decoratively (ie, slices of apples spread out in a starburst around a dip bowl of yogurt. place containers or books under the tablecloth to stagger the height of food platters and make it look more attractive.

The advice game sounds funny- maybe have people write a letter or number or their name on each card so that they can be put together and put to good use later. The diaper raffle definitely sounds like a good idea! (You could even do a diaper cake as a decoration & your gift)

Sometimes people have great "hand me downs" their kids have outgrown but feel they cannot give those at a shower, so let people know that the mom to be (if she agrees!) would appreciate gently worn items just as much as brand new items. (Often you get a basket of gently used clothes vs 1-2 new outfits.)

Prizes - keep it simple!!! inexpensive candles wrapped up with a pretty ribbon, inexpensive photo frame decorated with pretty papers/stamps/etc. Baggies of candies tied up with nice ribbon. Dont worry about favors. It's just something I would have to figure out what to do with when I got home (now chocolate is a different story!)

Hi,
I do Body Shop at Home Free Spa Parties (www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/cflesher). These are free parties, and You get pampered. I am also a massage therapist, and can do a demo of infant massage with out baby products :)
Cynthia F.
###-###-####

Do not plan at a meal time to save money. Have snacks instead of a meal.

I have an ornate ceiling hanging decoration with streamers, etc. that you can have. If you send me your address, I'll mail it to you!

____@____.com

Also - a thought for the mom-to-be. To decorate my baby's nursery, I used the gift bags given to me at my shower - cut out the decorative part and framed it. Cheap and nice way to decorate!

Food - Costco.

Email me offline - I'm sure I have more ideas but am at work and don't have time to think of them now...

Have each guest bring a dish(potluck) and dollar store supplies like the other people suggested.I just had one for my friend and it turned out wonderful!She was super happy!
I even made her a diaper cake which was the centerpiece to the shower, and everyone ooh-and-ahhed over it.

Also you can tell everyone your having a diaper raffle, each guest who brings a pack of diapers for the baby
gets a chance at a special
prize.Good Luck:)