Crisp leaves, crisp evenings and beautiful days are the perfect time to celebrate a new life on the way. So why not use the season as a part of a baby shower for your favorite Mom-to-be. Let’s explore some ways to use Fall to your advantage when planning a baby shower.
Little Pumpkin
Welcome your favorite little pumpkin with a themed baby shower. They are everywhere in autumn and make a great backdrop for any photograph of the party. There are lots of different invitations that feature images of cute, round pumpkins. Add text such as “Join us in welcoming (Mom’s name)’s little pumpkin into the patch!” or “(Mom’s name) is expecting a little pumpkin!” When you get the invitations printed, be sure to have matching thank you notes done as well. Then, while you are addressing the invitations, go ahead and address the thank you notes for the mom-to-be. This can save her oodles of time. If you add a pad of sticky notes, you can write a brief description of each gift as she opens it and stick it to the correct thank you note envelope. This makes her life so much easier.
Pumpkins for decoration are a must. There are so many ways you can use them from carving two baby footprints into a shower jack-o-lantern, to writing names on tiny pie pumpkins for place cards. You might also think about carving the baby’s name into a pumpkin, if you know it. But don’t just limit yourself to bright orange fruit. Also think about other autumnal fruits and veggies. Harvest apples, gourds, and brightly colored corn can also add to the bountiful harvest theme. Autumn treats are always fun to serve. You can serve savory treats such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie or chocolate chip pumpkin bread. But don’t feel limited to pumpkin foods. Think about other fall foods such as caramel apples and candy corn.
There are lots of fun games you can play for a pumpkin themed shower. If your Mom-to-be is fully embracing her new silhouette, try playing “Pin the Pumpkin of the Mom.” Blindfolded players try to pin a pumpkin over an outline of the mom with her baby bump. Just be sure to make the pumpkin larger than her stomach. Another fun game is to fill a baby bottle with candy corn and ask guests to guess how many candies are in the bottle. If you want more than one prize, think about using several different sized bottles. If you use the type of bottle the mom has chosen, you can always present the bottles, either full or empty, to the Mom for her baby.
“Scary” Shower
Don’t shy away from a Halloween theme for your baby shower. It’s got everything an expectant mother needs for the perfect baby shower: candy, costumes, and laughter with an undercurrent of trepidation.
Celebrate the season with a fun, Halloween baby shower invitation. You might consider a cute baby witch with something like “A Baby is Brewing,” or a cute ghost with the words “Peek-a-BOOOO!” Then there’s also the perennial favorite: “Look who’s going to be a Mummy!” along with a fun Egyptian mummy. Carry on the theme with directions such as “This Spooktacular Shower will take place at (Host’s name)’s haunted House. The witching hour is (time of shower.) Be there or be scared!” Encourage your guests to come as their favorite pregnant monsters, or just in the costume of their choice.
Decorate with jack-o-lanterns, balloons and bats. You can make a simple “baby” jack-o-lantern by drawing closed eyes on a small pumpkin, then sticking a pacifier over the mouth to make the pumpkin look like a sleeping baby. You can always add a pink ribbon to the stem, to appear like a baby’s tiny curl. You can make baby ghosts by dipping cheesecloth in starch and hanging it in layers over a small balloon. After they dry completely, you can hang them from the ceiling. Fill tiny plastic pumpkins with candy and write the name of each guest on the front to make fun place cards that the guests can take home.
Any Halloween-themed shower must have its fair share of candy and sweets. Thankfully, every store is full of tiny candy bars and every bakery has seasonal cookies. But think beyond just treats. Why not fill a small, hallowed out pumpkin with veggie dip and place it in the center of a tray of healthy snacks? Don’t forget apple and pear wedges for a healthier alternative.
There are a lot of fun and “scary” games you can play at a Halloween-themed baby shower. Instead of bobbing for apples, why not try bobbing for pacifiers? Simply fill a tub with water and float a wide range of pacifiers in the water. You can either purchase disposable pacifiers or choose some that can be washed and given to the mother. One of the scariest baby shower games is “Call of Doody.” Before the shower, take eight to ten disposable diapers and write numbers on each one with indelible marker. Place a fun-sized candy bar in the crotch of each diaper and zap it for 30 seconds in the microwave to melt it. Make sure that each diaper has a different candy bar and keep track of which candy bar goes into each diaper. At the shower, give each player a numbered sheet of paper. With their sense of smell, encourage each player to determine which type of candy bar is in each diaper.
Of course, it’s up to you to tell them that it’s chocolate or not.
Whether you choose classic or cute, your autumn baby shower will be one to remember as long as you remember that it’s all about celebrating the new life that’s on its way.