How To Decorate a Baby Shower

If you are planning a baby shower, you have a lot of things to do. One of your more important tasks is deciding on decorations--the shower decor helps to set the mood for the party, from elegant to silly. Once you have settled on decorations, everything else will fall easily into place. Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Color helps to set the mood. If you know the baby's gender, you can always go with traditional pink or blue. If not, white, ivory, soft yellow or pale green work well. For a livelier look, consider using bright, primary colors.
2. If you know what the baby's name will be, try to incorporate it into the decor. You could hang a large banner with the words, "We can't wait to meet you, Matthew!" or spell out the baby's name in large blocks made from uniform sized cardboard boxes.
   
3. Arrange the seating to encourage your guests to interact. Round tables that seat 8-10 people each are usually better choices than large banquet tables. Be sure that all guests have a nice view of the main table, where the mom-to-be will be seated.
4. Make room for gifts. Set up a large table (or two!) for gifts. Place two chairs beside the gift table--one for the mother-to-be to use while she opens presents and another for a friend who will record each gift. Marking down each gift as it is opened will make it much easier when it is time to send out thank-you cards!
5. Decorate the guest of honor's chair. Attach large fabric bows or festive helium-filled balloons.
6. Make party favors a part of the decor. Consider placing fresh flowers or candles wrapped in colored netting at each table setting and let guests know that they are welcome to take those items home with them. A helium-filled balloon tied to a small stuffed animal works well, too.
7. Place an upside-down umbrella at each table and fill it with small baby items such as teethers, rattles and booties. Decorative umbrellas are inexpensive and available at most party supply stores.
8. Place a colorful train car filled with nuts or candies at the center of each table. After the shower, the train can be assembled as a gift for the new baby.
9. For a fun shower idea, decorate the party room like a big playroom using large playground balls, oversized stuffed animals and large plastic toy bins to hold cold beverages. All items can be saved for the baby, or if there are children in attendance, each child could be allowed to take a toy home.