“Host a baby shower with a 'story time' theme. Pick a favorite children’s book and get busy recreating the things that you love most about it! Read it through a few times to find all of the lovely elements that will help your theme to unfold! First things first, your invitations should always give guests a sense about the theme, without giving too much away. You want to intrigue them and let them know that something special is in store. Decorative elements, florals, furniture, table linens, food, beverages, desserts and party favors should all be thematic and tell the story, because it is essential that you transport your guests into the magic of that book. A perfect gift idea for this shower might be to ask each guest to give the parents-to-be a copy of their favorite book with an inscription inside about why they loved that book. This will be the perfect start to baby’s very own library.” - Merryl Brown, Merryl Brown Events

“The stories of Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies is a perfect baby shower theme! I would begin by sending pressed flower invitations on seeded handmade paper to the guests, inviting them for a proper English tea, inspired by this acclaimed British author and illustrator. This series has fairies categorized by season, so focus on the fairies of the season in which you are having the party. This will allow you to most easily source the flowers that the fairies represent. Floral arrangements should be free form, bountiful and everywhere, representing the flower fairies that you have chosen. The arrangements can even incorporate porcelain flower fairy figurines, which can easily be found online – tuck them in here and there, peeking out of the foliage and flowers. Scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, fluffy white cakes blooming with sugared rose petals, shortbread cookies with delicate blooms pressed into them, tea sandwiches piled high on silver trays, pots and pots of earl grey, and rosebud and jasmine flower teas will be perfectly thematic. Gifts for the parents-to-be might be 'gifts from the old country' – things that are old world, handmade, felted, and wooden. This would be a most charming, colorful and memorable baby shower theme!” - Merryl Brown, ​Merryl Brown Events

“Set up a Cravings table. One of the positives of pregnancy is indulging in all of ones guilty pleasures. Set up a food station(s) with all of moms cravings and/or standard pregnancy cravings. You can do just sweets or really go all out. I love an ice cream bar and an artisanal pickle bar. For one client who craved peanut butter we gave out mini peanut butter and peanut M&Ms, homemade peanut butter cups and Reese’s pieces.” - Irene St. Onge, Soiree Special Events

“Serve MOM-osas. I kid you not, I do this all the time and it’s a huge hit. These days the majority of baby food comes as 100 percent fresh fruit purée in these squeezable pouches. I prefer mango, peach or raspberry purée and set up a bar with a galvanized tub of different champagnes and Italian sodas and sparkling water with these fresh fruit baby food packs all out. It is a fun original take on a baby Bellini bar, mommy style. Pair with a little sign, “Because Mommy needs a pick me up too.” Make sure you also have non-alcoholic options as well!” - Irene St. Onge, Soiree Special Events

“Give it a fun theme. I love a childhood hero theme and you can encourage guests to bring their favorite toy or something nostalgic from their childhood instead of bringing a book theme which is SO overdone.” - Irene St. Onge, Soiree Special Events

“Host a Pamper Party. Once a baby comes, me-time is pretty non-existent for the next couple of months and motherhood can be very stressful. I love to throw a pamper party for the mommy to be and a spa theme is the perfect way. Serve feel good foods and let the girls indulge in different treatments-inexpensive face masks, manicures or even hire a masseuse.” - Irene St. Onge, Soiree Special Events

“Finally, keep it under 4 hours. There is no reason for it to go longer and one trend that really never goes out of style, in my opinion, is asking guests to wrap gifts in cellophane or no paper at all because the present opening can be LONG! If you must open, enlist some friends to help take down names for thank you cards. I think a heartfelt thank you notes mean more than holding something up for display.” - Irene St. Onge, Soiree Special Events

“Go with a ‘Food Baby’ theme for the foodie mama! Guests can begin by doing blind taste tests of all sorts of baby food (from organic, homemade to store bought). The stranger the combinations of food, the better. Then split everyone into teams and have them choose 3-5 of the baby food options. Set a theme (like brunch) and have the teams prepare a dish that incorporates. Afterward, you can taste test or share as part of a larger meal (with other prepared foods, in case the dishes don’t pan out as planned). At the end of it all, all bellies and hearts will be full!” - Euri Wong, Lead Designer at Bloominous

“Try a ‘Baby on Board Games’ theme and enjoy a fun afternoon of classic games like Life, Monopoly, Scattergoriesand/or Scrabble. Try to set baby themes to all the games for an extra challenge. For Scrabble, guests are only allowed to make baby related words. For Monopoly, change the board to life stages instead of streets. If you have a large group, you can have a few games going at the same time.” - Euri Wong, Lead Designer at Bloominous

“As a mom of two, I know I would have appreciated a baby shower that was full of parenting hacks and practical advice. So why not host a shower where you invite all the seasoned mamas to bring their one “holy grail” item that helped them survive those newborn days? It could be a hand-me-down copy of “The Happiest Baby on the Block”, a special swaddle + white noise machine combo that never failed to lull baby to sleep, or that one teether that their little one just couldn’t get enough of when those pearly whites began emerging. Take advantage of the wisdom of your mom friends and ask them for their tried-and-true tips and products in lieu of going off a registry.” - Jenna Miller, Here Comes the Guide

"It Takes A Village" theme: One of the most treasured and valuable assets any new parent can have is their community. Your baby shower is a great opportunity to celebrate those in your life who have been with you and in many ways have helped shape the person that you are. These are the people that will continue to be a part of your child's life and help you through the trials and joys of parenthood. Here are a few ideas, that you can do to bring this theme to life!

1) Ask for sage advice from your guests as part of your RSVP and have these words of wisdom, from those near and dear, printed in pretty fonts as a large photo backdrop for your Baby Shower photo booth. You can also incorporate these into favors or decor.

2) Include cultural and family traditions that are rooted in the backgrounds of your friends and family.

3) Create an experiential registry and request gifts like "A free diaper change upon request" or "a stroller cruise to the park with mama & baby." This can be such a great way to communicate to your nearest and dearest that you want them to be a part of this phase of your life and can also help you avoid the isolation that can sometimes come with motherhood.o4) Make it special. Set the tone with elegant invitations to show that it's not just their gift, it's also their presence that is important. Everybody loves an opportunity to step out in style!”

 - Andaleeb Firdosy, Co-founder, Love On Paper