After having had two baby showers in the last two weeks, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the things I’ve learned from other amazing hosts. I hope that this blog post will save you time and money and hopefully help with the stress of feeling like you have to do it “ALL” because you certainly don’t have to! I’ve learned that you can easily pull off a baby shower by yourself while trying to keep the costs and waste as minimal as possible.

1. Onesie garland
2. Consider art that can be used in their nursery
3. Baby book sign in
4. Potted plants instead of floral stems
5. Use your own dishes
6. Wrap gifts inside other gifts
7. use real linens instead of napkins
8. Choose only finger foods so you don’t have to buy utensils
9. Use a dress / outfit for table decor that you can gift them after

FOOD

We all come for the food right? Over the years I’ve learned that less is quite often more. Likely, your shower is either mid morning or mid afternoon so likely people have already eaten breakfast or lunch. Sticking to finger foods allows you to not have to worry about purchasing silverware. You could even use your own cups and plates at home to save money, however you and your dishwasher may have more work on the back end. I have seen where some hosts will use real linens to not have to worry about purchasing disposable napkins over and over. Depending on how many guests you have, this could end up saving you money and will definitely save on waste.

INVITES

The biggest investment every time when hosting a shower (for me) are the invites. To save yourself $25-50 in stamps and then $25-75 in printing invites, opt for e – invites. So many people are on their phones and may actually find this method easier to rsvp to. It may be more difficult depending on your generation so considering the audience is essential. It may make sense to send a few physical copies by mail, but text the majority!

DECOR

The goal with the decor is to try and use items in your decor that they can take home with them to use for the baby or nursery. We did a baby book sign in at the last shower and I loved the idea because it reduces waste and baby can still enjoy the book while mama can also remember all the ones who loved on her baby. Wrapping your gift inside a blanket, storage basket, diaper pail, etc is a great way to not only display your gift but also keep trash to a minimal. Potted plants make great gifts verses stemmed florals that will end up being thrown away. DIY art is a great way to have decor for the shower and a great gift that they can potentially put in their nursery. One of my favorite ideas is using a dress or an outfit for table decor that you can gift them afterwards. You can find many cute deals on facebook marketplace these days.

My daughter is talking my head off and my son is screaming and won’t nap so I need to put this down, but if you have any questions, PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out!!!

Sara