The Basics of Planning a Baby Shower: Gifts, Games & Ideas

By the time you’re starting to think about baby shower gifts and ideas, it’s probably pretty obvious that you haven’t just had a big sourdough-based lunch (although it’s highly possible that you’ve been enjoying a lot of bread AND your pregnancy, of course. They don’t call it a bun in the oven for nothing). 

Baby showers are a great way to celebrate with your friends and family before your little bundle of joy arrives. But, as a relatively new concept in the UK, you might be scratching your head a little. What are they meant to be? What are you meant to do? Is there an actual shower involved? 

What is a baby shower?

The modern-day baby shower that we know today came out of the 1950s baby boom in the US. However, the tradition of giving a pregnant woman plenty of fuss and presents ahead of the birth is long-established, with loads of traditions across the globe dating back centuries - for instance, there’s an ancient Hindu tradition called ‘seemantha’ in which the expectant mother would be gifted lots of dried fruits and sweets to help with the baby’s growth, alongside music and prayers. 

In contrast, the UK is new to the whole baby shower thing. Maybe because in ye olden days, pregnancy had to be treated with discretion, with the birth of the baby being the first many friends and family would hear of it. Imagine!

A lot has changed since then. Now, around half of new parents in the UK throw baby showers - or, more often, have them thrown for them. So, if you’re one of that half, or ummm-ing and ahhh-ing about becoming a part of that half, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about baby showers. 

When do you have a baby shower?

Typically, people throw their baby showers during the early bit of the third trimester (between 28 and 32 weeks). It’s the point in a pregnancy when pregnant people tend to be feeling good and fancy slipping into something tent-like and floral/figure-hugging and monochrome while sipping some elderflower cordial with their nearest and dearest. 

And, as you’ll likely be given a lot of gifts, it’s good to have your baby shower before you do too much shopping yourself, so as not to double or quadruple up on baby swag. That’s why we’d advise that you shop your LittleList baby registry earlier, before 28 weeks. Putting a link to your shared LittleList on your baby shower invite is one of the best ways to get it out there - because we’d bet our whole meal deal that almost everyone is going to arrive with a teddy bear tucked under their arm. If your loved ones want to buy you and your baby a pressie, they may as well buy something that won’t be wasted. 

If you do plan to use your LittleList for your baby shower, keep in mind that we need 6 weeks to put together all your lovely baby products and ship them to you in one, eco-friendly delivery. (Amazon, eat your heart out.) 

Other people plan their baby showers closer to their due date, of course, but you might find that when the time comes, you just don’t have the energy (plus your baby becomes much more likely to end up being an uninvited guest!). 

Where to host your baby shower

Traditionally, baby showers are thrown in the home of the expectant parent or a close family member. But who needs to keep things traditional? If you’ve been crawling the walls at home, you can throw your baby shower in a restaurant, cafe, or event space. Anywhere that’ll let you rent it out and throw a party, basically. 

These alternative spaces tend to be a win-win for everyone involved. The event space will be happy to have a bunch of happy patrons in during quieter hours, and the expectant parents will be glad they don’t have to do any clean-up afterwards. 

If your co-workers want to get in on the fun too, the mini-office-baby-shower is totally a thing. Less boozy than your typical Thursday after-work drinks, we’d assume. 

Bottom line: baby showers can happen anywhere you’ve got your loved ones. Maybe not in an actual shower, though. 

Would it be crass to throw my own baby shower?

No way! If you’re being super traditional, usually a baby shower is a surprise, thrown by your mum/sister/best mate. (Because, really, when you’re having a baby, you’ve got enough admin to be getting on with.) But plenty of people host their own baby showers! Everyone wants one last get-together with their friends and family before their life gets a bit of a shake-up… Host away, we say!

Baby shower themes 

Who doesn’t love an excuse to go out and buy a bunch of tat? There are so many baby shower themes to pick from that there’s no way we’ll be able to list them all here, but we’ll give you the basics, just in case you’re struggling for inspiration:

• Gender-themed baby showers - Already know the sex of your baby? Celebrate the impending arrival of your baby girl/boy by throwing pinks/blues everywhere! Is it stereotypical? Yes. Is it still cute? Definitely. 

• Neutral-themed baby showers - Keep things looking timeless and sophisticated with a range of neutral tones for your party. It’s perfect if you’re keeping the sex of your baby a surprise, or if you just want things to look aesthetically pleasing for Instagram.  

• Book-themed baby showers - From the Very Hungry Caterpillar to Winnie the Pooh, pick your favourite childhood book and cover every available surface with decorations. 

• Pun-themed baby showers - ‘Ready to pop’, aka lots of balloons, popcorn, etc. ‘Mama to bee’, aka loads of honey and bee-inspired treats. ‘You’re avo-ing a baby’, aka a theme for all the millennials that love their avocado toast, obviously. Take any bad, vaguely related to pregnancy pun and run wild with it. 

What kind of games do people play at baby showers? 

OK, so not everyone loves organised fun, but if you do, there are a ton of simple baby shower games you could get stuck into, from the cute (like a “guess who” with baby photos of all the guests) to the questionable (generally involving chocolate and nappies…). 

If games aren’t your thing, sitting around and chatting over a cuppa and some cake is more than enough of a celebration.

Baby shower gift inspiration

When it comes to baby shower gifts, you’ve got a whole range of options to choose from. Some people prefer to buy presents for the baby after they’re born. Those people might just bring a little token for the parents-to-be, like some tasty treats for instance. Others might bring small toys, baby clothes, and practical bits and bobs too. 

If the thought of people forking out for stuff that you don’t want or need makes you queasy (us, too!), you could certainly direct them to your LittleList ahead of time. You could also ask around for hand-me-downs (which you can handily keep track of with our pre-loved feature). Alternatively, you could just invite people to bring along a cake or something to drink - or just their sparkling presence, of course. 

Remember - if someone cares enough about you to come to your baby shower, odds are they’re definitely desperate to buy you and/or your little one a present, so there’s no need to feel funny about it.

If you need some more baby shower inspiration, head to the ‘shopping inspo’ section of LittleList Life! We’ve got gift ideas for every type of parent-to-be.