Baby Shower Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank

Baby showers can be the best of times or the worst of times. For some people, it's a welcome opportunity to get together with friends and family and be the centre of attention for the day! For others, it's the same but they really don't relish the prospect. So whether you're planning a baby shower for someone else - or hosting your own - here are some ideas that'll accommodate both of those types of people and not break the bank.

Create something

When we asked our community for some of their favourite baby shower ideas, many of them mentioned getting together to create something. New mom Angela Quinn said, "I find games at these events fairly awkward so doing something that allows people to relax and chat (especially if they don't know each other!) is great. At my baby shower, we made a quilt! Everyone got paint, paint brushes and a square of fabric and painted something in line with the theme."

Mom of two and crafter extraordinaire, Danielle Smith says, "For a friend's recent baby shower, I ordered a pack of blank blocks from @bearandpineza and grabbed a couple of paint markers from Merrypak. Everyone got to decorate a block and I'm quite pleased with the way that they turned out!" Crafting something together is meaningful for everyone, and gives you something to do other than watch your friend open presents in front of everyone.

Prep food together

If there's one thing that every new parent agrees, it's that the first few weeks with a new baby - especially if it's your first - can be a bit of a mad scramble. Trying to figure out what you're going to eat for dinner is sometimes more than either parent can cope with. If your baby shower crew are willing, one great way to help the new mom and dad to prepare for their baby is to make food for them.

These freezer meals from Pinch of Yum are designed to be prepped raw and then cooked from frozen in the slow cooker, electric pressure cooker or the oven. This makes them easy for even novice meal prep assistants to pull together and easy for the parents to organise on crazy baby days! You could also choose to cook full, freezer-friendly meals and pack their freezer with them. Whatever you do, make sure you include detailed, easy to follow instructions and a proper, dated label on each freezer packet. No-one wants to play freezer roulette!

It's not about spending money

The origins of the baby shower are to help the parents-to-be prepare for their new arrival, and sure, having a baby is expensive! As the attendee of a baby shower, however, it can be intimidating to be expected to spring for a gift for a baby that's not even here yet. To reduce the cost of the baby shower, ask guests to bring something from home for the baby. That could be a loaned Moses basket, a microwave steriliser that's not currently in use, or a gently used newborn outfit your baby has grown out of. As long as the giver is clear about whether the item is given or loaned, this is a great way to reduce costs, and help the parents kit out their nest for the newborn.

For friends who don't already have kids, they could bring items like thermometers, bum cream, nappies, and other must-have items from a list made up by the parents of things they actually need. This eliminates receiving 100 tiny newborn onesies when what you actually needed was another pack of nappies!

The baby shower is a chance for friends and family of the parents-to-be to show their support. It's not meant to be a Pinterest-worthy affair with colour co-ordinated cupcakes and a theme (unless that's what you love and you don't mind putting it together; then you do you, boo!) It's meant to be a sweet and simple celebration of a happy occasion. So next time you're planning one, remember it's not about pink or blue cupcakes. It's about far more (but also a lot less) than that.

Sources:

1. Planning a baby shower: https://www.pampers.co.za/pregnancy/baby-shower/article/planning-a-baby-shower
2. 24 Cheap Baby Shower Ideas: https://wellkeptwallet.com/cheap-baby-shower-ideas/
3. 5 Cheap & Unique Baby Shower Decoration Ideas: https://www.moneycrashers.com/baby-shower-decoration-ideas/