How Can I Make A Cheap Baby Shower?

There is no need to drain your bank account for your baby shower.

Yes, you read it right, there are lots of great tips on how to make a cheap baby shower, and we have selected some of them.

Pregnancy is one of the most thrilling periods in life. Organizing a baby shower party is a wonderful way for the mother to be spoiled with delicious food, baby gifts, and good company. It is a celebration for both the mom-to-be and her friends.

One thing it certainly shouldn’t be is a source of financial stress and worries.

If you want to know how to throw a baby shower on a budget, without making it look cheap, read on!

Find more inspiration on our dedicated Pinterest board.

1. Set a Date

If you are going to organize a baby shower party, the first thing you need to do is set a date. It is good, of course, to consult with the mom-to-be.

Usually, the best time is 4 to 6 weeks before the expected date. It is not a good idea to plan the celebration close to the due date, firstly, because the little one may surprise you earlier than you expect and secondly because the future mother will no longer be very comfortable during this period.

Money-saving tip #1: some venues offer special discounts for mid-week celebrations, so if you want to save money, don’t book the party for the weekend. Usually, the more in advance you book, the cheaper you can get the date and venue booked up.

2. Make a Guest List

The next thing you need to do is to make the guest list.

Even if you are her closest person, this event is just for her and it is important that she feels good in the company of her guests.

Usually, only women attend the baby party, but if the future mom has a very special male friend, do not hesitate to invite him. You have seen the “Made of Honor” movie with Patrick Dempsey, right?

Money-saving tip #2: A guest list will directly impact your budget, so keep it short.

3. Choose a Location

Once you have the exact number of guests you can proceed to the choice of location.

If you’re organizing baby shower for mom to be, it’s a good idea to consult in detail about the location, since for heavily pregnant ladies it’s not usually comfortable to travel long distances.

How to make a cheap baby shower at home:

One thing is sure, the mom-to-be will feel most comfortable at home.

You will have more time to decorate and make the space exactly as you like it, even the night before. That’s something that will not be usually possible in rented venues, depending on their type.

Clear out the space in the living room to make enough room for seating, ideally in a circle so everyone can see each other. Set up a table for gifts that guests can leave on arrival.

Leave enough space for food tables and so people can move around freely.

How to set up a cheap baby shower outdoors:

In case the weather is nice, a garden party is always a good choice.

What could be better than celebrating in the sun with friends?

If you don’t have a house with large garden, or the mom to be doesn’t have one either, you can ask one of family members or a friend if you can borrow their backyard for an afternoon of fun.

A party in the park, or on the beach are great ideas for a cheap baby shower, if the weather allows it.

It would be better if the location of the venue is closer to the mother’s home, as it won’t be comfortable for her to travel 30-40 minutes to get to her baby shower party.

Money-saving tip #3: If the baby shower is attended by close family and friends, you can ask each to bring some food with them to the party. This will save a ton of money on catering expenses and people love to bring food and cakes they made at home, it feels so much more personal.

4. Make a Gift List

After the guest list and the baby shower venue are marked as done it comes to the gift list.

Ask the mom-to-be to make a list of all the things she will need.

Let her include all things from the smallest to the biggest, however, there is always the option of several people to combine and give her a crib or a stroller, for example, and so guests will have more choices for a great gift.

For first time mothers, it can be difficult to know whether some items are essential or on the other hand not necessary, so you can use ready-made registries or list to help her get inspired.

The gift registry should be ideally shared with the invitation to the baby shower, either in a form of a web address where the purchases can be made, or a physical list.

Ask the guests to share the choices from the gift registry with you, so you can mark them down and avoid duplicate purchases by the guests.

Money-saving tip #4: No need to hire a designer to do your baby shower invitations – you can get them from etsy fully customized for just a few dollars, to print at home and send out. Baby shower registries are also available as a printable download.

5. Set a Menu

Choose simple finger food that’s easy to eat and doesn’t create too much mess.

As mentioned above, a great way to cut the costs down is to ask guests to bring some food with them. The party is not a formal dinner, so nobody is expecting a full on three course meal, but more party food.

Money-saving tip #5: Even though elaborate baby shower cakes are all the fashion now, there is no need to splash a few hundred on a cake. Get cute cupcakes made and stack them up on a cake stand, to create the impression of a cake. Much easier to each and you can even make them easily at home.

6. Cheap Baby Shower Decoration Ideas

The type of decoration depends on the budget you have.

If you are on a restricted budget, look into printables for baby shower – you can get anything from bunting, cupcake decorations, custom made lettering and baby shower games.

7. Baby Shower Games

The decoration is an important element that will contribute to the festive mood of the guests, but still, to keep this mood throughout the celebration, it is good to include games and prizes.

As mentioned above, free printable baby showers are perfectly fine to use and you can customize many of them for the mom to be.

For most other games, no extra purchases are required, just a little bit of creativity.